The Affliction of War

Here is the next chapter, please take note that there won't be another until the New Year now as I have a lot of edits on Fragmented Soul to do and I will be spending time with my family and of course my six year old daughter over Christmas. Please enjoy this chapter and don't forget to let me know what you think. :)

Chapter Fourteen - Rescue

"He's gone," Fury raged to his brother. The two of them were in the Director's office, Kingsley having made the tiring trip to America once again and so far he wasn't sure why it was that he had had to do so. There were so many things that, as Minister for Magic, he should have been doing but his family would always be a priority. His brother had called him and as usual he had come running but then he would count Harry as being as good as family so it hadn't just been Nicky that he had come for.

"Who has gone?" Kingsley asked patiently, though he thought that he might already have a clue about the answer. It wasn't as if Harry couldn't manage to get himself into trouble even when surrounded by superhero bodyguards. The idea that Harry would keep himself out of trouble seemed like an impossibility at this point regardless of the measures put in place to protect him.

"Harry; he left the safe house, has probably gone after Agent Barton," the Director raged, pacing the length of his office, rubbing his bald head in frustration. Harry had had one job, to stay hidden so that Loki couldn't find him. He had moved Steve in with him, thinking that that would be the right thing to do, to keep the two of them together but alas now Harry was gone and right into the hands of Loki and there was nothing they could do about it.

"Yes…" Kingsley said a little tiredly. He had been dealing with Harry and his reckless stupidity for the last nine years while the young man had been an Auror for the Ministry so nothing would take him by surprise now. Though, to be honest, he was a little surprised it had taken Harry this long to do anything this idiotic. He had of course tried explaining to his brother what Harry was like before the young man had arrived but it seemed that these warnings had been to no avail.

"I try and keep him safe, I even moved Rogers in there with him and then he just ups and leaves, reckless, stupid…" Fury rambled, though it was more to himself than to his brother now. He needed to vent and he thought that he sounded a little less insane doing so with his brother in the room with him.

"I did try and tell you…" Kingsley said with slight amusement. Watching his brother act like this was was fairly entertaining to him, especially after the warnings he had tried to give before the young wizard's arrival. He was rather confused, however, as to why he had been called here simply because Harry had been himself and run off to save the day.

"Infuriating boy," Fury muttered angrily as if this was something new to Kingsley. In truth though he was more angry at himself than at Harry. He should have predicted this; Kingsley had told him how unpredictable the boy was, how much of a hero complex he had and yet he had thought that, like the rest of the Avengers, Harry would sit and do as he was told. Apparently that was not the case.

Slightly amused by the entire situation and not hugely worried at all, Kingsley sighed. "I agree, but he is more than capable of taking care of himself," he said with a smile to his brother. It was rare that Nick became this worked up, it was a privilege to see the usually composed man come undone in this way. It didn't surprise him that Harry had brought it out in his brother.

"Why did you send him to me to protect then?" Nick raged, turning on his brother now. He had jumped at the chance to have a wizard on his team of superheros but primarily the young man had been here to be protected and Fury couldn't understand why if Kingsley had such absolute faith that Harry could take care of himself.

"Because I wanted him away from all the trouble that was happening, but of course he has ended mixed up in it anyway. But that's Harry for you," Kingsley said with a fond smile. It had been troubling him how Harry managed to always be in the middle of the worst kind of trouble regardless of how much anyone tried to prevent this from happening.

"Barton says he is sick, he's been vomiting. How can he take care of himself when he isn't at his best?" Nick demanded, unsure that Harry was as capable as Kingsley believed him to be. Clint had given him a brief summary of things before leaving Washington and Fury wasn't convinced that Harry was capable of doing very much at all right now.

"I don't think that he's sick, Nicky; Harry will be fine, you will see," Kingsley said with a knowing smile. He had asked Steve the questions he had for a reason and now two weeks on, to hear that Harry wasn't feeling well, made the Minister for Magic a little smug.

"If he isn't sick, what is he?" Fury demanded heatedly. He knew more about the wizarding world than most muggles and he prided himself on that fact. He had grown up with his brother being a powerful magical being, it was part of what had drawn him to S.H.I.E.L.D in the first place. However, he wasn't fully understanding the hints or the knowing smile that his brother had.

"Pregnant, possibly," Kingsley said with a smile. It hadn't been what he had hoped for, he just wanted Harry to settle down and make a life for himself outside of work. In that regard there were a lot of people who had been concerned about him. The thought that Harry might now have a reason to find some sense of normality bigger than just his sanity was thrilling to the Minister.

"Seriously?" Fury asked. This was something that he had not been expecting. In his world male pregnancy wasn't possible. It was something that Kingsley had never mentioned to him before and it was rare that he could ever be taken by surprise but this piece of information did shock him a little bit.

"Maybe, it is just a suspicion of mine," Kingsley said still smiling, wishing that he had some way to confirm it. "This is why I think we need to bring someone else here, someone who Harry can talk to and trust," the Minister said, already having arranged someone to join them in America, though he had been slightly delayed in his arrival.

"You have someone in mind?" Fury asked, knowing that this was a silly question. He was sure that if his brother had thought about it then he had a plan and it was already in motion, Nick had no delusion about that. In that respect they were so alike.

"I tried to get his healer, Harry seems to trust him explicitly and will allow no one else to take care of his medical needs," Kingsley said, sounding a little exasperated with this fact. Draco Malfoy was a very specialised and talented healer, having him on call constantly was expensive but Harry would be treated by no one else. The two of them had some form of agreement and bond which only the two of them understood and Kingsley couldn't argue with that. "However, that particular gentleman is a little preoccupied and therefore unavailable. I do have an alternative suggestion though, someone who fought alongside Harry in the war."

"Fine, if you think it will help," Fury said with exasperation of his own. He knew that Steve would not rest until Harry was back with them alive and well. Natasha was on edge and agitated herself, clearly her feelings for Clint starting to cloud her judgement. If Fury was going to get his Avengers back on form then he needed Harry and Clint back.

"He's a wizard, he'll be able to help Harry and hopefully be able to get him more settled with the Avengers," Kingsley said with pride in his voice; he truly believed that in the unavailability of Draco Malfoy, he had made an excellent choice on who to bring to America. Most of Harry's friends and loved ones were compromised in some way or another because of what was going on but not this gentleman, who had always lived a little out of the public eye, surrounding himself with work, similar to what Harry had done since the war had ended.

"Okay, make it happen, and quickly," Fury agreed, thinking that whoever it was might be able to help them locate Harry and Clint as well if they could get him there soon. Then after a moment of thought, he asked, "how likely is it that Harry's pregnant?"

"I couldn't say," Kingsley said with a sigh. "I suppose it is unlikely, given that muggles aren't supposed to be able to impregnate wizards, and male pregnancies are rare enough as it is on top of that. But we both know Mr Rogers is not exactly an ordinary muggle," Kingsley said thoughtfully, mulling it over as he spoke.

"You think the serum might have made it possible?" Fury questioned had been curious about the combination of the serum and magic but he had never thought that this was possibly. However, he couldn't help but be a little excited about the possibility.

"It might have done, or at least a combination of that and Harry's magical power, which is quite impressive on it's own," Kingsley said with a nod of his head. This was the reason that he had asked the questions he had upon first meeting Steve. Harry was the kind of man where the impossible was far more likely and there wasn't even an explanation as to why.

"We need to pull Harry out of the field if he is," Fury said with a frown. He had been hopeful that having a wizard on the team would benefit him; however he could not, in good conscience, put a pregnant agent in the field. It might take a lot of explaining considering that Harry was a guy, but he was sure that he would be able to think of something.

Kingsley almost laughed at that, knowing how well Harry would take that suggestion. "I agree, but not yet," he told his brother. "Harry won't take kindly to us getting involved in his personal affairs. He probably hasn't even accepted it is possible, given Mr Rogers is muggle, so he presumably just thinks he has a stomach bug or something," he explained, knowing how stubborn Harry could be, and thinking that the young man would ignore his symptoms for as long as possible. "But like I said, this is why I need someone he trusts here with him, so that he has someone to talk to."

"Moves and countermoves," Fury said with a nod of approval. He knew how difficult it was to keep a good balance and tread that particular tightrope.

"Indeed," Kingsley said with a nod, his mind churning over the many possibilities about what was going to happen next. If Harry was pregnant then there was going to be a lot of fall out. He was now thinking that it might be best for all involved if Harry was to remain in America for a while.

"All to keep one young man safe and happy," Nick said a little uncertainty, looking at his brother and trying to read him. He was no longer sure if it was worth it to keep a single man happy. He knew that this man had done a lot for the wizarding world but Fury very much doubted that he was worth this much hassle.

"You know it is about more than that, particularly now we know what Loki is up to," Kingsley said, not entirely convinced that his brother understood why he had sent Harry here. He was certain that Harry needed to be here and not just for protection or happiness either. He was too much of a high profile target now, he needed to lie low for a long while.

"I know, but now we know what Loki is after, wouldn't it just be better for you to take Harry back to England and put him under some of those warding spells of yours?" Fury asked, wondering why it was that Kingsley was so determined to keep Harry in America. It made very little sense to Director Fury who would have been making entirely different calls, if they were his to make.

Kingsley sighed and shook his head. "Harry has done a lot for the wizarding world, I owe it to him to find him peace and happiness. He gave up his childhood to fight for us. As an adult he shouldn't have to give up any quality of life to keep fighting; an actual relationship will probably be good for him and if he really is pregnant then I am not going to keep him from that child's father," Kingsley said stubbornly.

"And if he isn't?" Fury asked curiously. He had never seen his brother care for another person as much as he cared for Harry. He thought that it was sweet but he didn't think that it was very professional. Of course he had a soft spot for his Avenger's but Kingsley seemed to truly care about the young man.

"Are you going to be the one to try and separate him and Mr Rogers?" Kingsley asked with amusement. He could only imagine how that would go, Harry was not one to take things lightly, not when it involved those he cared about. He would pay good money to see his brother attempt to separate the couple.

Fury scowled, but knew that his brother had a point. Steve was completely head over heels, and Harry seemed fairly smitten himself. "You care for him," the director stated with disapproval.

"Like a son," Kingsley said unrepentantly. He was not ashamed of the fatherly affection he had for the young man; he had seen him go through the toughest of times and come out the other side, not only alive, but stronger for it too.

"When does this new man arrive?" Fury asked, resigned to the fact that he was going to be dealing with Harry Potter for a fair while yet, assuming they could locate the young wizard of course. All this talk was all well and good but it was all going on the assumption that they would get him and Barton back alive.

"Right now," Kingsley said as the fire burst to life with emerald green flames.

-x

"We'll find him," Bruce said, trying to reassure Steve; however, he was having very little luck on that front. They were all gathered for a meeting room in the Triskelion, at least Thor, Natasha, Bruce and Steve were. Fury was yet to join them and Harry and Clint were still missing.

They were all sat waiting. Fury had directed them here and then said that he had someone who could help them arriving momentarily and then left. He had now been gone twenty minutes and they were all getting a little restless. Steve was pacing back and forth with a worried expression, Thor stood in the corner of the room, leaning against one wall with his shoulder, hammer in hand, looking serious and focused. Tony, Natasha and Bruce were actually sat down but they all seemed rather tense, which was never a good thing.

"How do you know that?" Steve raged, turning on Bruce, glaring at him. "We could lose both of them today and what then?" Bruce seemed rather taken aback when Steve had turned on him like that, clearly he hadn't thought that the super soldier was in such a state, but apparently he had underestimated Steve's seemingly fragile state of mind.

"Don't say that," Natasha said gently, lost in her thoughts, which were all going along the same lines. "We're not losing either of them," she added with finality. She didn't particularly like Harry but he was her mission, at least keeping him out of Loki's hands was. Clint was her priority and getting him back. He was the only man that she had ever cared about in that way, and she feared that losing him could ultimately destroy her, and she hated that she felt that way too, that she could be made vulnerable over such affections. He was undoubtedly her achilles heel.

"Then tell me how to fix this, how to find them," Steve yelled, now turning his attention to Natasha, who didn't flinch away like Bruce had done. She got to her feet though, glaring up at Steve, daring him to start something because she was more than happy to finish it. With a sigh, Thor stepped forward, preparing to tear the two of them apart if it was needed. Bruce and Tony just sat there looking a little shocked.

"Perhaps I can be of assistance," a new voice said. Too busy bickering, not one of them had noticed that Fury and a new face had entered the room. Everyone turned to look to see who it was that had spoken, taking in the small brunette man that was wearing some kind of old man's cardigan, or so it seemed. To the Avenger's he seemed rather withdrawn and soft around the edges, especially compared to them, the kind of man you might expect to find in charge of a library, and none of them were sure how much assistance he was likely to be.

"Who are you?" Tony asked, eyeing up the newcomer with interest. Whoever this man was he certainly didn't seem to be much of anything; about Harry's size, a worse fashion sense and very little confidence or self assurance judging by the way he held himself. Tony, however, had learnt that Harry was not to be underestimated and therefore he wasn't going to underestimate this man either.

"My name is Neville Longbottom, I went to school with Harry," he explained to them, clearly a little nervous about being confronted by such a strange and powerful group. He kept looking to Steve, worried that the super soldier might explode, he seemed so tense. "I fought by his side in the Wizarding War; I know how he thinks, what he is capable of, so I might be able to help you find him," he continued, thinking that he really was their best hope.

"And knock some sense into him," Steve said with a sigh, sinking down into one of the chairs, feeling utterly depleted. He knew that he was never going to find Harry on his own. Whatever Harry had done to him it was so he could go out and find Clint, meaning he wouldn't easily be found. In truth, Steve wasn't sure how he felt about the fact Harry had slipped him something to make him go to sleep. He didn't know if he should feel betrayed or just respect how headstrong, brave and recklessly idiotic the man was.

"Believe me, we've been trying to do that for a long time, doesn't seem to have worked," Neville said kindly, as he approached the large table in the middle of the room, Fury following, and the two of them taking seats. He did know that he was there to help with more than just locating Harry though. "Maybe we just need a super soldier to help us," he added with a smile. Kingsley had told him that Steve had strong feelings for Harry and to treat the man with care. It seemed that Kingsley was determined to match the two of them up, or so it had seemed to Neville and he actually agreed. Harry's promiscuous behaviour had always been a worry, he really did need to settle down.

"You're not going to use magic are you?" Tony asked, narrowing his eyes at Neville in suspicion. "The last time someone who wasn't Harry did that I almost died," he added, thinking that he'd very much like not to repeat that feeling. It had been far too close a call for him, he had not appreciated the reminder that he wasn't immortal and wasn't going to live forever.

"No, Kingsley is attempting to locate a second pair of the bracelets like those that Harry has, so that I can use magic without hurting you, but so far he hasn't had much luck; they are extremely rare," Neville explained with a frown. He would be able to use his magic, just not around Tony or anything electrical of importance, at least for the moment.

"So what use are you?" Natasha asked snidely, trusting this man very little. She understood that this man had known Harry and could understand the way he thought in ways that they could not but that didn't mean she liked him or trusted him for that matter. To her he was just another new face, just like Harry had been.

"Neville knows Harry, he has a better chance of finding him than we do," Fury said, wanting to take control of the situation. He was hoping that Natasha would at least respect him, if he instructed her to listen to the young wizard. "Right now we have no idea where either Harry or Agent Barton are; but it is likely that Harry has gone after Clint, which means that there is a chance that the two of them are together. Listen to Neville, let him do what he can to help."

"I have known him since he was eleven years old and shared a dormitory with him for six years, I know him better than almost anyone. I know he can be hard work, but trust me, I can help you," Neville said, having expected some form of hostility from these people. "All of you," he added, though he didn't take his eyes from Steve; the man was clearly deep in thought, obviously worrying over something and Neville knew that to be Harry.

"What action do you suggest, young Longbottom?" Thor asked using a rather peculiar pronunciation of his name, as he pushed off from the wall and went to take a seat at the table, opposite Fury and Neville, and placing the hammer there within easy reach. He was at least willing to hear this young man out, if it would help their friends.

"Oh," Neville said, looking a little flustered to be addressed and watched so intently by the Thunder God. "Well, I already tried a tracking spell on Harry, but that didn't work; not that that is a surprise." He hadn't been shocked that Harry had protected himself from tracking spells. The young man was going to be more paranoid than Mad Eye Moody had been one day if he wasn't careful.

"Why?" Tony asked, confused as to why it hadn't worked. He found this whole magic thing fascinating, even if he was quite determined to stay away from it now that he knew what it could do to him. He still didn't understand the limitations of it yet, which apparently there were if Longbottom had failed to find Harry.

"Because Harry hates the idea of anyone else, particularly those he loves or cares about, ever being in danger," Neville added, resisting the urge to glance at Steve, "so he will want to keep you out of it. He will have deliberately put spells on himself to prevent us from finding him with magic."

"Could you not try that on Clint instead?" Bruce asked, curious if that was a route they could go down. "If we are acting on the assumption that Harry is trying to get to Clint, then surely we can look for Clint too and find Harry in the process."

"That is probably how Harry is locating Clint, but having never met the man myself, I can't," Neville explained. It was one of the big limitations of the tracking spell. He was feeling a little useless at this point, and he would have much rather been living his quiet, sedentary life but Harry had saved his life once before so he owed it to Harry to help him now. He had come to America to help, not just with locating Harry but also to encourage him to settle with the Avengers a bit more but they were very short on options at the moment. He did have one idea on how he could help though.

"Then I ask again, what the hell use are you?" Natasha snapped, wondering why this man had been brought here if he couldn't help them. She was getting more and more on edge with every passing second; Steve was faring no better. Both of the people they loved the most in the world were missing and there was nothing much they could do about it.

"I know the man who is working with Loki," Neville admitted with a sigh. He still couldn't believe that George would have chosen to work against Harry like this, but that was apparently what had happened. "I am going to try and track George, because Harry will probably try to save him too, as well as Clint. So I am hoping they will all be together."

"Why would Harry try and save George when he's working against us?" Tony asked, feeling a little bitter that Harry would try to help the man who nearly killed him, even if that hadn't been the direct intention.

"Because that is what Harry does, he saves people," Neville said with fond exasperation, before going on. "George lost his twin brother in the War, and Harry blames himself for every death that happened because he thinks that he could have prevented them somehow. George never got over his brother's death, Harry would want to save him if he could."

"Not everyone can be saved," Tony said with some regret in his tone. He had seen people die, good people and he knew from bitter experience that sometimes those that deserved to live couldn't always do so. He had seen too many good men perish trying to do the right thing.

"Yes, well, Harry has a lot of deaths weighing him down, he cut himself off from everyone after the war because of his guilt. He has a Godson he can't look at or spend time with because both his parents died in the War, fighting a battle Harry should have fought alone, at least that is the way he see's it." Neville couldn't help but look at Steve as he said this, wondering how much he knew about Harry's past.

"He has a Godson?" Steve asked curiously, looking at Neville as if he might hold some of the answers to Harry and the way he thought. He couldn't help but think, with Neville's help, he might be able to get closer to Harry, stop him from running off and doing stupid things.

"Yes," Neville said, glad that Steve had picked up on this. "His name is Teddy, he's nine years old," he said, looking Steve right in the eye as he said this and allowing the super soldier to fully take this in.

"Can we do this tracking spell already?" Natasha asked impatiently. This information about Harry was fascinating, but at the moment their friends were in danger and she hated that they were wasting time standing around chatting when they could have been doing anything else and potentially saving their lives. What good would it do any of them, knowing about Harry's family and his past if he ended up dead.

"Yes, though I suggest we head out of the city so we don't take out the power in here," Neville pointed out, thinking that he didn't want to cause any problems for the muggles of this government agency that was likely to be riddled with complicated bits of technology that would clash with his magic. He was going to have to be extremely careful with how much magic he used while he was helping these people it seemed, at least until Kingsley found some way to stabilize it, like he had for Harry. "I didn't do it before because I thought you guys would want to head there the very second I knew where they are, in case they figure out what we're doing and move."

"Then let's do it," Steve said impatiently. "Bruce, you won't want to be in combat so go with Longbottom, we'll wait to hear from you." With these final barked commands everyone started to move, knowing that Steve was not to be challenged. It was without question that he was in charge, no one seemed to know why, that was just the way it was.

-x

Harry could feel his heart pounding violently in his chest; it was taking a lot to keep his breathing under control and in truth he had never felt more nervous or panicked in his life than on this rescue mission. He wasn't sure what made this one so different but every inch of him was on edge, his entire body feeling as if it were charged with electricity. He had his wand out, ready for an attack, not because he needed it because while he was wearing those bracelets he didn't; however it made him feel safer, more confident in himself. His wand was basically a security blanket, a fact he couldn't really deny.

He had managed to get inside of the building easily enough, the patrols outside were predictable and fairly useless, more than likely relying on the wards that he had easily been able to bring down before anyone had seen him. Despite all of this, Harry couldn't shake the feeling that it had all been a little bit too easy.

Loki was no where to be seen, George suspiciously absent too, at least for the moment. In fact Harry had come across no one as he had made his way through the maze of haphazardly built corridors. Someone had clearly attempted to convert this warehouse into some form of office; however, they had failed miserably and given up halfway through the project, leaving it unfinished and much like a construction zone.

Because the building had been unused for so long it was relatively easy for Harry to spot signs of life and he was able to tread the most frequently used corridors without using magic to lead the way. Footprints in the dust and even, on occasion, fresh blood too had shown recent signs of activity.

Harry couldn't be sure that he was going in the right direction or that Clint would be alive if he did somehow manage to find him but he had to try. He was used to this, it was what he had been trained to do. It should have been easy, but with his stomach churning and his nerves making every inch of his skin tingle, he was not as laid back as he usually was for these missions.

He had expected to have come across someone by now, it was too easy. He couldn't contain his nerves that seemed to multiply everytime he took another step deeper into the building. He needed to find Clint and quickly; he didn't want to be here. He didn't feel safe, his nerves making his stomach feel so much worse. The nausea had set in quickly when he had left the safe house and had only worsened the longer that he had been out in the open.

"I hoped you wouldn't come," a familiar voice said sadly from behind him, making Harry turn around sharply and point his wand at George, a man whom he had considered his brother, a friend and someone that he could reply on.

"Of course I was coming," Harry returned, lowering his wand slightly. He didn't want to fight George; he wasn't sure how he would be able tell Molly that he had injured, if not killed, one of her children when she had already lost so much.

"I'll take you to him," George said causing Harry to look at him as if he had gone completely mental.

"You know that you're not meant to be helping me, right?" Harry asked, looking skeptical as to why George would chose to help him when he was apparently allied with the enemy. By all accounts it just didn't make any sense.

"I never wanted him to get hurt," George said with a shrug as he motioned for Harry to follow him, turning his back and starting to walk away. Lacking any better ideas but still very unsure about what to do, Harry started following his former friend.

"Then why are you doing this?" Harry demanded, unsure of whether or not he could trust what George was doing. Harry truly wanted to think that his former friend would never hurt him but now he just couldn't be sure of that so he remained very much on edge, wand up and overly alert.

"I told you," George said with a sigh, "I just want Fred back. I know you say that it can't be done but I have to try." Harry genuinely felt pity for George. He was missing part of himself and that feeling would never go away, Harry knew all too well the guilt and the pain because he lived with it every day. He had been living on the brink of it consuming him for the last nine years, George had allowed it to take over him completely.

"I'm not going to argue with you," Harry said sadly. "It can't be done but you know that. I still don't understand why you're helping me now, why take me to Clint?"

"Because they're hurting him," George said, not turning to look Harry in the eye and genuinely sounding rather ashamed of himself. "I can't let them keep hurting him like that."

"Who's hurting him?" Harry asked, thinking that as long as George kept talking then he was going to get all the information from him that he could.

"Jugson, Selwyn and Mulciber. They agreed to help Loki if they were freed from Azkaban," George explained as they walked, going deeper and deeper into the warehouse. Harry was trying very hard to remember each turn that they took but there were so many. It was rather fortunate that he was intending to apparate out once he found Clint.

"I put them all in Azkaban myself," Harry said with a sigh, carrying on the rouse of having a genuine conversation when really he was just trying to get as much information as possible. It was easy to keep it going, it felt so natural, as if they had done it many times before and of course they had, many years ago as children.

"Yes," George agreed. "They have rather enjoyed inflicting pain on your friend," he said as they came to a stop outside a door. "He's in here but he's pretty beaten up, I'm not sure that he'll be able to walk."

"Come with us," Harry said, looking at George pleadingly. He didn't want to leave him behind, not after he had helped him. He knew that Loki would not take kindly to George doing this and would most likely be punished; Harry needed to give him a way out.

George looked torn, unable to give up on his last and only hope to get Fred back. It was worth the risk to him, there was nothing he wouldn't do to be reunited with his twin one way or another. Sadly he started to shake his head, knowing that he couldn't give up and not know one way or another if Loki could bring Fred back. "I can't," he said, unable to look Harry in the eye.

"Yes you can," Harry insisted, "you need to."

"No, you need to take your new friend and go before they find you here," George insisted, opening the door that they were stood in front of, revealing Clint. He was in a bad way, suspended in mid-air by what seemed to be nothing. He was bleeding from several contusions across his body. He was shirtless, only a pair of jogging bottoms covering his modesty but even those were caked in blood.

Harry couldn't be sure until he looked a little closer but he was sure that Clint had been healed and then the cuts redone to cause him more pain. It was horrifying to see him in such a state, Harry was grateful that he had been able to locate him and given the chance to rescue him. It didn't look like he was going to last much longer if left here, he was already unconscious.

"George…" Harry tried to say as he took a step into the room and the smell of blood and urine hit him. Clearly Clint had just been left to soil himself, completely undignified and entirely humiliating. However, it wasn't this that bothered Harry, he had seen and smelt so much worse in his lifetime, a lot of it he himself had experienced at the Dursley's as a child.

His stomach had already been a little on edge however, and the smell just tipped him over the edge. He couldn't finish what he had been about to say, he could barely even turn away from George before he bent over and threw up the chicken and vegetables that he had eaten with Steve earlier in the evening.

"Harry, are you…?" George tried to ask before looking around slightly panicked. Clearly something wasn't right, they had run out of time. "You have to leave," he said quickly. "Knock me unconscious, take Clint and go, Loki's back."

Harry, still trying to catch his breath and still feeling entirely unsure of himself and whether or not he would be able to make it without throwing up again, nodded his head, venturing further into the room. He knew that there wasn't time to be sick, there wasn't time for anything other than leaving, not if he wanted to make it out of there without being caught.

Turning and aiming his wand at George, Harry shouted a stunning spell, watching with regret as his friend fell to the floor. He didn't have time to check that he was alright, he could only pray that George hadn't seriously injured himself as he fell, instead turning his attention to Clint, trying to ease him down gently.

It would have been a lot easier if Clint had been conscious, but there wasn't time to try and rouse him, they had to get out now. It was unfortunate that Harry just wasn't strong enough to lift the muscle bound man himself, so holding him on the ground, Harry focused on the safe house and apparated away.

-x

Thor, Natasha, Tony and Steve were all suited up and ready to move the moment they were told where to go. Bruce had gone off with Neville to perform the tracking spell away from the Triskelion, and from Tony's reactor too. No one wanted to put it to the test again.

Steve was pacing, clearly agitated, wanting to know where Harry was, needing to know that he was safe. Natasha, though not pacing as Steve was, was just as on edge as her fellow Avenger. Thor seemed completely at ease with the entire situation, unperplexed by the fact Harry and Clint were missing. Tony just looked bored, with nothing to entertain him, he was like a small child with mischief on his mind.

"I wish they'd hurry up," Steve muttered as he flexed his fists, the urge to lash out and punch something was undeniably strong but he resisted, thinking that it wouldn't be a great idea to do something like that, not here at least.

In truth he was still struggling a little bit with how to react to what Harry had done. He just wanted him back in his arms, though at the same time, he was furious that his lover had drugged him and run off on a suicide mission. The problem was, the anger that he felt was completely dwarfed by how in love he was with the young wizard. He honestly had no idea how he was going to react upon seeing him again.

"Call Barton and Longbottom," Fury said coming into the room and looking rather pleased with himself. "Get them back here as soon as possible."

"What, why?" Tony asked, a little taken aback by these rather strange orders; the four of them were ready for action, waiting on the location of George, which would hopefully tell them where Loki was holding Clint hostage, the location where Harry was no doubt too.

"Potter has been in contact," Fury said and at this Steve snapped his head up, looking at the Director with wide eyes, unable to believe what it was that he was hearing.

"When?" Steve demanded at once. "Is he alright, where is he?"

"It was minutes ago," Fury said calmly. It would not do to lose his head, not when it seemed that Steve was so close to doing so. "He is back at the safe house, I've sent a team."

"Clint?" Natasha asked with concern, fearful that Harry might not have succeeded in his mission, that he had gone into enemy territory for no reason. Or worse that he had succeeded but had found a body. She was scared that Harry might have been too late and had been unable to save Clint.

"He is there but badly hurt. The team I sent is to extract them both and includes medical experts, which is why the four of you have not been sent," Fury explained when Natasha went to ask why she had not been sent as part of the extraction team.

"How bad?" Thor asked, concerned for his team mate. He knew humans to be more fragile than Asgardians, their lives ended so much quicker. The Thunder God was more than a little fond of these humans now and he didn't want to see anything happen to them, even Harry, the newest member of them.

"The torture was vigorous," Fury said with a frown. He didn't want to think about what Barton had been through. He would need to be checked over and maybe even remain in the hospital for a little while. He just hoped that the damage that had been done was at the very least reversible.

"He is going to be okay, right?" Natasha asked with concern, thinking of the worst thing that could have happened. Her overactive imagination was thinking of the most horrible ways that a man could be tortured. She knew Clint was a strong man, that he could survive almost anything but he wasn't immortal, he was still only human.

"We'll need to access the damage," Fury said with deep would be at the Triskelion within the next twenty minutes, from then they would be able to figure out what they needed to do and Harry would have to debrief them all about what had happened. He owed them all, especially Steve, an explanation.

"Banner is calling," Tony announced suddenly, his Ironman suit hooked directly into Jarvis and his communication software. "They have a location."

"Loki will be there," Thor said, gripping his hammer, this was not an opportunity that they could afford to miss. Once Loki realised that Clint was gone they would likely move locations hating that they had been discovered. If they were going to do anything then it needed to be now.

"Go," Fury said firmly, taking the decision away from those that would have been swayed by the fact their missing teammates were returning. "Potter and Barton will need medical attention before anyone can see them, there is time."

The Avengers nodded, all of them agreeing, though some more reluctantly than others, that they needed to make this strike. So, with Banner and Longbottom on route to location, the others headed in that direction too, determined to cut Loki off at the source and find out what was going on.

So what did you think? Let me know your thoughts on this chapter and as ever, thank you so much for your continued support for this story. I am so glad that you're all enjoying it as much as you are. Merry Christmas (if you celebrate) and have a great New Year.

Also there is now a Youtube video to accompany this story. Please search for The Affliction of War. The video is by BickyMonster and is done to the song, I'm a mess by Ed Sheeran. The Link is also in my profile page.