DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter or anything Marvel. Obviously!

AUTHOR NOTE: Couple of things. PoV might jump around a bit. I like to get everyone's reactions and thoughts as the story progresses. I will try to make it clear as I can who it is and what is happening. Also, a quick shout out to R1ver_s0ng (seriously check out her story 1:15 am-it's fabulous!) has been a massive help with this story! Thanks for being my unofficial Alpha/Beta. And for always nagging me to write!

The Valkyrie

Chapter 20: The Week In Which Nick Fury Almost Loses His Damn Mind

It was official. He was living in hell. The whole fucking world was out to get him. How else do you explain everything that happened so far this week? And the week isn't over yet! Nick Fury was doing his best to try to keep on top of everything. He had thought he was successful. Then General Ross and the Hulk had to go and junk punch him.

Talk about throwing a massive, angry, green monkey wrench into the plans. He was still trying to gather all the information. But somehow in his infinite fucking wisdom, Ross had injected Emil Blonsky with Super Solider Serum; not once, but twice. For some reason the Hulk wasn't enough of an issue. He had to go and cock it up by making another one. Supposedly this other one was supposed to capture Hulk. Well that failed spectacularly.

The other one, aptly named Abomination, had managed to coerce Stern to transfuse him with some of Banner's gamma-radiated blood on top of the two doses of Super Serum he had already received. The result was a monstrous creature, with a body larger than Hulk's with spines protruding from his back. He had then escaped the lab and began a rampage through Harlem as a demonstration of his new, god-like strength, challenging any authorities who attempted to stop him.

Banner had jumped from a helicopter, and emerged from a crater as Hulk. Then what can only be described as a fight between Godzilla versus MegaGodzilla happened in the middle of fucking Harlem. Fury could only be the slightest bit happy that Hulk had come out the victor. Though he had somehow managed to evade capture, again. How was the question. He was later located in Calcutta. Fury knew he would have to find some way to contain Hulk if something else happened. He put his best researchers on the project.

XXXX

Pepper had charged into the lab yelling for Tony. She scrambled over the spare pieces of the upgrades he was working on for his suit. She had Jarvis pull up the live news feed of the fight in Harlem. Hermione had watched with wide eyes. The green one reminded her a bit of Grawp. He seemed to have retained his human mind to an extent. Tony had explained how he had become so large and green. He was busy on a seperate screen hacking to find out about the other one. He was a nasty sort.

She could see Tony wanted to attempt to join in. He was already calculating how long it would take to get to Harlem. With one suit in pieces, he would have to use a backup. Pepper was busy trying to talk sense into him. Hermione knew Tony was still somewhat recovering from the mess with Vanko. Oh he tried to hide it well. But she could tell. Pepper didn't seem to be convincing him that it wasn't his fight and he would be outmatched. But like the Gryffindor his suit suggested, he was ready to charge in heedless of her pleas.

She had to do something. She couldn't let Tony put himself in the middle of this fight. She let her wand slip into her hand unnoticed. A couple quick flicks, and the backup suits were disabled. If Tony tried to use them, one wouldn't work, thanks to disconnected wiring. The other would literally fall apart as she had vanished all the screws helping hold it together. Tony would be furious, but she felt much better having prevented his potential death. She rather liked Pepper, and Tony had grown on her. Yes, she would do what she could to keep him. Besides he had grand plans for Stark Tower. And she wanted to see them come to fruition.

XXXX

Frigga was not a happy woman. Her son, Thor had returned from Midgard with an interesting tale of a living Valkyrie. She had never agreed with her husband's decision to banish the female warriors. She saw this miraculous discovery as a chance to make amends. Bring the Valkyrie here to Asgard and discover the true scope of her abilities. Thor had explained that the Valkyrie, Lady Hermione, was also a Midgard witch. Frigga was truly fascinated.

She had tried to broach the subject with her husband. But the obstinate oaf refused to hear it. He insisted that what Thor had seen was actually an illusion, a trick to gain his trust and gain entrance to Asgard. He claimed the woman was using trickery similar to Loki. No. He just refused to see reason. Frigga was not giving up though. When words had failed, she began to freeze him out. She had even gone so far as to move her things to a separate chamber.

Frigga watched as her son continued to watch the bifrost being rebuilt. She knew that not only was he keeping an eye on the Lady Jane who had captured his heart, but also searching for Lady Hermione. Odin had forbidden Thor from having any further contact with the young Valkyrie. But Frigga knew her son. He had pledged to help her, and she would see that he found a way. Even if that meant she made a trip to Migard in the future. Something she hadn't done in many a milenia.

XXXX

Phil Coulson wasn't sure what was going on with any certainty. He was an intelligent man, calm under pressure, and observant. Since returning from New Mexico he kept a closer eye on his neighbor Helen. His mind kept supplying the woman dressed in strange viking like armor with large wings. He watched the way her arm moved, comparing it to the movement the hallucination had when it held the stick and stopped him from being injured.

He had quickly dismissed the notion that the two women were one and the same. His mind had just supplied Helen's face in the adrenaline fueled moment. After all, Helen bore no resemblance to his winged hero, other than similar facial features. No, Helen was completely human. He was sure of it. He decided to dismiss the crazy thoughts all together as he prepared to head to the Arctic. He had a mission to focus on. One which could potentially lead him to answers about his personal hero, Captain Steve Rogers, aka Captain America. He had obsessively collected all of the Captain's trading cards. He almost had a full collection, all of which were in mint condition. He whistled a tune as he made his way to S.H.I.E.L.D to head off on his mission. First stop, Alaska. He had to check that Blonsky/Abomination was safely in cryogenic storage. A good agent's work was just never done.

XXXX

Hermione was busy planning a three day weekend trip to Washington, D.C. She planned to spend the break exploring the Smithsonian. She had always loved visiting museums with her parents. This had been a favorite of theirs. She was curious to see how much it had changed since her last visit as a small child.

Tony had tried to convince her to stay, but Pepper had smacked the back of his head and told him to leave her alone. She had even pointed out the museum had several fascinating exhibits. If Hermione thought that Tony would be able to remain alive and unsupervised for the weekend, she would have invited Pepper along. Tony, Merlin help her, reminded her much of Sirius, with Harry's saving people thing. As annoying as it was, it was also endearing. It made her feel more at home.

She finished checking her bag to head off to the train station. Oh she could have taken a bus or even hailed a cab. But the idea of a train ride relaxed her. It made her a bit nostalgic. Her cell phone rang just as she zipped her bag shut. A glance at the caller ID showed her it was Tony.

"I'm on vacation Tony. You can fetch your own coffee."

"Aww come on Audrey Hepburn- don't be like that. You can pretend you are starring in a movie. Like Breakfast at Tiffany's! It'll be great!"

"No Tony! Get your own coffee!"

"Come on Julie Andrews- you can even sing for me. Come on...what's the one about the doe?"

Hermione sighed, "No Tony. And for the last time it's Helen. H-E-L-E-N. Helen. Now was there a reason to this call other than to drive me daft?"

"Fine HELEN. Gosh you take all my fun away," she could practically see him rolling his eyes.

"Someone has to be the adult," she muttered.

"What's that? Nevermind. Listen. Seriously though I know you like your books, and nerd that you are, you will probably end up exploring the Smithsonian libraries. So I made a call and got you a present. Call it a thank you for working hard."

"What did you do? What present?"

"Well the libraries are generally open to the public-boring! The really good stuff they keep in the archives, with limited access. And Uncle Tony here managed to score you an all access pass to them. You can read until your little nerd heart's content."

"First of all, we all know you aren't near old enough to be my Uncle. Stop being silly. Secondly, are you being serious? You really got me access?"

"Fine, Big Brother then. And of course I did. That's the beauty of money and fame. It can get you things. Might as well make it for something good eh?"

"That's- Tony there are just no words to describe how happy I am. Thank you so much! I swear I will make you the best coffee when I get back, and I won't even complain!"

"Yeah, yeah. Just have a good time kid. See you when you get back Monday."

"Absolutely! Thank you so much Tony! Tell Pepper to hug you for me!"

Her euphoria lasted through the boarding of the train, and part of the journey. She had been staring out the window watching the scenery when she dozed off. She dreamed of Loki and Thor again.

After they had returned to Asgard, they had a massive fight, destroying the bifrost bridge. Loki had vanished in a blinding light. Where he was, it didn't even seem like he knew. He was brought before the person in charge, who asked him many questions about Asgard's history.

Hermione did not like this man, Thantos. He reminded her of Voldemort. Another charismatic, power hungry ruler, intent on taking over the whole world. She abruptly woke up when the train pulled into the station. She decided to not totally write it off. After all, she had dreamed of Thor and it turned out to be true. There wasn't anything she could do for now anyways. If she saw Thor again, she would be sure to mention the dream to him. Maybe he had more insight.

XXXX

She vowed to herself that she would never, under any circumstances allow Tony to know that she had barely gone to the hotel long enough to drop her bags off before heading to the libraries. She absolutely would not tell him how she had a mini geek out when she was allowed access to the archives as if it were a normal occurrence. She would however be sure to find some way to repay him.

Libraries were always lovely. But the archives were absolutely breathtaking. The amount of knowledge they contained was awe inspiring. She spent the first couple hours exploring at random, picking up tomes that sparked her interest. It was at lunch that she had a thought. She wondered if she could find any information on Valkyries. Though she was sure a lot would be myth and legend, there might also be some that was factual to her situation.

She eagerly began her search. Pulling from different sources she compiled the most relevant information. She was curious to see how this would compare to any help that Thor's mother, Lady Frigga could give her. She made several notes as she read.

According to Norse mythology, Valkyries were female warriors. The meaning of their name, "choosers of the slain," refers not only to their choosing who gains admittance to Valhalla, but also to their choosing who dies in battle. They use a combination of weaponry and magic to ensure that their preferences in this regard are brought to fruition.

A Valkyrie coming to the aid of her fellow Asgardians did what she did best: rage hard in battle. During the battle, they might swoop down to protect a warrior who shouldn't die. Or they might come down to collect the body of a fallen warrior and carry it off to Valhalla, Odin's hall, to prepare for the apocalyptic battle of Ragnarök. They can use magical powers to influence battle. Brunhilde, the most famous Valkyrie had two magic weapons: the indestructible sword Dragonfang which allowed her clothes to adapt to whatever the situation. The second was an enchanted spear called Geirr, which was magical without doing anything in particular.

The most able of all warriors, not limited to Valkyries formed a select guard group. The Valkyrior; elite guard, had a psychic link with their fellow Valkyrior, and with those of the Asgardian ruling family. This manifested in different ways. Valkyrie from the Valkyrior guard were able to establish a psychic communication with her chosen warriors, and they had dreams foretelling of the ruling family's imminent danger. The Valkyries may have had superhuman foresight as well; they often appear above battlefields days before the fighting begins, and they sometimes deliver prophecies to other mortals.

Valkyries are very similar to those that escort the dead to Hades or other forms of afterlife in various mythologies throughout human history, particularly in Greek legends. It is interesting to note that common themes and figures occur throughout human history and across various cultures or societies.

Amongst the Anglo-Saxons, the valkyries were female spirits of carnage. The Celts, had similar beings of their own, such as the war goddesses Badb and the Morrí Morrígan is mainly associated with war and fate, especially with foretelling doom, death or victory in battle. In this role she often appears as a crow, the incites warriors to battle and can help bring about victory over their enemies. The Morrígan encourages warriors to do brave deeds, strikes fear into their enemies, and is portrayed washing the bloodstained clothes of those fated to die. She chiefly represents the goddess's role as guardian of the territory and its people.

Sometimes they are compared to Norns, spirits who decide destinies of men; who could protect men in battle with their spells; to the powerful female guardian spirits attached to certain families, bringing luck to those under their protection; even to certain women who armed themselves and fought like men. Some Valkyries had the power to cause the death of the warriors they did not favour; others, especially heroine Valkyries, guarded the lives of those dear to them.

Hermione had even found references to purely supernatural Valkyries and human Valkyries with certain supernatural powers. Both types of beings were associated with fairness, brightness, and gold, as well as bloodshed. Some of them received 'special gifts' . They were extraordinary compared to the average mortal — super-strength, agility, and speed, able to withstand higher levels of pain and damage, and invulnerability to diseases. Well she could honestly say that she had noticed some of this during her training sessions.

Valkyrie had the ability to pass a portion of their life essence on to others. They had abilities relating to their duties as choosers of the fate of slain warriors. They can sense when a warrior is about to die, arrange that this warrior will die, defer the death so the warrior can survive to grow in skill, and they have the power to take the chosen warrior's soul with them. They are able to move around unseen and some can take forms of birds or fly with wings.

During times of peace, these women wore elegant costumes made from swan or raven feathers, but when war draws near, they don their armor: gracefully carved helmets, or circlets and shields and chain mail corsets. They might continue wearing a feather cape, or, according to some stories, they might sprout wings of their own to help them soar above the battlefields. During Norse times, these ladies were a bit more complicated. They were highly intelligent, and they loved valor. These traits made them great at choosing heroes to fight alongside Odin in Ragnarök.

XXXX

Hermione spent all of Saturday wandering around a couple of the different museums. American Art Museum, and the Natural Museum of American History. Sunday she started her day early with the Museum of Natural History. She stayed until a little after lunch, before heading to the last museum on her list, the National Air and Space Museum. It was here that she found herself being drawn to a particular exhibit, dedicated to Captain America.

Here she took her time looking at the different aspects of his life; before the Project Rebirth program, his friendship with Bucky Barnes, his great deeds in World War II, his uniform, the Howling Commandos, his motorcycle and even a video of Peggy Carter, who was rumoured to have been his love interest.

She found her eyes constantly seeking out the displays containing both Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes. Both were brave, handsome soldiers. Captain Steven Grant Rogers had been a sickly child. He had suffered from asthma, scarlet fever, rheumatic fever, high blood pressure, and heart trouble, among other illnesses. He was frequently attacked by bullies on the streets. However, his resilience, despite his small stature, inspired Bucky Barnes to come to his aid and fight off the bullies when he was needed. She smiled as she imagined what their friendship must have been like.

Steve Rogers before the Serum made her think of meeting Harry for the first time. His small frame looked swamped in the clothes he wore. But there was that determination and drive to make a difference. It called to the Gryffindor part of her heart. Her eyes traced his features. His 6 feet 2 inch would have meant she would have had to look up to him. He had almost a foot on her petite height. He was well proportioned, with muscles that filled out his uniform perfectly without being obscene. His sandy hair seemed to lay with a part on the side. His eyes at first glance seemed blue, but if one looked close enough they could see flecks of green. They hinted at hidden mischief. He had a nice polite smile for all the photos. Hermione wished she could see his true smile, the one that would light up his handsome face, and cause his gorgeous eyes to sparkle.

Next to him was his best friend Sergeant James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes. He was close in height to Rogers. He was also a rather fit man. She had to admit both he and Rogers looked rather delectable in uniform. He had sparkling blue eyes, but his were a lighter shade that reminded her of wintery frost. He was handsome, and his smirky smile showed he knew it. He reminded a bit of Draco Malfoy with that smirk. It showed his confidence, something Hermione had always found appealing in a man. He had darker brown hair that had that look that screamed play with me. Her fingers twitched, longing to tangle in his locks.

Barnes regiment, the 107 Infantry had been captured by HYDRA, where Barnes had been experimented on by a man named Arnim Zola. Barnes, along with whoever still remained from his regiment, were later rescued by Rogers. Together the two had formed the Howling Commandos to continue the fight. During an ambush, Barnes had fallen from a train in the Alps. Rogers crashed into the Arctic during his final mission to avert a plane carrying bombs inbound for the United States.

They were never able to find either body.

Hermione sighed. They didn't make men like them anymore. Loyal. Brave. Willing to give their lives for their country. She had met many men over her lifetime, both wizards and muggles, but none compared to these two. If she had been born in a different era ..perhaps she could have met them. A last longing look over her shoulder, she retreated to her hotel to get a nap before her train departed this evening.

AUTHOR NOTE: I in no way shape or form call either Steve or Bucky a Villian. EVER. Yes I admit that I compared Bucky's SMIRK to D.M. Cocky, devil may care, knows he is good looking. That being said. Harry is a great guy, not saying he did not sacrifice eveything for his country too. However she does not find him attractive because he is her BROTHER.