Pt 7

Things are really starting to pick up when Natasha Romanoff curses in Russian.

Natasha Romanoff was unsure what to think. This note was so unlike Stark, but he was also infamous in the criminal underworld for having unforgeable handwriting and an even more impossible to fake signature. So it must be his. But whether Stark was out of his mind or just fooling around she didn't know but doubted he was serious.

There was a note, clearly poorly hidden, just so she (or Clint, possibly) could find it, but just enough so he could probably say it was hidden.

Stark had written, 'Clint's theory. Knows. Truth. Ask Coulson about unbreakable secrecy.'

So, here she was with Coulson on the helicarrier, and she was going to get some answers. "Agent Coulson? Request for information pertaining to Subject Unknown going by Rose Potter. I have a lead, but I need a few answers." Natasha Romanoff told her long-time handler as officially as she could.

"Agent Romanoff?"

"Is there a way the subject could have created some sort of unbreakable secrecy bond or oath of some sort?"

"Agent Romanoff, this is classified, because if any of our enemies got their hands that this is possible, it could be disastrous. But as you have been raised to a Level Eight clearance, as been Agent Barton, so I am allowed to share this information. The answer is yes, she is able to, but only with certain individuals."

"How does it work?"

"As far as we know, there are several strict limitations. It only works if the oath, for whatever be it secrecy or something else, is sworn willingly, with no forcing or coercion, and the only price we know breaking the oath to be capable of extraction is the unique energy that is necessary. It only applies to those with her own style of unique energy, so currently the only options as far as we know would be Subject Unknown Hermione Granger, Consultant Anthony Stark, and myself."

"Understood. I have reason to suspect Stark has a large amount of information on the subject but is unable to divulge it due to a secrecy oath of some sort."

"What is the exact information, Romanoff?"

"The note says, Clint's theory. Knows. Truth. Ask Coulson about unbreakable secrecy. Judging by Stark's personality, he most likely figured out something, went to confront her about it, and ended up being so curious he swore a secrecy oath for the entire damn thing."

"Good. I will tell Director Fury what I know, make sure to find out what Agent Barton's theory may be, it is currently our only lead."

"Understood." Natasha Romanoff the away, back to one of the computers. Now to find out what Clint's theory about Potter was.

It turned out to be easier than she thought. He came to her first. "Nat, I have a major theory that could change everything we know about Potter."

"Clint, I was just talking with Coulson. This is currently our only lead. What do you suspect?" she asked, sliding over Stark's note. She knew that he knew her, and her verbal patterns well enough that he would be able to understand the general gist of her entire conversation with Coulson.

"There was a small bit on the video footage we may have missed in real life, on the helicarrier. I have reason to suspect Rose Potter is just a cover alias, albeit one she has been using for a long time, possibly a second name set up for her since childhood."

"Anything else? Clint, this is our only lead right now."

"I have reason to suspect she not only knows Loki personally, but she was also most likely taught magic by him. I have minimal evidence to prove this, but the extent of the theory is that she is not only his student but potentially also his daughter."

Natasha let out the breath she had been holding. This made so much sense. She was about to go fishing for answers from Stark, but it seemed luck was on her side that day.

She didn't get much, but considering the absurd and unpredictable circumstances, Stark's face coming in on a text to her phone, nodding. That was as much of a confirmation as she was going to get.

"Tchert*, Clint, have you gone to Director Fury with this yet?"

"Yes, he has, and Agent Colson has given me the latest information. What did you find, Agent Barton?" asked Fury, walking into the room.

Barton pulled up the few frames of video feed he had isolated on the way there. He highlighted the few frames, extremely slow-motion, and pointed out the only good evidence he had at the moment. In the first one, Rose Potter's Hazel eyes had a hint of green, her hair had a centimeter of inky black over the tips of her braid. But as she moved, her hand passed right over her eyes and hair, they went back to their previous color, and her skin became slightly more tanned.

"That's some sort of supernatural disguise. She managed to do it with my voice, it would not be a stretch if she did it with her face as well."

"Is Rose Potter even a real person?"

"For now, Rose Potter, and Loki's daughter, if your theory is the truth, and I am inclined to believe it is, are considered the same person and extremely dangerous."

"If she goes all-out hostile the same way as Loki, even without an army, our chances of beating her are slim to none, and she knows this," Natasha mentioned. "We all saw how she got rid of the Hulk, and Bruce loves her for it. She single-handedly gave him his old life back."

"Yet she's either getting sloppy here, or she's so far ahead in the game we have no chance of catching up."

"Prepare for the worst, hope for the best, and verify the most likely outcomes."

"Thor. That's our next lead." Natasha realized. "I doubt he'll know if Loki had a daughter if he hid her, god of lies and all that, but at least he knows Loki."

"There is also the chance that it was Loki under disguising enchantments, but it doesn't seem that way, this isn't his style," Barton mentioned the other theory.

"Have him check either way."

Coulson's phone dinged. "It's Stark. Some sort of voice recording."

He played it. Rose Potter's voice started, "... though really, at this point he's just being lazy."

"How secure is the place supposed to be?" a second voice asked, unrecognizable to the group.

"Andromeda, my New York apartment is more secure than Asgard's prison system. And it's barely even warded, especially compared to Grimmauld, much less Blackwell Manor or Night's Landing. I'm not even going to start talking about this place, Potter Manor, Nev and Luna's house, Hogwarts, or the main Black properties."

"So how long?"

"I give dad another week before I apparate in right behind him. Like seriously, how many books could Frigga have provided him with?"

"Yes, well your father's mind has always worked in strange ways, Lilith."

"Crazy ways, you mean. Honestly, it's like he enjoys the Asgardian dungeons."

"Or he doesn't want to face you when you yell at him for being insane enough for trying to take over your home realm the same week you were too far away to come back immediately!" A third, voice interjected. Unlike the voice of 'Andromeda', which sounded older and feminine, this one was younger, more playful, most likely an older teenager of some sort, a boy, but it was not definitely due to the likeliness of the speaker going through puberty, therefore, having a voice change.

"Teddy, Loki wasn't in his own mind, we've been over this. No matter what the kids down the block say about him it wasn't his fault." 'Andromeda' berated.

"Yes, grandma." 'Teddy' answered 'Andromeda'.

"Teddy, we were talking."

"Shuri's portkey is going to land in Blackwell in the next minute. Can I apparate there? Please?"

"As your godmother, I'm inclined to say no, so you don't splinch, it's quite painful, losing a limb, but as your teacher, I'm going to let you try. If you splinch, send me a flare immediately, got it? Dittany doesn't work right unless it's applied immediately." Rose, or Lilith, as it seems she was called here, stated.

A slight pop sounded, and 'Andromeda' spoke again, "Does Hermione know Stark figured it out yet?"

"Yes, I told her. Although he didn't actually figure out that much on his own. He came to me after figuring out about Hermione's little sore spot on his own, I didn't even swear him to secrecy on that one, but I have a feeling he'll keep it to himself without any coercion necessary. Same reasons His father never told anyone either. The rest, like with my dad and stuff, or my natural form and world-hopping, that he nagged me to insanity, and then swore a secrecy vow."

"What exactly did he swear? Remember my muggle mother-in-law was a lawyer, and Bella got on the wrong side of the law long before she drowned in Riddle's influence. All three of us sisters did our fair share of talking our way out of problems with muggle authorities."

"It's not airtight, but he can't tell them directly. He'll probably leave hints, but one of theirs has figured it out on his own independently anyways. He can't actually betray me, I made sure of that, but let's be serious, it's a pretty competent spy organization, not that I'd ever let them hear that, the ego's already too big, I didn't expect to hold out that long, especially after the mess Thanos caused when he messed with Dad's head."

"About him, congrats on dealing with your second superpowered evil megalomaniac."

"Yeah, fiendfyre achieves miracles…" and the recording was cut off.

Stark had texted, "Good enough?" right after that.

"I take back everything I've said about Stark," Barton told his colleagues.

"Barton, I want you to get Thor to check on Loki right away. Romanoff, I want to know everything you can tell me about this power of hers, and try to wheedle as much out of Stark as you can. I want to know what he found out about Subject Unknown Hermione Granger and her connection to Stark, as well as her secret that both Stark and his father have kept." Fury took out an old pager from his jacket and pressed a button. A symbol of two thick red and blue stripes, separated by a white one, with an eight-sided star in the center.

"Director Fury?" Coulson asked his boss.

"I'm calling in Carol Danvers."

"The one who we were supposed to bring in with yourself dead or alive, back in '95?"

"The one who stopped the first attempted alien invasion of Earth." Barton and Romanoff left promptly. The information was good, but not getting caught by Fury spying on him was even better.

*tchert, devil in Russian, used to curse in the same way as shit is in English