Come Together Chapter 8 - Howling Commandos

AN:

Oni: Hullo again! Another chapter is here! Not much to say otherwise except HOLY MOLY OVER 100 FOLLOWS AND NEARLY 100 FAVS! Not to mention all the lovely reviews! Thank ya'll so much... *sniffle*

Tom: Stop getting so emotional. They just want to read the next installment.

Oni: Sure, sure. Bucky! Your turn!

Bucky: Oni does not own Harry Potter or the MCU.

Oni: AAAAAAAND ONWARDS!

The meeting had gone well. The Howling Commandos were briefed on their mission and their first destination. Steve had explained to them that they were to start in Greece, and attack HYDRA bases in a clockwise manner. It would hopefully help so by the time they reached Nurmengard they would have already become a formidable, synchronized team. Once Captain America and the Howling Commandos were dismissed, Tom was taken aside by none other than Agent Carter.

"Congratulations on joining the team," she began, "but unfortunately you will need some…extra lessons before you can go out in the field. As such, you will be having crash courses on firearm use and physical combat. Come with me."

She had ended up taking him to a room where there were all sorts of muggle weapons on stands and pegs, with sectioned off areas opposite. Targets made of paper hung from strings and pulleys, many already littered with holes. Some of these paper targets had the silhouette of a human being. Agent Carter picked up a small handheld firearm and showed it to him, detailing certain parts and their uses in a short and concise manner. She then walked up to the barrier separating them and the targets.

"I've heard you have decent aim with a stick. This shouldn't be too hard for you then." she quipped, before aiming the gun at the target and firing six shots, almost all of them hitting the center point.

After reloading, she handed the gun to Tom, who took it with cautious hands. Aiming it at the paper target, he let loose six bullets, just like she did. It was close to the center, but nowhere near perfect. Next to him, Agent Carter sighed.

"Good enough for now, you will at least be able to incapacitate someone with that kind of aim. We'll move along for now and hope that you learn better on the job."

With that, she snapped up the firearm from his hands and put it back in its proper place. Heels clicked on the concrete floor as she led him to what looked like a training room of sorts. There, she shucked off her heels and faced him, unsubtly cracking her knuckles.

"Now for the fun part. Physical combat, something you will undoubtedly use throughout your missions. Let's get started, shall we?"

Tom knew he wasn't a highly trained soldier, but living in both the orphanage and Hogwarts gave someone a certain amount of gymnastics and fighting experience, as well as quick reactions. This did not, however, stop Agent Carter from slamming him into the ground in three seconds flat. A dull pain shot through him, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the torture from HYDRA. He got back up as quickly as he possibly could, and stared her down with determined blue eyes. Agent Carter stared back at him with mild respect and clear determination. They circled around each other again, before Agent Carter lashed out quickly, giving Tom only seconds to block her attack before attempting to land one in her. He was on the ground in ten seconds this time, a small difference from the previous bout. As Tom stood up once more, he gave Agent Carter a fierce glare, bent on proving to her that he could do this. Even if it was going to be hell doing so.

She lashed out at him like lightning.

Bucky and Steve were the first to notice Tom when he all but stumbled into the room with a couple bruises littering his pale skin. They immediately stood up with alarmed and worried looks on their faces.

"What the hell happened to you?!" shouted Bucky, rushing over to Tom's slumped form.

Their faces turned to confusion when Tom began to laugh, rubbing at his bruises as he did so. This caused the rest of the Howling Commandoes to stare at the three with mystified expressions, George slithering from Dernier's neck to hiss in question.

"I got my arse handed to me by your girlfriend." Tom groaned out after his chuckles abated, looking to Steve, whose blue eyes widened in alarm.

"Peggy did this to you? Why?"

"Physical training practice." came the voice of Peggy, who walked into the room completely unharmed, "He should be able to hold his own on the battlefield he he somehow finds himself unarmed."

Bucky stared incredulously at Peggy, before checking over Tom, whose bruises were rapidly starting to fade. So he could heal himself faster than normal huh? That would explain how he could come out of HYDRA torture with nothing to show of it. Back at the facility he had told Bucky what HYDRA had done, but the guy had no scars, nor any difficultly in moving that marked one's limbs being broken multiple times. Guess that would be pretty handy when they were out destroying HYDRA bases.

Great, now he had two idiots that wouldn't back away from a fight to take care of. One somehow became an Adonis super soldier and the other was a British orphan with magic powers that could level an entire army with a flick of a stick, and yet for some reason both of them had those damn blue eyes that screamed 'I'm a lost boy that needs someone to protect me' every time they looked at him. So Bucky will have to take it upon himself to be the big brother and guide them, because he was pretty sure that without him, Steve would have been beaten to a pulp in some alley back in Brooklyn and Tom… Tom might have been the monster that other British soldier (Stubbs?) had claimed he was.

But now they could count on him to have their back. Tom walked up and took a seat next to him, still groaning slightly. Guess he was still a little sore from the pummeling he took from a Miss Peggy Carter, though otherwise he seemed alright, taking George from Dernier's shoulder and having a short conversation with the tiny and dangerous snake. It was actually a cute picture, having the usually bored or stoic looking teen hiss at the tiny asp and stroke the head as if it was a cat. Considering that Tom seemed to only smile in the presence of so few people, it was nice to see the kid act his age once in a while.

It was sometimes hard to remember that Tom was just a kid. A sixteen year old genius wizard, yes, but a kid all the same. To be honest, Bucky only realized his age when that bearded man in the weirdly colored clothes (Dumb-something) arrived, talking to Tom like the school kid he was. And then the discussion of him skipping his last year of school to fight…Bucky sometimes wondered if it was such a good idea, bringing him into this. Weren't there older wizards willing to fight against bad wizards, or was Tom right and they cared more about keeping their existence a secret?

"Bucky?" came the tentative voice of Tom.

Bucky snapped his head to see both Tom and Steve staring at him with those blue eyes of theirs. Steve always had those deep blue eyes with a hint of green, a mark of his Irish heritage, while Tom had the same shifting shade as the blue beams of energy HYDRA carried. Both, unfortunately, held puppy dog expressions of worry, not that either of them realized. He gave them a smile.

"Sorry, was thinking about all the trouble I gotta keep you two out of."

This made Steve snort and Tom roll his eyes.

"I had asked whether or not you were ready for our first mission. We are leaving for Greece tomorrow." Tom asked, eliciting to either ignore his comment or store it away as ammunition for later.

The kid was slippery, he'll give him that. His mind seemed to always be ticking behind his eyes, figuring things out and applying himself accordingly. Unlike Steve's eyes that were clearer than glass, unlike Steve who wore his heart on his sleeve, Tom kept his thoughts to himself, only giving glimpses of his soul by the way of questions and strange, offhanded comments. And Bucky wasn't stupid, he could read between the lines. Little things he should have known (but didn't) just because he mostly resided in the Victorian era magical world and because he lived in an orphanage for most of his childhood, became prominent through his words.

It was both depressing and hilarious to see Tom not get any of the references that Howard spouted out.

"Ready as I'll ever be to kick Fritzie's butt." Bucky replied with a smile, watching as Steve and Tom appeared outwardly relieved while their minds showed signs of ticking below the surface.

Great, so Tom was another worrier. Like Steve wasn't enough. Their eyes bored into him, seeing through him and the words unsaid. Such insightful people, his brothers in arms. They weren't so different, really, like stray puppies he had somehow picked up that ended up being weirdly overprotective guard dogs. He tried to suppress a laugh as his mind supplied the image of the two of them as dogs, growling at some HYDRA agents, Steve as a dopey golden retriever in a doggy version of his Captain America suit and Tom as a chihuahua shaking in tiny rage with a wizard hat and robes.

Steve and Tom looked at him strangely as he began to laugh out loud, clutching his side with one arm and banging on the table with the other fist. Their bewildered faces only made him laugh harder.

He wouldn't have it any other way.

Flying in a muggle airplane turned out to be quite the roar of the engine was so loud Tom was sure his ears might have have exploded before they finally reached a height where the noise wasn't as painful. Tom had his hands pressed to his ears until the rumbling had subsided, glad that they were high enough to where that infernal noise had ceased. This unfortunately meant that the plane was also high enough to be assaulted by the wind, causing the contraption to jostle and shake. How did one even stay in one of these things without going mad? Muggles were bloody insane!

"Never done this before, have you Tom?" Bucky chuckled as he watched Tom's discomfort.

"Please note that wizards tend to fly using broomsticks, and magic carpets in some other countries." the teenage wizard muttered back, his pale face tinged slightly green as he twirled his yew wand in his hand.

"You magic people are crazy." Jones stated with a shake of his head, though his smile did not disappear.

"And here I thought witches were the only one to use a broomstick." Dum Dum grunted out as a half jab towards Tom, who shook his head.

"No, both witches and wizards ride on broomsticks. You do realize the only difference between a witch and a wizard is their gender, right?"

The men in the plane all snorted in laughter and Tom once again shook his head in exasperation. Why did they find the notions of magical customs so humorous? It did not make much sense. Perhaps they think the Wizarding population to be backwards, much like how the magical community viewed muggles as such. In truth, which was more backwards and outdated? How much progress had been stunted due to their divide?

"So how do you ride a broom?" Morita asked in curiosity, fiddling with his dog tags with a wide, cheeky smile, "Do you ride it sideways like those pinup girls-" hacking coughs and laughter made themselves present at the very thought of Tom sitting on a broomstick sideways, his knees crossed in a dainty manner, "or do you straddle it like a bike?"

"Like a bike, obviously." Tom deadpanned, "How else is one to properly control a broom without falling off?"

"Wouldn't that…hurt?" Dernier wheezed as the very thought of sitting on a broom like that seemed to disturb him.

"Cushioning charms." was the matter-of-fact reply, a smirk donning his lips.

Groans escaped from the men, the sound melding with the rumble of the plane. A chuckle, however, rang out from beneath it, from a voice belonging to Steve. He was attempting to get his mask on as he did so, which meant that Falsworth was going to be landing the plane soon. Tom slid his wand back into its holster under his sleeve, his eyes darting worriedly as the plane began to descend with its clunking noise. He wondered if it would have been better to simply ride his broom here, but decided that the trip would have been long and lonely if he had. A plane, after all, was still faster than his Moontrimmer.

The plane continued to descend, hiding just before enemy lines behind the many trees that occupied the area. Jormungand hissed in disapproval, not liking the sudden change in altitude and only now making his displeasure known. Tom quickly hissed soothing words to placate the now jittery snake as Steve went to the back of the plane, ready to unhook his motorcycle. The asp slowly retreated back into the hidden pouch in Tom's collar, just in time for the plane to land, jostling everyone inside. As soon as the plane stopped moving, the other Howling Commandos sprang into action, grabbing their guns, ammunition, and other various weapons of choice, already crowding at the exit with excited gleams in their eyes.

Falsworth, being the pilot, was the last to grab his weapons but slammed his fist on the button that opened the hatch once he did so. The revving of a motorbike told Tom that Steve was ready for action, and fluidly pulled out his Moontrimmer from the mokeskin pouch he still wore. He smirked at the widened eyes that regarded his broomstick, which was a rather old thing, though still in good condition. Fluidly he straddled the broom, taking off and flying out of the plane, turning to hover above the men and their gaping mouths.

"Alright, Sergeant Riddle." Steve called out to him in his leader voice, "You scout the area and report back in five."

"Roger that, Captain!" Tom replied with a salute, smirking as Steve rolled his eyes at the pun.

With that done, Tom cast a Disillusionment charm over himself and his broom. Now invisible, he soared above the trees, finally feeling the wind through his hair and the freedom of flight. There, in the valley a few miles behind the trees, were what appeared the be warehouses littered with HYDRA agents and vehicles. It was not nearly as heavily guarded as the facility in Austria, but enough to perhaps give them a bit of a challenge.

Discreetly he cast a magic revealing spell, which only picked up the energy within the HYDRA weapons. No humans with a magical signature though, which was good for the Howling Commandos. With this information Tom quickly flew back and landed in front of his Captain, dispelling his disillusionment charm. With a stiff salute that he had seen the other men do, he reported his findings to Steve, earning a brief smile and a nod.

Steve immediately went back into his leader state, shoving his rifle into the scabbard strapped to his motorbike, sliding his pistol into its holster, and strapping his shield onto his back. This was the signal to the others, who mounted their own motorcycles.

They rode together in a V formation, the Captain taking the lead as the others fanned out, Tom flying above in what would be the V's center. What a sight they must have been! A costumed super soldier leading his men into battle, with a wizard on a broomstick flying above. It seemed to unnerve the HYDRA agents on patrol, and the soldiers of the Red Skull were quickly overrun by bullets and spellfire.

Soon enough they reached the warehouses and the Howling Commandos dismounted their motorcycles. With a powerful kick Captain America knocked open the large doors of the center warehouse and they all immediately opened fire inside. HYDRA agents scattered and fell as the team fanned out, destroying the work that HYDRA had been doing inside.

It turned into a full scale brawl after more HYDRA soldiers flooded in from the woodwork, and Tom found that the close combat skills along with the Shield of Loki proved to be incredibly useful as close quarters. These were not wizards he was fighting, simply muggles with magic based ammunition. There was little use blocking and firing spells when there was more danger in getting his wand snapped than anything else. So Tom dodged, ducked, and attacked with his shield, the spinning rim slicing through HYDRA armor and deflecting their blue beams of destructive light.

Out of the corner of his eye Tom saw that a HYDRA agent was sneaking up behind Bucky, with the American soldier unsuspecting. With barely a second to think the teenage wizard threw his shield at the black clad enemy, his aim true as the Shield of Loki knocked him out and bounced back to him like a boomerang. Bucky's head jerked to look at Tom, the soldier giving him a thumbs up before returning to fight the onslaught of HYDRA agents.

Steve was knocking out HYDRA soldiers left and right, whether it was by fist, foot, or shield. Tom watched in awe at the effects of the serum, something so muggle and yet had transformed Steve Rogers into a fighting champion that has never been seen before. It was as if the man had the strength of a Giant, the dexterity and speed of a Vampire, and the durability of a Dragon. He didn't seem to need any help at the moment, so Tom focused on the fight around him.

Gunfire and groans rang out from behind the hollow building, causing an adrenaline rush inside Tom. Each howl of pain from the enemy with each spell cast caused him to grin wider and wider, to the point where people looking upon him probably thought he was a sadistic maniac. A flash of green light soared true to its target, and the HYDRA agent shooting from the metal balcony fell like a puppet when its strings were cut, his body dead long before he ever hit the ground. Tom began to laugh, a loud and rather high pitched laugh at the battle around him. He felt so free, so alive, in this moment. It also seemed to unnerve the surrounding HYDRA agents.

Bright blue eyes that matched the flying beams of HYDRA almost sparkled with unhidden glee as Tom sent out barrage of spells at the enemy soldiers farther out while slamming his shield onto the bodies of the ones closer to him. Each HYDRA member he cut down caused his next move to be more vicious, as if he were testing the boundaries of his own morality.

It was only when Dernier shouted above the ruckus that Tom was pulled into the goal of their mission once more, watching as the Frenchman tossed Steve a pack of explosives in a bag. Apparently the man had already planted quite a few explosives around the building during the brawl, and time was ticking. Steve caught the explosives in one hand as he fetched his motorcycle, which was sitting just outside the warehouse doors.

Dum Dum bellowed something about getting out of the building, and Tom didn't need to be told twice as he joined his fellow Commandos in sprinting out of the warehouse, with Falsworth providing cover fire as they did so. Each of them had matching wild grins on their faces, only looking back when they reached their respective rides.

The explosives Dernier had previously set went off inside the building, encasing the inside with flames that billowed out. Out from one of the top windows came Steve, his motorcycle revving as he practically rode the explosion. The charges set by him seemed to immediately set off, bringing down the entire building in the most spectacular display of muggle pyrotechnics that Tom had ever seen. The blaze erupted from above, below, and everywhere in between, reducing the once strong base into a pile of scrap metal. It was not hard to envision the seething rage that Schmidt would feel after he had discovered the smoldering corpse of his Greek base.

With their mission now complete, Captain America and his Howling Commandos rode off back to their airplane, whooping as they did so. Their first mission was a complete success, and it felt amazing. It was at that moment, flying above and alongside his teammates, that Tom realized that he was right where he belonged.

Through flames and snow they marched, through forests and mountainous terrain they crossed. Each mission generated more challenges to overcome, and it was in these heated battles that the Howling Commandos truly showed their synergy and synchronization.

Even the added magic from Grindelwald's followers couldn't stop them, though they had tried. Steve's Vibranium Shield and Tom's Shield of Loki blocked the spells fired by the enemy wizards, and they all attacked back as one. Not even wizards could stop unexpected explosions or well aimed gunfire. HYDRA may have had the support of Grindelwald, but it could not be denied that Tom was a reckoning force as the only Magical actively fighting frontline on the Allied side.

As they neared the fated day that they would have to storm Nurmengard, the Howling Commandos were swarmed with more wizards with each closer base. It soon became obvious to everyone that this was as much of a magical war as it was a muggle one, and the Wizarding World watched as a lone wizard, barely a man, faced the might of Grindelwald's army with only a small team of muggles to help him.

On the muggle side of things, the world watched as Captain America and his Howling Commandos stormed Nazi (and HYDRA) forces in Normandy, and helped the soldiers push back the enemy forces. The papers of both the magical and mundane told the story of the men whose bravery and teamwork were unmatched in the face of evil, and the very core of the Magical world was shaken as a wizard worked with muggles to stop a war that effected both worlds.

Currently, however, these men were actually back at The Leaky Pot once more, as enough time had passed from the fiasco with Grindelwald's followers for the Howling Commandos to return there. It gave Tom time to catch up on what was happening in the Wizarding World while also celebrating Captain America and his Howling Commandos' success in their most recent mission.

Tom was reading the Daily Prophet, his eyes scanning the pages for the latest news. There was gossip and speculation about what Tom was doing as part of the Howling Commandos, as well as his affiliation with the muggles. The article listed the names of the known followers of Grindelwald that they had defeated or killed, before degrading into slander about whether or not this war was worth exposing their world to a large handful of muggles. Another article stated a list of missing persons, which ranged from purebloods to half bloods, with no explanation of why and no pattern other than the fact that they were from rather old families. The largest article was still the death and damage toll that was caused by Grindelwald and his followers. It was still painfully high, though many of them were muggles and in other parts of the continent. Still, it made Tom feel a little better knowing that he was doing his part to stop the mad Dark Lord.

Leach was back behind the bar and listening intently to Jones retell the story of their missions, his eyes wide and sparkling with wonder. Tom half listened as Jones told how Steve had thrown his shield at a sniper hidden in the winter trees and knocked him out cold, how Dernier rolled underneath a heavy tank to plant a powerful explosive underneath, and how Steve had thrown a pack of explosives into the open hatch of another heavy tank. Some of the other men joined in on the storytelling, adding in their own details and perspectives to the narrative.

The sight of Captain America alone in the pub was attracting more muggle customers than usual, which had forced Tom to cast privacy charms as soon as there was a break in the waves. A look to Steve's direction told Tom he had done the right thing, as the poor man had relief written all over his face at the relative quiet. Finished with his reading, the teenage wizard folded up the Daily Prophet and placed it back on the counter, turning to face the taller soldier, who was seated next to him on his left.

"Thanks, Tom." Steve sighed out.

"Think nothing of it." Tom replied, nursing his second tankard of Butterbeer, "Besides, it was getting far too crowded for my tastes."

"Yeah I think I've had enough people swarming me since my USO tours." the super soldier said with a laugh.

"Fame comes at a cost, it seems." Tom intoned, nodding sagely, "Only time will tell if the Wizarding Community will love me or hate me."

"Why would they hate you?" interrupted Bucky from Tom's right side, "You're the only wizard guy fighting this Dark Lord! Wouldn't that make you a hero?"

"My methods, as you may have noticed, are unorthodox even amongst wizards." Tom explained, "This includes working with muggles, which many look down upon, and my use of dark magic. The only reason why I'm not thrown into Azkaban, which is the Wizarding prison, is because Professor Dumbledore managed to convince both the Ministry of Magic and the International Confederacy of Wizards that desperate times call for desperate measures."

"That's why you could bypass the…Statute of Secrecy?" Steve tried, and continued at Tom's nod of affirmation, "But even though you're good in the eyes of the law, the people can still hate you for working with us and using dark magic?"

"Correct. The Wizarding World is rife with old traditions and taboos. It's very easy to get sucked into it, especially when you're an isolated society that practically bans contact with muggles, though I've heard that MACUSA has stricter laws."

"Woah woah woah new word." Bucky said with a confused face, "What's a Macusa?"

"It's the American version of our Ministry of Magic. The Magical Congress of the United States of America. They have far harsher laws against the fraternization between wizards and muggles." Tom elaborated, his words catching the ears of Leach, who was refilling Bucky's glass of firewhisky.

"What you're talking about is Rappaport's Law." Leach explained, proud of his knowledge on the subject, "Put in because of America's Salem Witch Trials, the law states that you can't do magic in front of, marry, or even befriend muggles. You're not allowed to interact with any non-Magicals unless it's strictly necessary. Ilvermorny doesn't even let their students take their wands outside of school until they graduate, and the muggle American government doesn't even know we wizards exist. MACUSA is a completely independent body from it. Usually if the 'damage' of breaking the law is 'unfixable', then the penalty is death."

After Leach's rather enlightening speech, the two men sitting on either side of Tom stared at the bartender in horror. Their heads then turned to look at Tom, and it seemed only now did they realize the gravity of what Tom had done in the face of the Wizarding World. What he sacrificed to fight by their side. Yes, he had alienated himself from the majority of wizardkind, the one world that was home to him, with his actions. Yes, he had willingly burned the bridges of his past 'friends', the pureblood elite who had followed him around like lost sheep back when he was at school and would probably now happily crush him into dust for his befriending and fraternization with people like Steve and Bucky, but he wasn't upset over it.

"Oh don't worry about me." Tom said with a smile, "I know what I've done, and I do not regret it. Never in my life have I ever felt like I truly belonged until now. I have you to thank for that."

It seemed to lighten the darkening mood, at least.

"Aw, Tom, don't get cheesy on us!" Bucky laughed out, messing up Tom's hair, "We're here with you 'till the end of the line!"

"And you said I have a heart of an artist, does that mean you have the soul of a poet?" Steve teased as he drank from his own glass filled with Butterbeer.

For some reason both Bucky and Steve had taken rather quickly to magical alcohol, with Bucky preferring Firewhiskey and Steve loving Butterbeer at first sight. Tom wondered if it was such a good idea to get them hooked on such things, as they would be unable to procure it once they got back to America. Though perhaps they were just enjoying the drinks while they could, knowing it wasn't going to last. Leach filled Steve's glass with more Butterbeer before leaning over to them.

"So where are you guys planning on going next?" the bartender asked, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"Now, now. We cannot simply tell you where we're going. What if the enemy hears of our plans?" Tom asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh come on! The other blokes just spent that last hour telling of the places you already hit! And besides, you know I'm the last kind of guy to go snitching to sods like Grindelwald or his lackies!" Leach needled with a large smile, knowing that if Tom didn't tell him, one of the other two soldiers will.

"Well, that's good to hear!" chuckled out Bucky, "Because ol' Grindy might not like where we're going next. Might take us a while to prepare though."

At Leach's confused look, Steve decided to elaborate.

"We're going to storm Nurmengard."

AN:

Oni: That's all for now, folks!

Steve: Don't forget to Follow, Favorite, and Review!

Oni: And I'll see you next time, my pretties!