Angel's Light

Chapter 10

AN: Hello all and welcome back. First and foremost as always I want to thank everyone who reviewed the previous chapter. This one is actually a bit later and shorter than I initially wanted but I'm satisfied with it. Also I'll be out of town this weekend away from my computer and wanted to get this out before I left. With all that being said here is the new chapter.

Start Now:

As the sun broke through the clouds and the wind buffeted his form the man known as James Potter walked through the busy streets of Manhattan at a rather leisurely pace. He walked undisturbed as with his appearance it was as if he belonged there walking among them. He wore a black suit and a slim solid black tie securing the collar of his blue dress shirt. Over the top of the suit he wore a dark blue wool trench coat that was secured closed by the three buttons that ran down its front and his hands were currently tucked into the pockets of the coat. After his meeting with the Avengers and their gathered associates he had opted to take a walk and familiarize with the city. Jane had offered to accompany him however he had declined informing her there were other things he needed to take care of before his business for the day was done.

He knew that he had left them with more than a few questions however at the moment he did not have the time to answer them sufficiently. The trip while not really a long one was made one if only due to the amount of people crowding the streets and bustling this way and that all going about their own business. He however paid it no mind instead taking the time to both think and to take in both the morale of the populous and state of repair for the city. The craftsmen certainly deserved praise for being able to complete so much work in a mere two years, especially without the aid of magic to speed things along. While it may have helped that some of the buildings hadn't been completely destroyed the damages had still been great after the battle.

The people had also impressed him with their resilience as they had bounced back rather quickly from the event. He knew many a race that had buckled and broken under less, yet these humans had bounced back. Even more impressive was that they had done so after only just over a decade since the last tragedy that had hit their city and shook them to their foundations. Truly the resilience of these people was to be admired.

"You're on time, good." Came a voice breaking him from his musing.

Turning he was greeted to the sight of a man who stood just slightly shorter than him at 6'2" and possessed a rather thin frame. He had combed back black hair with streaks of grey on the sides along with a pair of deep grey eyes. Like many of those walking the street the man wore a black suit only with a white shirt and a thin black tie beneath his coat. The man looked decidedly unassuming and nondescript with the many people dressed similarly and any other time he may have ignored him altogether. In this instance however, that would be impossible due to the rather subtle but powerful feeling of magic that exuded from him, and of course the knowledge of who exactly this man was.

There were no pleasantries exchanged as the other man turned and entered the building he had been standing in front of, the Empire State Building. They moved at an unhurried pace to the elevators stopping only briefly for his companion to speak with the guard before they continued. As they settled the man waved his hand slightly and James quirked a single eyebrow at the subtle bit of magic that was just performed before him. The dinging of the elevator soon called his attention and it was only once its doors closed with only the two of them for passengers that he knew it had been a Notice Me Not Charm applied. Once on board and with the doors closed, he slid a key-card across the scanner and the elevator began to lift.

"It's been some time Stephen" said James.

"Indeed it has." Said the man as he turned to face him.

For a long moment the two eyed each other neither of them breaking their gaze from the other before they clasped hands and pulled each other into a hug that lasted for several long moments before they broke apart.

When they had last spoken Stephen Strange had been a student of the Ancient One, a mystical guardian who protected the Earth from extra-dimensional threats. He had apparently done very well in his training as he hadn't aged a day since that time over a decade ago and somehow his own senses told him the man was far older than he appeared, and more than his years would dictate. This latter observation was easily explained as he could sense the lingering feel of time magic on his person which was not as much of a surprise considering where he was trained. They spent some time catching up during which time he learned that the Ancient One had passed some years back, which was a shame

After but a few minutes the ding of the elevator caught their attention reading out that they had reached the 600th floor and in moments the doors opened to reveal the sight of a massive mountain sat atop a cloud and hovering over Manhattan itself. Before them was a set of stone steps hovering in the air and leading up to the mountain.

"Welcome to Olympus. I trust the presence of your guest is of importance Strange."

The speaker appeared to be a middle-aged man with an athletic figure, slim and fit like a runner, he had curly salt and pepper hair, blue eyes and ears that were slightly pointed almost like an elves. His face had creases that showed he was no stranger to smiling though now it was set in a serious frown. The man was one he knew, though not well for he was Hermes, the Olympian God of Messengers. Neither man spoke before a pair of fingers snapped and in a flurry of golden orbs the form of James Potter was replaced by that of Thor Odinson. If anything this caused the man's expression to harden even more.

"Great, as if my day wasn't irritating enough. This way." Said Hermes turning and leading the two up the stairs.

As the trio moved up the stairs and into the city proper all activity stopped as the eyes of the population followed them along their path. Along the way they passed numerous temples and palaces though Thor himself hardly paid them any mind. Before long they stood before a pair of great doors at last twenty feet in height which their escort opened with ease. Upon entry they were greeted to several figures sitting before them within strangely decorated thrones arranged in a U shape and all of which were 10 feet in height with Hermes joining them taking his own thrown at a similar height.

Sighing at the rather obvious intimidation tactic Thor allowed but a small portion of his own power to leak from him causing an immediate pressure to settle on the room causing several of the figures to shift about and others to narrow their eyes. Seeing his point made he let up on the use of his power causing them to relax.

"Now that the theatrics are over, perhaps we can begin." Stated one of the beings, the only one that hadn't been affected at all by the show.

This figure was male and had black hair, a neatly trimmed black beard, a deep tan and sea-green eyes that were surrounded crinkles which told of his proneness for smiles. His hands were scarred like an old-time fisherman's, he wore a pair of khaki short, leather sandals and a Hawaiian shirt. This he knew was Poseidon, the Earthshaker and Olympian God of the Sea.

Looking around quickly he spotted several other figures re recognized either by personally knowing them or by previous description. In the center of the bunch sat Zeus himself wearing a tailored suit and with an air of arrogance surrounding him. Ares, whom he'd fought once ago, sat not far from him though he was now dressed as a biker and not in the armor he'd once worn. The Smith God Hephaestus sat tinkering away at some device dressed in a mechanics coverall and Apollo, the one person whom he knew that Fandral counted as a rival, was in attendance and Dionysus. Also present though on the other side of Zeus were Artemis, Athena, Demeter, Hestia, Hera and Aphrodite.

"Fine. We are you here Asgardian?" questioned Zeus

"A number of reasons actually both personal and not." Stated Thor only increasing the curiosity of the bunch.

"Firstly my son was found in Britain as such I am going through the process to reclaim him. There will be a trial for his abusive guardians at which time his heritage will be announced." Stated Thor causing a number of eyes to narrow.

"You would bring even more attention after the problems you've already caused!" demanded Zeus

"Problems?" questioned the Asgardian his tone suggesting nothing but curiosity.

"Your presence two years ago caused a spike in the awareness of mortals. Their curiosity has been awoken and as such they are no longer as content to remain in their bubble." Stated Hermes.

"Governments worldwide are now looking into the validity of myths and legends and the number of mortals capable of seeing through the Mist is slowly rising." Stated Athena causing Thor to frown.

"The mortals are under the impression that I am an alien and we've seen no need to correct that assumption. Furthermore their world was invaded by creatures who came through a tear in the skies. Their eyes were rather forcibly opened to the fact of other forms of life existing." Retorted Thor calmly

"That fool brother of yours announced himself as a God." Stated Zeus.

"Loki is many things, but a fool he is not." Stated Thor though lacking any heat showing he took no offence.

"Why else are you here?" questioned Zeus.

"The Allfather wants to know why you have done nothing to halt your father's activities." Stated the Asgardian causing a stunned hush to come over the room.

"What activities?!" demanded Hestia

"There have been a number of them." Started Strange bringing the rooms attention to himself.

"Two years ago, for instance he was behind the theft of both Zeus's Master Bolt and Hades's Helm of Darkness. While they were both recovered swiftly, he convinced Ares to hold on to them nearly starting a three way war." Stated Strange.

"Surely you are mistaken." Said her tone calm though her eyes were beginning to smolder.

"Lady Hera I am the Sorcerer Supreme, mistakes are for other people." Said Strange.


Meanwhile unknowing of this meeting taking place Harry had returned to Potter Manor. For this trip he had come alone and while others had wanted to join him Sirius had helped convince them to leave him be for this trip. Actually living up to his name he had informed them that until certain things were handled the only ones that would now be able to enter the house were the Harry, Sirius and Remus. Apparently Sirius and Remus had both been adopted into the House of Potter by his grandfather and as such they both have a free pass to enter the house.

Upon the death of his grandfather, the previous Lord Potter the wards of the Manor had settled on Sirius as Harry was too young and his magic too immature for him to handle them. On their previous trip Sirius had granted all of them guest access which only let people enter a place for a set amount of time within a time period. Remus had back him up and then explained that neither of them could join him as they had a few meetings to attend in their respective roles of Steward and Lord.

He made his entry in a flurry of orbs that settled within the entrance hall right on top of the House of Potter sigil. He wasted no time placing down his backpack from which he withdrew five candles that he proceeded to place in a loose circle on the ground.

"Hear these words, Hear my cry. Spirit from the other side, come to me, I summon thee. Cross now the great divide."

The words of the now very familiar spell came to him easily enough. After only a few moments a flurry of whit orbs rushed into the circle which soon cleared to show the translucent form of an elderly gentleman who stood at a little over 6 feet in height. He had a head that was nearly bald and what remained had whitened with age covering the back and sides with a matching beard. He was garbed in a set of white and red wizarding robes emblazoned with the Potter crest over his heart. As he settled the man wasted no time stepping out of the circle showing no signs of his age with his body solidifying as he did.

"Hello Harry." Greeted the man his arms almost immediately opening with the boy stepping into his embrace easily.

"How are you grandpa?" questioned the boy.

True enough the spirit was none other than Charlus Potter himself. Of course this was not the first time he'd summoned him, that had been at the beginning of the summer after their return from the clinic. The man had been horrified at first thinking the spell was the result of necromancy until he had been corrected on the spells origin.

"As well as always my boy." Stated the man before pulling back enough so that he could look into his grandson's eyes.

"Now how have you been?"

The question however was enough to get Harry to unload about the day he'd been having thus far from his visit to meet the Queen where an older version of himself had decided to make an appearance and the dump of information that had been planted in his head. This normally would be staggering enough but Harry kept going explaining how they'd run into Thor on the property and him dropping the bombshell that he'd spent two decades and change living the life of James Potter and had only recently had those memories unlocked. To say that Charlus was surprised about the news regarding his son would be an understatement, however he managed to push it to the back of his mind in order to help Harry through his rather well deserved freak-out.

Once Harry had wound down the two spent a bit of time talking about his father's resurrection and how he felt about it. Charlus promised they would talk about the future information at length later on. Once the two had gone over that and he was sure Harry was fit to continue their plans for the day the duo switched gears. It took little time for them to go over what Harry would need to do here and the steps needed for him to do so. Satisfied that his grandson understood how to proceed the elder smiled giving the rather nervous teen a boost in confidence as he did.

Nodding to himself Harry was soon reaching down into his bag once more from which he soon withdrew a small jewelry box which opened to reveal his Potter heir ring. Placing the ring in its place on his finger he paused, closing his eyes momentarily as he felt his magic bond with the ring. Opening his eyes after the moment passed and figuring he was as ready as he could be he decided to get things started.

"Potter elves to me."

For a brief moment nothing happened until a barrage of pops echoed through the room and a large number of elves appeared in front of him. Unlike Dobby when they had first met these elves were not covered by pillowcases but wore an assortment of elf sized outfits. At the front of the group was an older looking elf that wore a miniature butler's outfit complete with tie.

"Hello Master Harry, I am…Master Charlus?" started the elf its composed sophisticated tone stopping abruptly to be replaced by confusion upon sighting the man.

"Looking at the rest of the elves Harry could see that they wore expressions ranging from confused to astonished.

"Hello Hartley." Said Charlus stepping forward and allowing the old elf to grasp his hand.

"How?" questioned the stunned elf tears gathering in its eyes.

"A rather remarkable spell belonging to Lily's family. It calls forth spirits from the beyond." Explained the spirit softly before motioning Harry over.

"Harry this is Hartley. He is the Head Elf for our family and a dear friend. In fact he practically raised me and your father." Said Charlus.

"It's nice to meet you Harley." Said Harry.

"It's wonderful to see you looking so well, young master." Said Hartley.

"You've seen me before?" questioned Harry.

"Unfortunately not since you were a baby. However a receive reports for the squad assigned to Hogwarts." Stated Hartley motioning another elf forward.

The one who stepped forward was a female elf made obvious by the small dress she wore.

"This is Lindsey. She has been watching over you at Hogwarts." Said Hartley.

"Nice to meet you Lindsey." Said Harry getting a smile from the elf.

"Is there a reason you've never introduced yourself before?" questioned Charlus though not unkindly.

"Headmaster whiskers forbid all elves from making contact with Master Harry, only if he calls us." Said Lindsey.

"Which he knew I wouldn't since he never informed me of any of this." Said Harry frowning.

"Is Master James here as well?" questioned Hartley.

"That's kind of complicated.' Said Harry thinking of a short way to tell the elves what happened

"You know of Thor correct?" questioned Harry.

"He is the Norse God of Thunder." Said Hartley.

"Well some time ago he got in trouble for being bad. In order to punish him and teach him a lesson his spirit was placed inside my dad's body as a baby. When he died his memories were transferred to Thor." Explained Harry causing several elfish eyes to widen which he hadn't thought was possible.

"So that's why!" exclaimed Hartley catching both Charlus and Harry by surprise.

"When Master James was born he was still. He did not move, or cry or even breathe. We were all worried but he began to glow golden and magic surged through him and suddenly he was alive." Explained Hartley.

Charlus was the first to break from the thoughts this news forced upon him and quickly set about bringing Harry back from his own.

"How are you all doing?" questioned the ghost.

"We are surviving. The magic from the ley-lines sustains us, though it is not as strong as a proper binding."

The elves words did nothing but confirm a theory that Charlus had already discussed with Harry. In fact that theory was the main reason they had even come today and as such Harry found himself pleased that he hadn't decided to put the trip off even longer.

"Hartley I need you to take me to the ward chamber. After I take control of the wards we can reaffirm all of your bonds." Said Harry to much joy from the elves.

Claiming the wards of the house was actually a simple task as it had taken less than five minutes to accomplish. The bonding of the Potter elves while also simple in words was a longer process due to their being so many of them. During the course of this process he had called for Dobby and after a rather joyful embrace of his leg from the elf proceeded to bond him to the House of Potter as well, though he retained his status as Harry's personal elf. Finally after a roller coaster of a day Harry headed up to bed for a rather well deserved rest.


A few days later found a contemplative Harry sitting quietly as he mentally prepared himself for the day ahead. While it was something he'd known would be happening he had previously been able to push the knowledge to the back of his mind or even dismiss it entirely. Today however he was unable to do such a thing and instead would have no choice but to confront the issue at hand despite how much he would much rather ignore and put the entire issue in his past to be forgotten.

At the moment he could be found seated in the back of a Bentley Mulsanne Grand Limousine, one of a number that was currently moving through the streets of London. The cars were something of a statement that Sirius had wanted to make and had been rather easily obtained for the occasion. Despite their size however they were designed to only sit four people and he was currently sharing his with Sirius who sat beside him, Remus who sat facing him and his grandfather Sam who sat facing Sirius. In the car behind them rode his aunts Paige, Prue, Piper and Phoebe while behind them rode Andromeda, Tonks and Narcissa. Narcissa was a rather new addition to his life and their meeting was an experience quite different than what he had been expecting of the mother of Draco Malfoy.

He had expected to be met a haughty woman and was instead met by a woman of poise. This was a woman who while proud of her heritage he didn't really see as a pureblood bigot. Of course he also had no idea that the woman had just been through an extended stay in the muggle world that had resulted in a rather severe culture shock that resulted in a massive change in her attitude and prejudices.

The final car in the back carried Leo, Henry and Coop. Victor could not attend, instead staying home with the boys but they had spoken this morning and the man had given his well wishes.

"You know it's not too late for you to spend the day at the Manor." Said Sirius nudging him gently and taking him from his musings.

That was actually one of the reasons he was really thankful for having the two Marauders in his life. Both had stepped up in order to support and protect him over the last few months. He had never really had that before and while Dumbledore had said he wanted to protect him he had never really believed the old man. Thanks to the new knowledge he had been given by his future counterpart he knew he had been correct in his instincts and the old man had just wanted to keep him ignorant until his usefulness was up. Now however it was different, Padfoot, Moony and the rest of his family had no problem with sharing information with him but that had also stated they would do all they could to support him so that all he had to worry about was school, girls and the occasional public event.

He knew that Padfoot and Moony had been working especially hard as well. While all of his family knew that Voldemort was still lurking about somewhere only the two Marauders really understood the threat he represented. Compared to all that those two were dealing with he knew that this event was a minor issue, a footnote all things considered.

"It's fine Padfoot. I'm ready for this." Said the boy.

After saying so he realized that he actually was quite ready for this to be over with. As his sessions had never stopped he and Prue had spoken at length regarding this issue several times and he'd already come to terms with things. It helped that in this instance he didn't have to contribute anything and would just be another face in the crowd. Compared to what he had been through at Hogwarts for the last two years it really was nothing in comparison. This was his thought at least until they had reached their destination and he was greeted by a sea of humanity that he recognized as a mob of reporters.

He should've expected it in all honesty, nothing with him was ever as simple as he would like it to be. Immediately the focus of the crowd switched to them and he found himself seriously contemplating orbing out before pushing the thought away. It didn't take long for the group to get out of the cars and gather in front of the building where they were soon met by Mr. Giles.

Following the man up the stairs and past the now split crowd they entered the building. Before long the found themselves before a pair of wooden double doors and Harry took one last deep breath to prepare himself. Releasing the breath and looking up he was just in time to see Sirius and Remus open the doors to allow them entrance. Steeling himself he took his first step forward and then another, finally after months of waiting it was time to confront his abusers in order for him to move forward with his life, the trial of the Dursley's was set to begin.


AVENGERS UNITED AGAINST CHILD ABUSE

BACK FROM THE DEAD: JAMES POTTER RETURNS

ABUSED ORPHAN – HIDDEN NOBLE & HEIR OF ASGARD

ABUSERS SENTENCED – THE QUEEN'S JUDGEMENT

BOY-WHO-LIVED – ROYALTY

HISTORY DEBUNKED – DESCENDANTS OF KING ARTHUR REVEALED

ANCIENT HOUSES REVEALED – WHO ARE THEY

BOY-WHO-LIVED SPEAKS: HIS LIFE, HIS WORDS

HIDDEN ROYALTY: THE HALLIWELL'S – WHO ARE THEY

BOY-WHO-LIVED TO BE AWARDED ORDER OF MERLIN FIRST CLASS

Placing down the last of the papers Nick Fury could only shake his head in amusement. Over the last few days since the trial it seemed like Harry and his family were all anyone was talking about. The headlines were coming fast and furious in not just the UK but America, France and even Canada as far as he knew. What had been local news had become a worldwide affair as soon as the Avengers had made an appearance. Of course Queen Elizabeth had allowed the trial to be televised and streaming sites and news outlets had been running wild making entire segments on just small clips.

The Dursley's had been essentially destroyed as far as reputations went and with the sentences that were handed out they would be out of the picture for a good while. Petunia had gotten the least amount of time and having hired a different lawyer than her husband and his sister probably would have gotten even less if Harry's written statement hadn't done so much damage to her. At the end of the day she'd be spending the next decade behind bars unless she qualified for early parole. Marge Dursley with multiple counts against her had been sentenced to over twenty years.

Vernon Dursley however would never see the light of day. With multiple counts of child abuse, and cruelty, tax evasion and fraud among a host of other charges would never see the outside of a prison again. With Harry being a Noble the charges against him were actually doubled, a charge for action against the child in general and then a charge for action against a Noble. Old and archaic the laws may have been but they had never been taken off the books and the Queen's team had taken complete advantage of it.

With all of his immediate caregivers behind bars Dudley Dursley had been left adrift and had become a ward of the state. As such Fury along with a few other people had stepped in if for no other reason than respect for the boys grandparents. Dudley would be able to continue his schooling before he began military service when he became of age if not going directly to either S.H.I.E.L.D or MI-6.

Magical Britain had also been in a bit of an uproar over the event and the Wizengamont had called yet another emergency session because of it. The end result of that meeting was Harry receiving the Order of Merlin award for his actions in the Chamber of Secrets. He would be the first 13-year-old to ever receive the award and while it would also usually get him a seat on the Wizengamont it would now give him two additional votes for House Potter. That however wasn't the only award up for consideration as according to his sources the Queen was contemplating awarding him the George Cross and an induction to the Order of the Garter for his actions.

The last two not many people actually knew about, in fact the number could be counted by hand. His thoughts on the matter were brought to a halt as he noticed the time and moving all of that off to the side moved on to some other projects he was looking into, after all trouble was brewing and he aimed to be prepared when it arrived.


Loki's arrival on Midgard had gone down as well as he had expected. Upon arrival he had been put through a mystical screening by the Sorcerer Supreme himself and soon after a psychic one by a man known as Charles Xavier. The former he had been directed to by Thor while the latter had been a contact of Nick Fury's. He of course had known of the Sorcerer Supreme but had never dealt with this particular one, instead having worked with the previous one on a fair few occasions. As for Xavier he had known of him, though a rather harmless appearing human bound to a wheelchair he was the most powerful psychic in the world.

He had been one of many people that he had learned of his last time on Midgard his information given to him by Clint along with quite a few other notable figures. Both of them deemed him clean of controls, something he had already known. Perhaps if he was still purely Loki he may have been worried but the merging of what was Uchiha Sasuke's spirit into the vessel had ensured his freedom from control. After all at this point his power was such that no lower level entity would be able to control him and there did not exist many higher level entities than himself.

Pushing those thoughts away he appeared within Number 4 Privet Drive by usage of his own personal form of teleportation. Once inside and focusing on the area it did not take him long to figure out how Harry had been hidden from him. Though subtle and fading he could feel powerful blood wards had been erected around the house. Finding the source of the wards he immediately destroyed it, his nephew would not suffer under such a weight again if he could help it. As he did so he made a point of memorizing the signature of the caster, they would have words once he found them. His eyes however only narrowed as without the ward he could now feel even more magic within the house.

"Curious." Mused the Trickster as he felt out the energy with his own senses.

The energy was clearly demonic but not on a level he had encountered before. It was certainly different than that of a Hell-Lord, less pure but still malevolent. Following the energy to its source he found himself eyeing a cluster of what many would mistake as runes or glyphs but he recognized as demonic script sprawled along the wall and glowing red. Examining the script he learned that it was there to reinforce a set compulsion on the occupants of the house. The truly sickening part to his eyes was that it seemed to only trigger the compulsion but could be fought off.

The part assigned to Harry for instance was designed to slowly make him hate the occupants of the house before shifting that hatred to humans in general. From what he had learned of the boys temperament Harry had beaten it, otherwise they would be looking at a magic using version of Gaara from way back when instead of a rather well mannered young man. Placing a hand near the wall yet being careful not to touch it he channeled his own power into it. As he channeled his power he watched as the characters along the wall slowly shifted from deep red to an icy blue in color before they shattered accompanied by the sound of breaking glass to reveal an unmarked wall.

He took a few minutes mystically scanning the house making sure he didn't miss a thing in his inspection before he stopped. Satisfied the job was done he turned on the spot and vanished from the house. He would return to Asgard and speak with the Allfather before he continued this quest, after all it wouldn't do to continue without the information he needed.

AN: That's it the chapter is done. Once again a little shorter than usual for me but I felt it was a good place to stop. The next chapter I think will wrap up the summer and then it will be back to Hogwarts. On that note however I am thinking of creating a new story when I do that as it will have a more heavy crossover with the Avengers characters so don't be surprised if I do it as a sequel. That said thanks for reading and please review. Till next time, LATER.