Chapter 8
The Russian Minister of Magic, was angry, severely so. He took security very seriously. So much so, in fact, that all portkey and apparation traffic inside Moscow was carefully monitored and controlled. He had even placed ten of their agents in each of the muggle airports inside the city in order to ensure that no wizards slipped in without notice.
Apparently a child had managed to outwit five fully-trained wizards and escape into the city. Surveying the CCTV footage had revealed that the boy hadn't even been using a wand to do his magic. The child – if that hadn't just been one of his other disguises – had shown prowess with wandless, wordless magic that only the likes of magical titans such as Albus Dumbledore possessed.
There was also the fact that his magic had been unlike anything he had ever seen. Hell, had it even been magic? The boy had seen to control minds, create ice, shapeshift, and have levels of strength that he didn't look as though he should have had. The Minister was well aware that the magic wards in place could detect forms of energy inhuman other than magic.
Before becoming the Minister, he had been the ambassador between the previous Minister of Magic and the Russian president. This had given him certain contacts in the muggle world. Perhaps this was something best left to them. As much as he hated letting them operate in his country, he was aware that they would probably do it anyway when they saw the security footage. This way the boy – or whatever he was – would be tracked down sooner this way.
With a sigh, the Minister got to his feet and started to move towards the exit of the Ministry that would lead out into the muggle world. He didn't think that SHIELD had a Floo address, but he did know their phone number.
Harry awoke with a yawn and then rolled back over, snuggling into the soft bed of the hotel room.
'Wake up or you won't adjust to the time difference,' Loki ordered, but Harry preferred to sleep. 'Wake up or I'll make you feel like you're on fire.'
With that, Harry was immediately getting up. He had long since learned that the god didn't bluff, but at least that event had given him some good material if he ever wanted to create an illusion involving fire.
He picked up the necklace at his bedside and put it on, staring at his new reflection in the mirror. It was simply a wooden disc engraved with runes, but Harry had been designing it for a few days before he had arrived in Russia the day prior. It was his basic disguise, so would simply change his hair to blond, his eyes to brown, obscure his scar and greatly change his other facial features. He had only finished carving it the night before, though there had been many failed prior attempts.
It would be possible to design one for an adult form, though that would take too much energy to hold up. This one was rather simple; he had to actually turn it on and off, meaning that the illusion wouldn't disperse if he were to lose focus or even fall unconscious. While the Russians might be looking for this form, it was more important that he wasn't recognized as Harry Potter.
Satisfied that it was working, Harry packed his bags before exiting the hotel and making his way across the street to eat breakfast in café.
'Look back across the street for me,' Loki ordered as Harry began to eat a few minutes later. Something in his tone made sure that he did so immediately.
Two men in black suits stood inconspicuously where Loki had directed him to look, seemingly chatting, but then a wind swept through the street and one of their jackets was blown upon, revealing a gun holstered at his side.
'There are more of them,' Harry commented, suddenly looking at everyone else on the street in a suspicious light as he refused to let panic settle in upon him.
'I know, but they are muggles if they are using firearms,' Loki said, his tone calming. 'Unless you are shot in the head, I should be able to heal any wound. We should be safe in all cases. If the worst comes to the worst, we can try and apparate and hope that it works.'
Harry was about to suggest leaving via the back entrance when a reflection caught his eye and he witnessed another suit-clad man heading towards his table, having entered from the said back entrance. Slipping into an arrogant and carefree demeanour with the ease of a well-practised actor, Harry casually turned to face the man, pointing at the chair opposite him as he continued to eat.
The man sat down and Harry studied him. He appeared to be in his mid-forties, with receding brown hair and kind-looking grey eyes, but Harry wasn't one to be fooled by appearance. Many a person had made that mistake when they looked at him and saw a mere child.
That was a reason why Harry tended to avoid eye-contact. They said the eyes were the windows to the soul, and when people stared into his, they sometimes saw Loki. Well, not Loki, but the fact that they were staring upon an unknown being made it even more terrifying. All they sensed was that he was ancient and powerful, from which point their imagination took hold and they started to believe that Harry was the Devil himself, having come to claim their soul.
Loki immensely enjoyed that. In modern times there was no fear associated with his name, but being mistaken for a being such as Satan himself tended to boost his ego to levels yet to be discovered by mortals. With how large it was already, Harry was quite surprised that he, being raised by the god, wasn't also incredibly arrogant – that wasn't to say that he didn't know that he was far superior to the vast majority of beings in existence.
He was torn from his thoughts of Asgardian-Wizard-Jotun-Hybrid supremacy as the man said in American-accented English, "I'm Agent Phil Coulson with the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division."
A jolt of surprise emitted from Loki. 'SHIELD,' he offered. 'The last time I was on Earth in my physical form I noted that was the organization that were investigating the appearance of Mjolnir. They are a global group and do not usually mix with the magical from what I saw.' Loki paused. 'They may have found you using the CCTV from the airport which would explain why they have shown up in Russia. If this is the case they probably haven't seen your wand and may believe that your power comes from sources other than magic. Act as though you do not know what it is.'
Loki had taken a little two long to say that and silence had now reigned the table for at least five seconds. "Oh," Harry began in mock surprise, putting on a flawless Russian accent. "Were you expecting me to introduce myself?" He paused and hummed. "Do you think Vladmir Karakovsky sounds good enough?" he asked, putting together the most stereotypical Russian name he could think of. Not waiting for an answer to his clearly fake alias he continued, "Anyway, what do you want with me?"
"SHIELD – the name we usually go by – takes an interest in the Gifted, as we call them, and after your little performance at the airport yesterday, it was deemed that one with your skills would make a valuable asset. Of course, even if you don't agree to join and help SHIELD, we still need to give you a risk assessment."
Harry raised an eyebrow. "That sounded a bit like a threat to me, Agent Coulson. I'm not sure if I can keep pretending to be morally superior if I join an organization that threatens children."
"Somehow, Mr Karakovsky, I do not believe that you are a child."
"Really? Now why is that?" Harry asked, making sure not to let his smugness or relief show as SHIELD drew further away from his true identity.
"I've seen the footage of you shapeshifting, and a child is the ideal form if you wish for any foes to underestimate you."
This was only getting better; they believed he was a shapeshifter of all things.
"Speaking of foes, Coulson, were those your agents firing beams of light at the airport? Because I feel as though if you dispatched that many to come after me, then you already have more than enough Gifted." Harry knew that his acting was nigh-on flawless and that he was leading them further and further from his true identity which he was sure was now safe given the fact that it had not been mentioned yet. He had momentarily panicked as he recalled the brief moment his illusion had faded, but he must have been facing away from the camera.
Coulson's pleasant smile remained as though what Harry had said hadn't changed anything at all. "No, that was a different thing altogether – something you will be informed about if you choose to become an agent of SHIELD."
Harry looked to his wrist, pretending there was a watch. He looked up in mock shock. "Whilst I would love to join SHIELD, I'm afraid I'm planning on clipping my nails today."
Wrapping a barrier of silence around him to hide its distinctive noise, Harry apparated.
Blackness closed in around him and he fought back panic as his breath was snatched away. He couldn't move. Everything was pushing down on him. His very form was being distorted – and then he was back in the open, thankfully fully-intact.
He took a moment to recover from the squeezing of apparation, leaning against the wall of the alley he had appeared in. It was about halfway between where he had just been and the airport, Loki having recalled the destination.
Apparation was something that Harry preffered to never do. He didn't know whether he reacted especially badly to it, was terrible at it, or if all wizards were either massive masochists or incredibly lazy.
As Harry rested, four ear-splitting cracks rang out from nearby. Harry was instantly on his feet wand pointed at the men and women dressed in bright red cloaks. "Sir," a woman began in Russian, "you are under arrest under suspicion of unauthorized apparation. Stand down or we will be forced to use necessary force."
"Hey," one muttered, just loud enough for Harry to hear. "Isn't that the kid fr-"
He got no further as Harry decided to open the battle. With a swipe and flick of his wand, Harry yelled, "Gelventus!" An icy wind whipped up behind him, surging towards the Russians. As they cast shield charms to stop their eyes from falling victim to the winds buffeting them, Harry cast another spell. "Iraex!" he screamed, channelling his fury into the spell that relied on emotion.
Unfortunately it seemed he wasn't exactly angry enough at the moment, for it didn't have its intended effect of causing a violent explosion of force. Instead the bolt of red light veered off to the side and smashed into the wall of the alley, sending chips of brick into the air.
Spells began to fly from the other side just as Harry cast a shield of shimmering gold Asgardian magic that the attacks harmlessly splashed against, though not without a cost, Harry noted as he noticed a large drain upon his energy. "Accio dumpster!" he incanted, holding the shield up with his free hand.
The barrage of spells halted as a dumpster slammed into the back of the Russian ranks.
Before they could raise any shields they found the alley filled with smoke, obscuring their view. With a shared nod, two of them apparated to the end of the alley, effectively blocking Harry's escape.
The Russians began to cast weak banishing charms into the smoke to clear it, and were unprepared as a voice murmured, "Stupefy," too quietly for them to here. Whilst the low-level stunning spell was slow and blocked by any shielding charms, its target was caught off guard and crumpled to the floor as the crimson light slammed into him.
"Infrigum Sanguo!" a voice called from within the smoke and Harry cursed as the Russian managed to dodge out of the light-blue blood-freezing curse's path.
The two Russians standing together's only warning of Harry's approach was a shimmer in the air before he was upon them, his golden wand glowing blue as an icicle burst from it, Harry now being at a range close enough to use his primary attack. Instantly he yelled, "Protego!" blocking the spell of the one who had not been impaled by the icicle attack.
With no other option, Harry called up his Asgardian magic and sent it forth in the form of a beam of glaring yellow power that ripped through both of the shields between him and his opponent, shattering both before colliding with the Russian and blasting straight through his torso
A rush of adrenaline coursed through Harry, an opposite to the fatigue that had struck him as the most powerful spell he had ever used left his wand. While his magical-development had been carefully engineered by Loki, he was still an eleven year-old, and this kind of magic was designed to be used by fully-trained Asgardian sorcerers. It had been his only option though. Otherwise he would have had his back to one wizard whilst the other could have stepped around his shield easily at his distance and did whatever he wanted.
It seemed as though he had underestimated just how much power it would take though, for he found his reserves of energy were drained and he wasn't able to throw himself out of the way of a the next spell. Instead a wave of invisible force smashed him into the wall, and he slumped to the floor, his wand barely in his grip.
"Expelliarmus," the final Russian hissed, rage for his dead friends burning in his eyes as he caught Harry's wand, the instrument of his comrades' demise. "I think I'll have some fun with you before I hand you in, child. Torture is illegal, after all. Stupefy."
Harry could do nothing as darkness rushed up to claim him, drowning out the noises of the world and Loki's distressed cries alike.
A/N: So, a lot happened in that chapter. SHIELD has been introduced into the equation, Harry killed some Russians then got kidnapped by their angry friend, and... okay, not too much happened... Anyway, tell me what you thought!
