Hariel shifted nervously in her spot, glancing towards Loki every few seconds. The man himself looked utterly nonchalant, leaning against the elevator wall, but she could sense the slight edge in him, from barely tensed muscles to the flickering of his emerald eyes. This is it, she thought. They were just moments away from stepping out into the main living area of Avenger's Tower, and introducing Hariel to her father's teammates. The prospect sent an odd thrill through her. Would they like her, she wondered, or would she be met with fear and uncertainty as had happened so many times in the past?

Harry's thoughts were cut off as the elevator let out a quiet ding! And the doors slid open silently. She moved to take a step forward, but paused for a moment as a sudden wave of apprehension swept over her. The next second she shifted backwards, allowing Loki, who seemed to be having his own doubts, to move past, putting his tall frame between her and the rest of the room. This is all his fault, anyway. The girl found herself fully justified in letting him play meatshield.

"Brother! It is good that you have returned!" Hariel froze at the sudden shout, her view of the room blocked as a massive form collided with Loki's in front of her. Her hand twitched, wand sliding partially out of her sleeve, but before she could release the curse on her tongue she paused. Her newfound father was not, as she had first assumed, being mauled, but was in fact being hugged by a massive, teddybear-like man with golden lock of sight of him connected with his words in her brain, and Harry sucked in a sharp breath. This must be Thor, her uncle and the god of storms. He looked even bigger in person than on TV.

"Thor, release me. I do not have time for your antics." The large man, looking properly chastised, stepped back, releasing Loki, although his electric blue eyes still glowed brightly with warmth. Somehow, Hariel found herself smirking at the sight as her father sent him a dirty glare, brushing of his clothes.

" I apologize, Loki. It has been some time since we saw you last." The apology did little to lighten the dark-haired asgardian's mood, and for a moment, it looked like he was about to respond harshly, until his eyes flickered to Harry. In an instant, the forthcoming retort died, and his expression settled into a slightly disgruntled state.

"Yes, well, I have been busy recently. There has been little time for the usual pleasantries."Thor's eyes narrowed, and for a moment, Hariel thought he would probe deeper into the matter. Instead, however, the blonde man simply nodded, before turning his eyes to Hariel curiously. As the scrutinizing gaze landed on her, she tensed, her previous apprehension, forgotten in her study of the brother's conversations, stirred once more.

"Would your absence have anything to do with the beautiful maiden by your side?" Thor asked, smile widening. Hariel frowned, however, as she heard the edge of something odd in his voice. He sounded almost… confused? Before she could wonder more about it, however, Loki stepped between them, bringing his brother's attention back to him.

"It would,, although perhaps not in the way you suspect. I… would like you to meet my daughter, Hariel." For a second, there was silence as Thor's expression shifted into one of shock, until from the background, there came the sound of someone spewing liquid. Harry's eyes were drawn to the sound, before widening. She had not, previously, taken note of anything else in the room, distracted as she was by the conversation between Thor and Loki. now however, she stared, wide-eyed at their surroundings.

The back quarter of the room seemed to be some kind of kitchen and dining room area, with tiled floors, shiny counters filled with all sorts of appliances, a sink, and even an island table big enough for a whole family to sit at and then some. Standing at the counter was a short, dark-haired man Hariel vaguely recognized as Tony Stark, billionaire philanthropist and Iron Man. Currently however, he looked no more dangerous than a mouse, hunched over and struggling to breathe as he coughed up a brown liquid that looked a bit like coffee. Beside him was a blonde man with windswept features and sharp green eyes pounding on the genius inventor's back. Her attention shifted away from them however, as she noticed that the kitchen area opened out onto the rest of the room, turning into something more resembling a sitting room with dark wood-paneled floors and variouses couches and armchairs scattered about, some of which were clustered around various TV's with separate , Hariel found the shocked stares of the rest of the Avenger's, from the stone-cold face of a strikingly beautiful woman with blazing red hair whose only sign of emotion was the slight flickering in her green orbs and could only be Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, to a small, unassuming man with brown hair and matching eyes behind, thin glasses that gave him an image somewhat reminiscent of Professor Mcgonagall, who looked like he had eaten something sour. Even the unmistakeable Captain America, with his iconic blonde hair, blue eyes, and classically handsome features, was staring at Hariel, eyes wide and mouth opening and closing like a fish as he struggled to find something to say. There was even an orange-haired woman who Hariel didn't recognize, dressed in a business suit and having just entered the room, clipboard and papers held loosely in her hands, though thankfully that one was directed more at Harry's father than her, if only by virtue of the woman not having seen her.

"Wha-what?" Stark finally managed to splutter, and Harry shifted back a step as the weight of all their stares crashed down on her. She had never liked attention- a fact which never seemed to matter anyways- and now, with all these extraordinarily famous and powerful people staring at her, she was consumed by a burning anxiety. What could she possibly say or do that wouldn't make her look like an idiot?

"Uh h-hi." She managed to squeak out, raising a hand before her in a pathetic attempt to wave. After a moment of silence, she dropped it, her eyes darting to Loki's in a panic. The asgardian failed to notice, however, locked as he was in a silent staring contest with his brother. For several long moments, no one dared move, until, finally, Thor tore his gaze away from Loki, and settled a scrutinizing gaze on Hariel.

"Is this true?" He asked, his voice a quiet rumble, and somehow Harry found the courage to nod.

"As far as I can tell." She answered, before looking surprised she hadn't stumbled over her words. Thor's eyes narrowed for a second, assessing, before turning to Loki and giving a short nod. The dark-haired asgardian breathed a sigh of relief at the gesture, all the tension flowing from him like a river whose dam had broken. His emerald gaze flickered for a moment over the rest of the avengers, before he turned to Harry.

"You've had a long day, Hariel. Come, I shall escort you to my room so you can sleep." Harry's eyes widened as he took a step forward, and she slid backwards automatically, hands going up in front of her as if to ward him off.

"Wait, what about-"

"Hariel." Her name, spoken quietly and softly but with a lethal authority., cut through the protests on her tongue, and she fell silent, meeting Loki's eyes.

"You have had a long day, and one full of surprises. Anything more can wait until the morning." For a second, Harry considered arguing, considered fighting back, but as she met her father's eyes and found an unyielding steel in them, she felt her shoulder's slump.

"Alright." She replied, grudgingly, throwing a baleful glare at him. It was a weak gesture, however, as Harry found that she really was tired. She knew, of course, that the adults were just trying to get rid of her so they could talk, but as she moved forward and allowed Loki to place a warm and comforting hand on her shoulder, she found she didn't care.

XXX

"So you have a daughter." The words hung in the still air of Avenger's Tower's living room, thick with a thousand silent questions. Their speaker, Steve Rogers, was frowning thoughtfully as he said them, and Loki couldn't help but flinch.

"I do." He answered, voice even despite the turmoil tearing at his gut. Loki was not a man to get nervous. It was, in fact, an almost foreign emotion to him, but here he was, hanging on the edge of his seat as he looked around at the gathered Avenger's, each one of them with their eyes trained steadily on him.

"Where did you find her?" Loki glanced to the side, where his brother was leaning against a couch with perhaps the only openly curious expression on his face. The man had at first seemed ill at ease when Loki first confronted them with Hariel, but now, after having several minutes in which Loki put the young girl to rest, seemed almost elated at the prospect of having a niece, something he had not experienced in centuries.

"She sounded British," Stark answered before he could. "Almost like a female Jarvis." The man grinned, until the ever vigilant Potts slapped his shoulder.

"Must you say that about every British person you meet?" She asked, rolling her eyes, before offering Loki an apologetic smile. "Sorry. You know how he is." Loki nodded his thanks, before returning his attention to Thor.

"Stark is correct, she was raised by her… maternal aunt and uncle in england. I was alerted to her presence a few weeks ago by a wave of violent magic, and when I investigated, discovered Hariel. I conducted multiple magical tests once I realised who she was. Hariel is my daughter." Thor nodded, and Loki allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief. It mattered little if the others didn't believe his claim, but Thor… he needed his brother's faith. Things would be so much harder without it.

"If that's true, then what is your father going to say about her?" Loki's head snapped to the side to meet Romanoff's eyes, her steady emerald gaze burning into him.

"Excuse me?" He asked, incredulous.

"In the legends, you've had children before, and they never got off well." She shrugged, lifting her shoulders in an oddly expressive gesture for the woman. "I know they aren't all true, but if they are… you must have some plan, right? You brought her here for a reason." Loki stared at the woman, shock consuming his mind. Once again, the Black Widow surprised him. So caught up had he been in rescuing his daughter from danger, he had failed to think of the consequences of his actions.

"I… have had children before, yes. I… I do not know what I intend to do with my father, actually. I did not think of it." For a half second, Romanoff's eyes narrowed on his,. Before Loki could muse on the meaning of it, however, she looked away, and the woman's partner, who had been silent before now, spoke up.

"Why'd you bring her here then?" asked Clint, and Loki released a sigh. Here it was then. The moment of truth.

"Less than an hour ago, Hariel was attacked by creatures called dementors. I had planned to reveal myself to her in a more peaceful, manner, but fate forced my hand and I intervened. Afterward, I brought her here for safety and to present her to you all as per my original plan, albeit sooner than expected." The room fell silent once again as his words settled over them. It was a sign of his trust, exposing his daughter to the avengers. Each and every one of them were still perfectly aware of the crimes he had committed, and only recently had the mistrust started to fade from their every action and word. Thor, especially, seemed touched by the choice, as he knew of Loki's past experiences with children. That he would risk a similar fate for Hariel… It was a powerful step, and one he hoped he wouldn't regret.

"Well then." Loki turned to Rogers as the silence was finally broken, a curious eyebrow arched. "I guess that settles that." For a second, Loki was shocked at the sudden declaration, but quickly regained his balance, offering a short nod. Before he could say anything else however, the man continued. "I do have one question though? Did you ask permission her guardians before taking Hariel here, or did you just kidnap her?"

XXX

Tap. Tap. Tap.

"Go away!" Hariel's muffled voice answered, a hand working its way free from the tangled mess of her bedsheets to flap at the sound.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

"I said go away!" Rage burning, the half-asleep girl shot from where she lay on the far too comfortable bed, green eyes glaring at the sound which had disturbed her rest. A pillow was already halfway to being launched, one slim arm cocked to throw, when she paused, suddenly struck by the oddness of her surroundings. She was in a strange room, wearing pajamas she didn't recognize, and the strange tapping sound, which she had first assumed to be Aunt Petunia coming to wake her, was not coming from the door, but rather a small window. Or at least, she assumed it was a window. It was rather hard to tell through all the feathers pressed against the clear glass.

"Hold on, I'm coming." Harry sighed, carefully extricating herself from the bed sheets. As she rose and ran a hand through her tangled hair in a futile attempt to straighten it out, Hariel winced as memories of the night before came flooding into her mind. Dudley, dementors, The Avengers, her father… She would have to deal with that at some point. For now, however, the raven-haired girl pushed all those thoughts to the side. Right now Hariel had to save an owl from killing itself.

One owl turned out to be five, Hariel found as she flipped a latch and pushed the window open, wincing as the great ball of feathers flopped into the room. She winced at the soft whump of impact, but before Harry could do anything to help, the tangled birds sorted themselves out, albeit with a lot of biting and scratching. For a moment, Harry surveyed the ruffled flock warily, wondering what her chances at just ignoring them all and going back to sleep were. WIth a sigh, however, she pushed the thought away and gestured for the first, a majestic, silver thing that stood proudly despite its unkempt state. Hariel didn't recognize it, per se, but the way its feathers glowed in the cold morning light caught her eye, sparking a mild curiosity in her. The bird gave her a reproachful glare, likely at having been left to wait with the plebeian owls, but luckily it hopped up to her offered arm, holding up its leg. Hariel graciously untied the letter tied to it, giving it a small, appreciative scratch as she did so, before settling down to unroll the thick scroll.

Harry! Answer as soon as you get this. Everyone's going mad trying to find you, and I've been pelted with letters all day! People are starting to say I should be in cabin Six!(They have a thing for owls, it's a long story) Seriously, let me know you're all right. I'm worried.

Hermione.

P.S.

Why on earth would you run away from home?

Hariel smiled slightly as she read her best friend's usually tidy script, scrawled and wild in her hurry. It didn't surprise her much that everyone would go insane looking for her, and as she glanced at the other owls still waiting patiently with their letters, Harry could easily guess what their contents might be. Of course, Hermione was currently at a summer camp in the states, so Hariel had no idea why anyone would think to ask her about Hariel, but then again, the bushy-haired witch was always complaining about the Wizarding World's lack of common sense.

Casting about the room, Hariel took a piece of parchment and pen from the small writing desk she found in the corner, penning a short response.

Don't worry, Hermione, I'm fine. I guess you heard about the dementors? I fought them off and got to a safe place. I won't tell you where, it's not really my place and since everyone else has been keeping me out of the loop all summer, I think it's only fair to do the same. Sorry for causing you trouble.

Sincerely, Hariel.

P.S.

Where did you say your camp was at? I forgot.

That settled, HAriel quickly tied the letter back to its owl, before setting the large bird back out the window. The girl smiled as it flew off, but the expression quickly slipped off her face when she turned back to the other birds. Already, Harry could guess what they contained, and she wasn't exactly looking forward to digging through it all.

True to form, the first three owls consisted of little more than panicked warnings and reassurances that all would be well as long as Hariel stayed put at the Dursley's. The girl assumed most of these were sent only moments after there had been word about the attack, as their tone suggested a certain amount of panic, and anything later would probably be asking for her whereabouts once everyone in Britain realized she was no longer there. The last, however, delivered by a proud-looking eagle owl, set her blood boiling as she read the stiff, formal words.

"Those fucking bastards!" With an enraged shout, Harry threw the parchment away and made to punch at the wall, only for her hand to suddenly be caught an inch away. Surprised, she blinked at the sudden worried visage of Loki, who was frowning as he held the appendage in a tight grip. He was silent as Hariel gaped at him, his sharp emerald eyes roving over the room, littered with shed feathers and discarded parchment, before landing on the letter she had just thrown away.

"Bad news, I take it?" He asked with a surprising amount of amusement. Harry, frowning, tore her arm out of his grip, crossing it with the other.

"I'm being expelled from Hogwarts." She muttered, glaring balefully at a blank space on the wall. It was odd, she thought, how easily they slipped into the play. Already, she was acting the moody teenager, fearful of disappointment from her father.

"Hogwarts?" Loki asked, and her eyes shifted to focus on him. "You are a student there?"

"Of course I'm a student." Hariel answered, finally rolling her eyes as a small amount of tension slipped from her at the absurd question. "Or at least, I was. Where else would a witch go to school in Britain?" Her father cocked an eyebrow at the sarcasm thick in her voice, but smiled slightly.

"I did not mean it like that, Hariel. I was only surprised the old castle hadn't crumbled already. It's been centuries since I last set foot there."

"You've been to Hogwarts?" Harry gasped, eyes wide. She hadn't known that. Loki smirked mysteriously at the reaction, causing Hariel's eyes to narrow.

"It is rather difficult not to visit a place you helped build." He said, his own sarcasm somehow even more prominent than Harry's had been a moment later. The teenage girl couldn't only stare at him in awe as she processed the words.

"You… you helped build Hogwarts?" She breathed, thoughts and images of the grand, majestic castle flitting through her mind. The sheer amount of power required to do such a thing must have been immense, and to think her father had helped? Suddenly she felt very smalling sitting on the bed before him.

"Designed the wards myself." Loki answered, with just a hint of smugness. "But that is not important at the moment. You say you were expelled?" Hariel nodded at the dangerous edge his words suddenly carried, the flicker of anger in his eyes like a bolt of lightning.

"We're not supposed to cast spells outside of school." She answered, passing over the parchment with the form al declaration from the Ministry of Magic. "The other letters say Dumbledore-my headmaster- and others are working on getting me a trial, but I doubt it will work. The Ministry sort of hate me right now, and would love to see me expelled. In fact, they're probably the ones who sent the dementors." The instant she said it, Hariel regretted her words. Loki's eyes darkened with rage, and Harry's own widened as a sudden weight settled around them, magic thick in the air.

"If you will excuse me, Hariel, it appears I have a few things to attend to." He said suddenly, and Harry sent a spike of fear pierce her.

"Wait, what? Dad, don't!" Loki, who had turned to sweep out of the room, paused, his stormy eyes turning back to Harry.

"I will not allow my daughter to be punished for defending herself." The god-and yes, Harry realized with a snap as she felt the piercing cold of that stare, he was a literal god, and angry- stated, freezing Harry in her tracks where she had been clambering off the bed in a rush to stop him. The girl, paralyzed as a wave of surprise and desperation crashed into her, felt her throat go dry as she searched for something to say.

"But-but you can't just barge into the Ministry!" She finally blurted out, but Loki's stare only sharpened even further, until she felt like she was walking on the edge of a razor blade, with bottomless pits on either side, despite knowing that his anger wasn't directed at her.

"And why not?" He asked, his voice a deadly whisper of icy rage, and Harry shivered.

"Because… because it wouldn't work. Why would the Ministry listen to you?" Hariel knew she was grasping for straws at this point, and it showed as Loki's eyes flashed, his lips hardening into tight lines.

"I am a god." Harry nodded slightly, not arguing that fact, but she kept her eyes trained on her father, desperation shining within them.

"One already hated and feared by most of the world, and famous for lies and trickery. Then you have to remember that it's been so long since you walked the earth openly, and even more since you interacted with the Wizarding World…." She trailed off as finally some small amount of Loki's anger faded. The man was still pissed, very much so, but at least Hariel was no longer struggling to breathe under the oppressive weight of his magic roiling around them. He almost seemed to be considering her words.

"What do you propose then?" Hariel rocked back, surprised by the sudden question. He wanted her opinion?

"Uh, well... the first step would be a trial, right? Dumbledore's trying to get me one, so if you could help there, that would be good. As long as I have a chance to talk, we can easily prove that I'm not guilty." For several long moments, Loki studied her, and she could see his anger warring with his better judgement. Harry knew it would be better to play this smart, rather than just cowing the Wizarding World into letting her go. She had enough problems at the moment, and a pissed off deity for a dad would do no one any good.

"Fine." He snapped finally, and Hariel breathed a sigh of relief. Before she could say anything else, however, Loki's eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Why are you so desperate to settle this peacefully?" He asked. "It would be far easier if you allowed me to handle this my way."

"I…" Harry paused, caught off guard. She didn't want to offend him. "Selfish reasons, mostly. No one knows where I am, or that I'm related to you." She said carefully, shifting as Loki quirked an eyebrow. "I'd rather it stayed that way."

"Any particular reasons?" Harry flinched, but his voice was mostly even, the anger fading away to leave what almost sounded like amusement.

"Well… everyone's been keeping me out of the loop all summer. And then there's the Ministry, who think I'm crazy. I want to see the looks on their faces when they realize I'm not only the daughter of a god, but also when they realize I'm capable of keeping secrets too." For a second, Harry wondered if she had said something wrong as Loki studied her quietly, his dark eyes gleaming with some unnamed , just as she had started to fidget under the discerning gaze, he smiled, a sharp, vicious expression with just an edge of pride.

"That's my girl."

XXX

"What are you doing?" Tony glanced up from the mess of steel and wire in front of him, before lowering his head back to his work. A second later, however, his gaze flew back up again, brown eyes narrowing.

"Working." He answered shortly to the young girl, who flinched slightly. Loki's daughter-and wasn't that a terrifying thought to have-appeared to have somehow wandered her way down to his workshop, a looking vaguely lost as she stood amidst the clutter, scraps and half-finished projects scattered around the room. "Hand me a soldering iron." He ordered, before turning away. Tony didn't know why he wasn't just kicking her out; maybe it was the slight glimmer of interest in her eyes as she took in the workshop, or the genuine curiosity he had heard in her question. Whatever the case, he turned, looking back to the4 project before him. A second later, the genius accepted the offered tool that appeared in the edges of his vision, before pausing and frowning.

"Er, did I get the wrong one?" Tony glanced sharply to the side, where the girl-Hariel, a stray voice whispered in the back of his head-was now looking nervous and apologetic.

"No, actually." He said, as a strange urge to comfort her washed over him. Somehow, she looked adorable looking at him with green eyes shining in worry and her bottom lip caught between her teeth. "It's just surprising you know what I meant." She couldn't have been more than fifteen, after all, and a girl. While Tony didn't discriminate, it was still odd to see one of the other gender who actually knew their stuff.

"I read a lot at… the Dursley's." Hariel shrugged, visibly relaxing a bit as she realised she hadn't messed up. Now that he thought about it, she had been unusually tense just the second before, as if preparing for some sort of blow. "There wasn't much else to do, and I found a couple of mechanics textbooks a few years ago." Tony's eyes widened slightly at the hint of pain in her voice, and that shadow that crossed her features as the girl mentioned her home.

"They weren't pleasant, were they?" He asked quietly, setting the iron aside and leaning back against the workbench as he turned to face Hariel fully. She glanced up at him, shock crossing her face.

"How'd you know that?" She asked, taking a step back as once again she tensed up with what almost appeared to be fear. For a moment she looked like a rabbit, ready to run at the slightest hint of danger. Tony's lips quirked, the ghost of a smile crossing his lips.

"How do you think i built a computer at six?" His voice was layered with dry humor, but still Hariel's eyes narrowed on his face, before widening in realisation.

"Oh." Was all she said, but Tony knew she understood. The man felt a wave of relief crash over him. That was a rare thing to find, he knew. Before he could say anything else, however, there was a sudden pressure about his hips, and Tony looked down to see the girl had somehow crossed the space between them, wrapping him in a tight hug.

"Uh, what are you doing?" He asked, struggling to pry her off him. The child was like a damn Velcro, refusing to budge.

"You looked like you needed a hug." She said finally, before stepping back with a laugh at his disbelieving expression. "Careful, you might catch a fly looking like that."

Tony opened his mouth to say something-well, opened it further anyway- before snapping it shut and giving the girl a measuring look. Dressed in the same ragged jeans and blouse she had been the previous day, Loki's daughter looked almost like a normal teenager, aside from her striking beauty. Tony, however, was more observant than most, and he could see the faint sheen of kindness and understanding in the girl's eyes, and he smiled in thanks. When he asked about her family, the man had only meant to comfort her, but somehow this fifteen-year-old girl had helped him instead.

"You're a good kid." he said finally, reaching out to ruffle the dark mane of hair on Hariel's head. She let out a squawk of surprise, earning a quiet chuckle from him, before ducking to the side and giving Tony a baleful glare. He ignored it, reaching over to once again pick up the soldering iron. "Now come here, and I'll show you some real mechanics."

XXX

Director Nicholas Fury was not having a good day. First, Loki had been practically AWOL for almost three weeks, something that immediately set the man on edge. Then, he had been woken up at two in the morning by his brother, a man who Fury hadn't spoken to in well over a decade and for good reason, begging his help in finding the missing Girl-Who-Lived. That, too, set all sorts of alarms off in his head, albeit for very different reasons. And now, as what appeared to be the beginnings of a migraine pounded away in his head, the Director was responding to a level four alert from Tony Stark of all people. Usually that sort of designation was reserved for something just under the trickster god once again going rogue.

The elevator dinged loudly, and Fury stepped out briskly, his lone eye taking stock of his surroundings in an instant. Banner was seated at the kitchen table, sipping calmly from a mug of steaming coffee. Barton and Romanov, twitching slightly as they registered Fury's presence, were seated in two of the various armchairs scattered about the living area, the former playing some sort of game and the latter reading a book written in her native two demigods, Thor and Loki, weren't present, and oddity as there was usually at least one present in the Tower at all times, excluding missions. What truly caught Fury's eye, however, was the sight of Stark sitting perfectly calmly on a couch in front of a television playing a scene from the Lord of the Rings-though which in the trilogy he couldn't place- beside a teenage girl Fury didn't recognize. From behind, all the Director could make of her was an unruly mess of long raven hair, but almost the instant he entered the room she was turning to look at him, and as bright green eyes the color of summer leaves met his, and he noticed the pale, but unfaded scar above them, cut in the jagged shape of a lightning bolt, Fury cursed.

I don't know if I should be relieved or worried. His eyes slid off the girl, who could only be the missing Hariel Potter, to glare at Stark, who had turned to him with a wide grin. Definitely worried.

"Nicky! So glad you could make it. I was just about to make popcorn." Fury's glare intensified, before he sighed and closing his eye, pinching the bridge of his nose with one hand.

"Stark, would you care to tell me why the missing Girl-Who-Lived is sitting on your couch watching Lord of the Rings?" Stark's smile wavered slightly, glancing at Hariel with what almost looked like curiosity, before turned back to Fury.

"I'm culturing the kid. Can you believe she's never even heard of the trilogy?" The director glared, but before he could speak the irritating man turned fully to the girl behind him, who was now watching their conversation with wide, disbelieving eyes. "Girl-Who-Lived? Really?" Fury could hear the disdain in his voice, thick enough to cut and utterly disappointed, but Hariel waved the question away distractedly.

"A stupid nickname I got for surviving an unblockable killing curse and blowing up the Dark Lord who cast it." She said by way of explanation, but kept her eyes locked firmly on Fury. "You're a wizard?" The director winced as he heard a note of fear in her was not how he had expected his first meeting with the daughter of Lily Potter to go, and the slight tilting of her body as she leaned away on the couch sent a vicious blade of guilt into his heart. The man was a master at controlling his emotions, however, with long years of experience as both an agent and Director of Shield. He shook his head, allowing only a faint annoyance to cross his face.

"Squib, actually." Fury corrected, before turning back to Stark. "Why is she here? And don't give me any of that bullshit about movies. Do you even know who she is?" He jabbed a finger at the young girl as he glared at Stark. There were only so many reasons the Director could think of for Hariel to be housed at Avenger's Tower, and the man found his lip curling at some of the more unpleasant ones. Obviously none of the residents were Death Eaters, and even if they were somehow aligned with Voldemort, he doubted the girl would be happily sitting on a couch watching movies and eating popcorn. That left several far less dangerous, but still just as headache- and rage-inducing, options.

Before Fury could come up with a decisive possibility, he was interrupted by Stark raising one eybrow incredulously. "Do you know who she is?" Fury frowned at the unexpected question.

"Of course I know who she is." He said, shaking his head in exasperation before pointing a finger at the girl in question. "That is Hariel Lily Potter, daughter of James and Lily Potter, and the so-called 'saviour' of the Wizarding World. While I don't buy into that bull, mainly because she was barely a child at the time Voldemort disappeared, she is the only known survivor of the Killing Curse. She also happens to have been declared missing sometime early this morning after a team of aurors were sent to retrieve her from her house to be taken to a safe place and found her gone." Everything fell silent for a moment as everyone in the room, even the three bystanders, stared at him with something akin to shock. Fury had left out any mention of the Order of Pheonix, of course, as Dumbledore didn't exactly know of his awareness that the old resistance group had been reformed, and Fury would like to keep it that way for as long as possible. If the old goat wanted to think he was being sneaky and careful, Fury would gladly let him do so. Before he could continue any further, however, the Director was shocked when Stark, his blank mask of surprise shattering, started laughing.

"Is that all true?" The dark-haired man asked after he finally recovered from his short fit of hysterics, chocolate eyes meeting Hariel's questioningly?

"As far as anyone knows, yeah." The girl shrugged, and for a second, Fury thought he caught some inner meaning pass between the two. He pushed the notion aside, however, when Stark turned back to him.

"You're going to have to talk to Reindeer Games then. He brought her here. I'm just the baby-sitter." Fury felt a flicker of annoyance at the statement, but it was drowned a second later as Hariel, apparently not having enjoyed being likened to a six-year old, threw a pillow to hit Stark's head from behind with uncanny accuracy.

"I'm not a baby, and I don't need a babysitter!" She cried, offering a smoldering glare. Fury then found himself chuckling as her lips suddenly curved upwards, and her head tilted to look at the inventor with an odd gleam in her eyes. "If anything, I'm baby-sitting you." Even Romanoff, normally never one to show such blatant emotion, winced slightly at the stinging comment, looking up from her reading to give Stark a pitying glance. The man himself just pouted, turning a sour glare at Hariel.

"You know, I could just crumple up those plans we made and throw them in the trash." He warned threateningly. Hariel's eyes widened, and she suddenly rushed to apologize.

"No, no, Tony! I totally didn't mean that. It was a joke! Big, not-funny joke that I am very sorry for." Fury frowned at the display as The-Girl-Who-Lived scrambled over the back of the couch so she could bow and kowtow at Stark's feet, murmuring desperate pleas for leniency. It wasn't so much her actions which sent a shard of displeasure slipping through him, but rather the familiarity and sense of amusement she employed tem with. The Director found the frown deepening, as well, when a sudden surge of overprotective jealousy tore into him as Stark laughed, reaching over to rub the girl's head. That could've been him, in another life. Fury could only hope that when she found out-and he had a strange feeling such an event would not be on his terms-the daughter of Lily could forgive him for failing in that regard.

"Enough." He finally said, cutting through the two's antics. The dark-skinned man growled as both-both-rolled their eyes at him, but at least they had the sense to return their attention to him. "Where is Loki?" Fury demanded. Stark, surprisingly, shrugged, apparently unsure of the answer. So he wasn't in the Tower then. Potter, however, winced, looking away slightly.

"Uh, he and un- Thor, I mean, are sort of… at the Ministry of Magic."Fury's focused sharpened onto the girl, his eyes narrowing like a hawk's.

"And why is that?" He asked, just barely managed to force his voice into calmness. The two gods terrorising wizarding Bureaucracy? Especially British wizarding bureaucracy? That could never end well.

"Er, they sort of heard how I was expelled, and went to get me a trial." This time, Fury couldn't help himself as he sighed and rubbed a hand over his it just his imagination, or was that headache starting to come back?

"Fine." He snapped finally, turning on his heel to leave. Damn Loki. Dman him and Stark for calling him here. Fury could just imagine how much paperwork this was going to give him already.

"Uh, Director, sir?" Fury paused to look back at the girl who had called out to him, chewing on her lip nervously. "Do you think you could… not mention I'm here? I would sort of like it to be a secret." For a second, the master spy studied the girl. Long raven hair cascading down her back in a lazy mess, green eyes shining with a light of happiness that did little to detract from the shadows of pain buried deep within but still made her seem strangely alive, and a nervous smile as she asked one of the most powerful men in the world a favor… His breath hitched, so slightly he doubted even Romanov and Barton noticed, and he gave the girl a short nod. It was the least he could do, for Lily. And with that, NIcholas Fury walked out of the Avenger's Tower just as swiftly as he had entered.

XXX

Alright, that is that finally done. I know, a bit shorter than my last one, but this was taking forever, I didn't particularly want to have to start a whole new scene, and I am currently operating on about two hours of uneasy sleep for what is probably nearing thirty awake, so my decision making skills might be a bit shot. In that same vein, I would like to apologize if the last scene is a bit wonky for that very reason.

Now, A couple things before I let you go. First of all, I know a lot of you are probably confused about the whole Harry/Tony scene. Basically, Harry wanders into the workshop while exploring the Tower as Loki and Thor go off to be all 'badass uncle and dad duo', and the two bond over shitty childhoods. No, they are not immediately best friends, but both Tony and Harry have a way of getting along well with people when they want to. It won't be too difficult for them to settle into a comfortable relationship.

Now, because I know a bunch of you are going to take that completely wrong, I'm going to stop you right there. Harry and Tony will NOT be a pairing. First of all, Tony is with Pepper, and it will stay that way. Secondly, he's like at least fifteen years older than her. While I don't particularly oppose long age gaps in relationships-love is love, whoever they are-I am not interested in writing it myself. Their relationship will likely be something more along the lines of big brother/little sister. And while I'm on this topic, I might as well answer a fairly common question among the reviews and say that none of the avengers will be paired with Hariel, although she will have a romance or two(if I can ever decide on who with, at least). I mean, most of them are way older than her, and to that one reviewer who mentioned Thor… dude, he's her uncle. Just no.

Now, I will answer a few of the other common questions. Firstly, while the Avenger's may look at her with a bit of suspicion at first-I mean, who wouldn't?- she will very quickly earn their trust, and eventually yes, will become a part of the whole family dynamic. Not necessarily the team itself, because she will have other things going on, but close enough that it makes no difference. And yes, they will be VERY overprotective of her. As in, break worlds if she gets so much as a scratch. (Okay, maybe not quite that bad, but pretty damn close. Especially Thor, Loki, and one other who I will let you guess at) As for her family… that will be interesting, to say the least. And yes, this is before The Dark Planet, which will probably never happen and if it does it will be so twisted as to be unrecognizable, so Frigga and Odin are both alive and perfectly fine. Her siblings, however… ;)

So I think I will let you all go now,but before I do, Kudos to those who noticed the first sign of one of the major universes I will be including in this fic. You all get a hero cookie! (That might be a reference too, if you're clever enough) Anyways, see ya, and don't forget to Review!