Hey everyone,
A quick summary of what I still have planned for the Order and SHIELD to go through before they reach Hogwarts. One, Harry's surgery. Two, a bit more in-depth explanation into Dumbledore's charges for the Weasleys and Order. A shocking secret that SHIELD discovered about something of Harry's past. And finally, the Order and Weasleys getting to see just why Fury considers Harry his replacement and how close Harry is to SHIELD.
Plenty of stuff,

Venquine1990

Chapter 05
A Painful Ultimatum

13th of August 1995
Helicarrier, above London
Harry's POV

"So Potter, you don't seem to be scared about any of this." Moody snarks at me and I sigh as I say: "Don't get me wrong, Moody. The minute those words left that – sorry, not sorry – bastard's mouth, my heart stopped. But instantly after that, my mind went into overdrive and I only had to look behind him to remember where I was. That was what calmed down the terrifying fear that he tried to instill on me with this little intel of his."
The man nods, the look on his face one of respect and I turn to the rest of the group as I say: "To be honest, if he hadn't interrupted us, I would have been able to explain all of this to you in a much calmer fashion after introducing the rest of the Avengers and a few SHIELD agents that I have grown close to over the years to you guys. But now that damned man wasted the last of the 15 minutes of our deal." I growl in the end as I feel heavily annoyed.
But Lupin steps forward and says: "That may be so, Harry, but you and SHIELD together proved your words to be true. So please, tell us what you wanted to tell us. Help us understand why you trust these people with your life like this. What happened to create these bonds between you, other than James and Lily wanting this for you all those years ago?" I nod at the man, knowing that he needs this as he has been relying on Dumbledore for years.

This makes me grimace as I can only imagine how he will feel when he finds out where his income has been coming from, but I ignore this for the time being and just say: "Follow me to the medical bay. It's best if we start the procedure as soon as possible, especially with Dumbledore being held there for the time being." But just when I want to head for the same doors, a voice behind me speaks up and says: "Sir, we got the ICW trying to call in."
This shocks a few of the wizards around me and I sigh, put my arms behind me and head for the same spot I was standing earlier when I watched over the cameras showing Dumbledore coming in. "Let them through." I say and the large screens on the left wall of the bridge change to show several people, all of different descent and countries. The middle of them, who has a clear Spanish accent, speaks and says: "Agent Potter, I take it Director Fury is unavailable?"

"Affirmative, sir. He is currently escorting criminal #1981 to the medical bay. I was heading there myself as he just revealed information that is detrimental to my health and that he believed could only be cured through sacrifice. I was planning to prove him wrong when you called in.""I see. Director Fury informed us that you would be calling in SHIELD, but we didn't expect you to work this fast. When can the trial be held?"
"In a couple of hours in Scotland, sir. Please inform the MACUSA and let them know that another charge has been pressed against the criminal, one that has made him a personal enemy of Agents Romanoff and Barton as well as Director Fury – and of course, myself.""Understood, Agent Potter. Well done and we wish you a healthy recovery of whatever #1981 has done to you this time." I roll my eyes at this and say:
"If you can, Lord Selkins, I would appreciate it if you were to not inform Minister Fudge or his – ahem – staff until 15 minutes before the trial. I know SHIELD and I am sure that they will want to get some revenge first, not to mention that I know Fudge and I know he will make a spectacle out of it if he can get away with it. I'd rather avoid that as much as possible, considering the situation itself is a spectacle in and of itself, it doesn't need any spectacle added to it."
"Agreed, we will see to it." And with that the screens turn back to what they were before. I breathe in and out in exasperation and turn around again as I say: "Alright, next stop, medical bay." And while a few of my friends look astounded and amazed, most of the adults are actually wearing looks of pride on their faces that I had not expected. It still makes me smile as I am glad that I seem to have regained their confidence and trust in my skills again, something I felt had been sorely lacking these past few weeks, basically since the start of summer.

Yet at the same time I feel a twinge of guilt gnawing at me as I am keeping things from them that I know about Dumbledore, things that I am sure will be revealed during the trial. And just before I reach the doors, I state: "Meriden, set course for Scotland, you know the coordinates.""Affirmative, sir. Starting the engines now." And as I hear several of them starting to work their computers, activating the systems that will allow the Helicarrier to fly off, I leave the room.
Yet as the doors close behind me and my friends, I say: "Let's vanish." And while this confuses my friends, I hear another set of hands starting to work on a set of computers. I smile at this as these are the words Fury always uses when he wants the Helicarrier to activate its reflective surfaces, allowing them to disappear into thin air, just like when I use my invisibility cloak. I continue my trek and explain this to my friends.
"But – wait, nothing's happening." Ron says and I explain: "It's only on the outside, Ron. Some people might not mind not being able to see where they're going, but most would. Plus, not everyone who is inside always knows their way around the ship, so we keep the inside visible to ensure no one accidentally walks into a wall – or three." And without looking behind me, I just know that Sirius is smirking at Tonks and that the woman is sticking her tongue out at him.

"Harry?" Lupin asks and I sigh as I say: "Right, allow me to explain this. As you already know, mum and dad asked SHIELD to start training me at the age of eleven. They would have done it sooner, but they wanted to grant me a normal life for as long as they could manage. SHIELD did want to take me in after they were murdered, but – to be honest, they never told me why they didn't. Personally, I think it's either Dumbledore's interference or on orders of the Ancient One."
The group nods and I continue as I take them in a lift large enough to fit all of us, bar the Avengers and head down two floors. "Uncle Fury himself contacted me the day after my birthday; the day after Hagrid took me to Diagon Alley for my supplies. He told me everything they knew and that they weren't allowed to actively take action in the Magical World until I told them and that the Ancient One had predicted this to happen between now and two years ago.

After this I started my training under several agents as well as Director Fury. Over the course of that month, I grew to really like Uncle Fury as well as Aunty Nat and Uncle Clint, though it wasn't until the following summer that I started calling them that. As most of you probably know, I had my first confrontation with Voldemort that year and it scarred me quite emotionally. Bad enough that I had nightmares almost every night, the second one of summer included.
The three of them arrived at Privet Drive that same night and helped me talk through the whole experience, something that no one offered to me while I was at Hogwarts; not Dumbledore, McGonagall or even Madam Pomfrey; the school Nurse, for crying out loud. And in the end, after I had talked my heart out and managed to realize that Quirrell's death was not my fault, that he had sealed his own fate long before our fight, Uncle Fury actually apologized."

"Wait, for what?" Mrs. Weasley asks astounded and while the lift had opened and I want to walk through, I turn to send her a furious glare as I snarl: "For not coming to help me past this trauma sooner. He was there, only two days after summer started and he thought it too late. Since then he has been waiting at Privet Drive for me to return every summer. And the only reason he doesn't pick me up from King Cross himself is because of Dumbledore."
The others have exited the lift as well and the Avengers have moved back to join us as I turn around and glare at Lupin, Moody and Mrs. Weasley and snap: "Let that sink in. A man who has only known my parents for less than a week, who only knows what he knows about them thanks to their files and who only knew me for a single month, felt bad that he had been two days late with coming to my aid for the trauma I had received at the safest place on earth.

In the meantime the most I got from people who claimed to care for me was We'll see you when Dumbledore says it's okay, regardless of the fact that the man should have had no say over my upraising as my parents never appointed him in any such role. And when it comes to the people who actually knew my parents? All I had to content with was a BLOODY PHOTOBOOK!"
I yell this as this has been a personal slight for me for several years now and the way I see Lupin flinching does nothing for my temper, which decided to reignite itself at this. Sirius glaring at the man and Moody does help a little, but I still continue snarling: "I'm willing to accept that none of you probably even knew that I had been lying in the Hospital Wing for three days straight, out cold and on the verge of having a Core Collapse as that's what happened when I forced Voldemort out of Quirrell, but none of you did anything all year."

"Not now, mum. He means Lupin and Moody." I hear Bill whisper at his mother and the fact that Mrs. Weasley felt personally slighted makes me feel only a little bad, but not enough to lessen my raging temper. "For SHIELD's sake, Sirius over here actually had a, for him, acceptable excuse. I doubt they let prisoners write letters, especially to their victims. But what about either of you two? What exactly kept you from walking through those damned gates?
Or were you perhaps pulling the same bull-crap as you were doing this past summer? Watching me from the sidelines and learning about me and my person behind my bloody back? And don't you even start on me, Lupin. Even if you had a full moon at the start of September and the start of October, you could have easily visited me at some point halfway through the month. And even without that, there is one other thing I can hold against each and every one of you.
Or better said, everyone who ever knew my parents and is still alive. Aka McGonagall, Flitwick, Snape – don't ask – Hagrid, you Lupin, you Moody, and probably several others that have decided that their friendship with my family died with my parents. Want to know what it is? Because trust me, I looked it up, in some countries, this is actually a crime." I stare both men down for several minutes, but when neither speaks up I scream for all of the Helicarrier to hear:

"I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE LILY AND JAMES POTTER WERE EVER BURRIED! OR EVEN IF THEY WERE IN THE FIRST PLACE! NONE OF YOU, NONE OF THE PEOPLE WHO EVER KNEW THOSE TWO EVER HAD THE DAMNED DECENCY TO TELL ME! THEIR SON!" And while it's obvious that Tonks and Sirius are shocked out of their wits, I glare at Lupin and rage snarl at him:
"I can understand why you didn't take me on the night they were murdered when you were a teacher, the full moon had been the night before and you were still recuperating. Plus, you did make the effort of taking me into your office and talking to me that day, so I will leave you off the hook for that one. But bar the 20 days that you were ill that year, you still had no excuse for the dozens of other days that you could have done so that year, especially the several dozen weekends.
And don't go and try to use the fact that I didn't ask against me, you mutt, you're the adult around here. That was your responsibility, not mine. And to be honest, I take the fact that you probably thought that I wouldn't want to go visit my parents' graves with one of their old friends very personal.""As you deserve to." Sirius snarls, glaring at his best friend, who at least has the decency to hang his head in shame.

"Harry." I hear Tonks whisper my name and turn to her in confused intrigue as she says: "I know what you told Bill earlier, but – I do want to apologize. Like Sirius, my parents knew yours very well; mum even helped your mum when she was pregnant of you. My parents share the same amount of blame as Remus and old Moody over here." Conflicted emotions rage inside me at hearing this, intrigue at learning another name, but also anger over knowing the identity of another deserter, as I have come to call these people in my mind.
I nod at the slightly older woman and turn to the group at large and say: "I won't hold the ten years I spent at the Dursleys against any of you. Like I said, I suspect Dumbledore to have done something back then as even SHIELD wasn't able to find me. But the last four years; I personally don't know if there are enough words in the international dictionary for me to describe how hurt and even betrayed I feel over you guys not taking even one chance to meet with me.
And I mean of your own volition and not because someone needs you to do something that either directly or indirectly involve me like this whole Harry Guard of yours. When I got that photo book from Hagrid and heard that he had contacted you guys, I thought it was the start of finally learning more about my parents, from people who knew them. Needless to say, that belief died out quite fast once the days started turning into weeks and then months."

I take a deep breath, my heart warring with my mind over this and while this has been a battle that has been going on inside me for over a week now, without a clear winner every time I dismiss the notion for a bit, I stare the two men down one last time before also felling the other adults, bar Sirius and the twins, down with a stare and snarl: "So I decided. It's a decision that I am not taking lightly and I didn't decide on this just now.
I am about to go into surgery, that surgery will probably take a few hours. When I wake up, you lot get the chance to tell me what you think of that decision; which, for the record is an ultimatum, one I am setting you, all of you, out of a sense of hard-fought and hard-trained self-defense. Either you decide that you want to get to know me by your own volition and for me or you leave me alone.
But if you chose the latter, I will no longer acknowledge you as friend of the Potters. The choice is yours. Chose wisely." I send Sirius a quick glance to silently tell him I am not including him into this as I know the man will have already made his choice before I finished talking and turn my back on the rest of them, wanting to make it clear that I don't want to hear an answer now and also – to hide the tears of pain I feel prickling over voicing this decision.

Poor Harry,
But to be honest, he does have this right. So many people, in canon, claimed to have known his parents, but if you take a look at all the times that any of them mentioned either Lily or James, you quickly realize that the amount of times is hardly enough to fit a book. The most we know of them is of an event in their fifth, their sixth and the day they were killed. Otherwise, only a few of their skills and a couple of character traits are mentioned.
And Harry doesn't get to visit his parents' graves until he has to for the sake of winning the war and even then he hardly gets time to stay and talk to them or anything. And when you take into account that, over the course of this very summer, Harry stays in the HQ of people who fought alongside these brave heroes, you get a scenario that I can only describe in 3 words;
Wrong, just wrong,

Venquine1990