Rated T: Mentions and brief descriptions of torture
(No, I don't claim to own Marvel or Harry Potter. Stop asking. ;)
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Chapter Nine: Victory's Price
Thor paused in his great battle beside the Captain of America when he saw the thundercloud gathering and felt the dark magic swirling in the air. The god of thunder looked up in bewilderment at first, imagining that Heimdall himself was joining the battle. But the Seidr felt too sharp and metallic to belong to the great Watcher of Asgard. What could have happened? What great and powerful sorcerer had awoken and joined the battle? Surely Loki wasn't attempting to channel Dark Magic to destroy the city! He suddenly wished he could get up to the tower right this moment, but Captain Rogers needed his help. There were far too many Chitauri for one man to fight, however mighty a warrior he was. With a thunderous roar, Thor unleashed his lightning upon the vile creatures, and Mjolnir sang in the battle.
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"JARVIS, what the hell's going on in my tower?" Tony barked at his AI as he did a perfect barrel roll to avoid several glowing purple beams of energy from the aliens' weapons. He hadn't got hit yet, but he didn't want to find out what would happen if those things crashed into his Iron suit.
"Unknown phenomena, Sir," the dutiful voice of his computer replied. "Detecting massive amounts of energy. Source: Unknown. My sensors within the tower pinpoint the energy as originating from the penthouse but I am not getting any more information. I believe most of the sensors and cameras there have been damaged."
"Damaged?" Tony growled. "What the hell? I thought I designed those things to be sturdier than that!"
"An unknown energy surge destroyed them," JARVIS replied in what sounded like a regretful tone. "Perhaps Mr. Snape was correct in his claim that his abilities did not mix well with electronics."
"Of all the damned … That's Mr. creepy-wizard in my tower? In the same building as a fake god on a murder-spree?! I thought he said he couldn't take down Loki alone?"
"My last security recordings indicate that Mr. Snape and Mr. Loki are fighting."
"And I'm missing it?! Can we fly closer and take a look?"
"What of the alien creatures you are supposed to be containing, Sir?"
"Aw, crap," Tony muttered, chasing down a group of the disgusting things when they decided to peel off from the main group. "Light 'em up, JARV, then get me back to the tower ASAP. If Snape's trying to fight that guy on his own, we've gotta help him out."
"Affirmative, Sir," the AI replied mildly. "You also happen to have an incoming call from Nicholas Fury."
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"Tasha, what's going on over there?" Clint demanded, gazing worriedly up at the dark cloud sparking and coiling around the top of Stark Tower like some bizarre backwards tornado. The lightning flashes made him think of Thor, but the guy was currently down somewhere on the floor helping Captain America.
"Unknown," she panted into her earpiece. "But I think I can shut it down!"
"The cloud?!"
"The Tesseract!"
Agent Hawkeye fired three more explosive arrows at aliens who zoomed past and shook his head in worry, glancing over at the tower again. "But what's Loki doing?!" he demanded into his earpiece. "I shot him with an explosive arrow, and I think he probably flew all the way over there!"
"I don't know what Loki's doing!" Natasha barked, wind roaring around her in the radio. "Snape decided to go fight him to buy us time. Cap? Should I shut it down or not?!"
"Negative!" Stark's voice butted in. "Just wait on that; the WSC just fired a nuke at the city … and I know just where to put it."
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Hulk smash.
Hulk good at smashing.
Hulk smashed and smashed until the nasty squeaking things were all smashed into little bits.
Oh, Hulk very good at smashing.
Hulk look for something more to smash.
Hulk look up.
Why does Hulk look up?
Nothing to smash up high. Nasty squeakers down low.
Hulk smash.
The blue one said 'smash', and the one-who-touched-Hulk's-face said Hulk good at smashing.
So why Hulk feel like going high to smash?
Hulk not have time to think. Hulk climbs.
Hulk climbs high into the black cloud where the flashes tickle and make him angry.
Hulk always angry.
That is good for smashing.
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The magic burned agonizingly through his body, almost too powerful for Snape to control. Why was his magic acting so strange? He had never experienced such a thing before in his life, but then, he had never attempted to fight without a wand for an extended amount of time like he had today. Thinking back on it, he realized that his wandless magic had come almost too easily. Didn't wizards train for years and years to do spells without a wand? And this was a dreadful time to experiment, he knew. Who knew what such wild, barely-focused magic was doing to his body, and it was painful.
Dark Magic did not operate without a price. But one could become more attuned to it and suffer less. Over years of study and practice, Severus Snape had grown used to the painful toll that Dark Magic exacted upon a human body, but to add the stress of fighting without a wand to focus his power, he was honestly in agony. But Severus Snape fought with dogged determination, and a strangely calm realization that he was probably going to die, in a ruined penthouse that belonged to the most arrogant and annoying man he'd ever met. His magic was done almost without shouting spells. It was just instinctive blasts of raw power, to be honest, but he was attempting to say and imagine what he wanted his magic to do. It was just so hard without a wand and with his magic going crazy like this. He felt like a kettle boiling over, and taking the lid off just filled the kitchen with steam. It was hard to focus and getting harder to maintain a hold on his consciousness. Was this why ancient wizards had taken up wands rather than simply attempting to master their own wild magic? Because if it was, he no longer wondered why ancient mages had taken up such tools to focus and control their power.
Loki fought back, of course, and he was a nightmare. Never before had Severus been in such a duel. His opponent was skilled and fast and dangerous, and the human wizard didn't have breath for more than his attempted spells, even while his throat was definitely hoarse from all his shouting already. Doing magic without a wand and without his voice would be nigh impossible, even though his wild magic was simply consuming him. It was almost like he was being torn apart from the inside by his own magic. How was that even possible? Was that why wizards used wands? To protect themselves from something like this? But he had to keep trying. His only consolation was that Loki seemed to be fighting hard. The Asgardian didn't even have time to mock him. His spells were silent, though he occasionally burst out in what sounded like Nordic swearing.
Severus could feel his head getting light and his hands were shaking. His spells were losing power and he kept getting hit. He was flung against the wall, thrown over a glass-covered bar, and hit with rubble. His bones were broken and he was bleeding to death. But he kept getting back up.
"Why do you rise?" Loki finally taunted him. He was slightly singed and bruised, from a few lucky hits but only barely. Asgardians were apparently much sturdier than humans. "Why do you keep getting up, over and over, when I will only knock you down again, and again, and again?!"
"Because … every time I rise … is another round you are stuck … fighting me," Severus rasped, and flung a hasty (and probably very weak) blood-boiling curse at his opponent.
Loki easily stepped aside and suddenly flicked his hands, his blue eyes flashing with amusement. To his shock, Severus found his ankle jerked up into the air. He yelped in surprise, and humiliation, for this curse had nothing but terrible memories for him. It was harmless, so why was Loki bothering to use this particular curse? Was it only to humiliate him?
"How do you like that?" Loki taunted him with a mocking laugh. "Or how about this?" He viciously dropped Severus on his back and the wizard felt his mouth fill with soap suds. He coughed and gagged, and sent a wandless, wordless Wingardium Leviosa at his tormentor.
Loki was distracted by the slight hovering charm, which probably threw him off balance. It gave Severus the time he needed to get back on his feet. He dodged a blast of blue tinged magic from Loki, a dagger flew past his face and then spun back around like Captain Rogers' impossible shield, driving a gash through his arm when he dodged aside. The wizard cast a simple netting jinx on the Asgardian to buy himself some time to spit out the soap, but it kept foaming up in his throat and bubbling out his nose and his eyes were burning at the vile taste. How did that blasted Asgardian even know about these curses?!
"I have seen into your mind, you foolish man," Loki hissed, his blue eyes flashing like lightning in the gloom of the penthouse. Since they were surrounded by the storm of magic, no light entered but the flashes and sparks of lightning and the brilliant glow of the tesseract above them. He tossed the shredded remnants of the conjured net away from him. "Your mind is an open book! Your magic mingles with mine! I know all your deepest fears and all your crimes!"
"A person's mind … is usually considered … private," Severus gasped, doubling over to cough up blood and wrap his arms around his shattered ribs. He couldn't fight anymore. The storm he had created was drifting apart and sunlight was peeking through again. But Severus could still feel his magic boiling inside, scorching him and spilling out of his pores. He had never experienced such strange and maddening thing before.
Loki was laughing at him. "You think to make amends for so many crimes by doing pedantic works of charity and battling a god? You are a fool!"
"I know … it … is … not … enough," Severus panted, his vision swimming as he struggled to breathe and to somehow strike another blow against his enemy. He gave up and cast a stupid jelly-legs jinx instead.
"Well, I'll tell you what is enough;" Loki laughed as he deflected it and watched the wizard fall on his side, his knees trembling. "You, humanity, and all like you. You are all so petty and childish! You plead for your miserable lives one minute and throw them aside the next! I will not rule Earth. I will destroy it! I will kill each and every man, woman, and child on this miserable planet, and I will make you watch –!"
"Langlock …" Severus gasped from the ground, gesturing with the last of his strength. He smiled wearily when he saw the Asgardian's tongue cleave to the roof of his mouth. Loki's blue eyes snapped with fury, and something else. Was that a streak of green in his eyes? The Asgardian marched forward and clenched his fists, trembling as his body glowed bright blue and seemed to swell with power. The magic crackled around the tower and the bright air hummed with energy. Severus flinched when the magic hit him, making him feel like he was burning alive. But it wasn't fire. It was ice. Ice was in his veins, burning his skin, searing his soul, and freezing him alive.
He screamed.
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Loki did not really know why he even cared about these idiotic mortals. Sometimes, he could almost squirm out from under the possessing force crushing his skull, but then that droning voice would ask if he wished to play again, and he would retreat with a whimper and do as he was ordered. It was of no consequence, he tried to assure himself. These people of Midgard lived such short and meaningless lives compared to Asgardians. It was no more sinful than stepping on ants.
He was weak, he knew. Letting some Titan's slave control his body with that stone … but he had no choice. Asgard abandoned him. Not even his brother came to look for him. He thought surely Thor would comb the void for his corpse, at the very least. The Thunder god was not the brightest of Asgardians, but he was not completely stupid either.
But night after night, month after month, Loki had languished in a cell that was like an oven. As a Frost-Giant, such heat was deadly to him. He grew ill, and weak. His magic was drained from him, since it relied on the element of water for its strength, and in the dry heat of his prison, all water turned to steam, until even the steam was gone. Torture such as he never knew became his existence as the children of Thanos each took their turns to break him, in order to impress their murderous father. With whip and blade, fist and boot, with hot irons and flames and nameless contraptions of torture, they all sought to make him beg for mercy; to force him to fall on his knees and call the Mad Titan 'Father' as they did. But he would not. Call it his pride, or his grief at discovering his real parentage and then killing his true father … but he refused to call anyone Father again.
When the torture failed to do more than nearly kill him, the one called Ebony Maw invaded his mind while torturing him with telekinetic magic. Even then, Loki resisted with all his strength. He would rather die than be subject to anyone else in the universe again. He would rather die than call a purple giant 'Father'. He would rather die than be controlled against his will. Or so he thought.
He was weak.
Thor might have lasted to the bitter end, poor stubborn fool that he was. But Loki … was not strong. He had known it all his life, which was why he sought to be clever, rather than strong. He weakened in the end, finally breaking and begging for mercy, begging for the torment to end. He would call the Mad Titan 'master', but never Father. Never, ever Father.
To control him, to make certain that he stayed broken, the Ebony Maw took his mind. The powerful stone in the scepter he used shone with clear blue light like the magic of a Frost Giant. It entranced Loki, ensnared his senses, even took control of his magic, and soon, he was trapped in his own mind. He could watch, if he dared, as his body and his mouth did and said things that made him roll his eyes. They were so dramatic, and so ridiculously evil; and he sounded like Ebony Maw. But he was too weak to escape. So he rode along, a prisoner in his own body, uncaring of what happened as he killed, and possessed, and forced his new captives to kill as he was forced.
In the end, they would all kneel.
He watched as he was forced to design a plan of attack against the Midgardian fools, and watched as they fruitlessly attempted to stop him. He watched as the army of Thanos poured down upon the city of mortals, slaying and destroying wantonly. He didn't care about them, he told himself. Once he had won Midgard for Thanos and gave him the Space Stone, he would be free. He didn't have much hope that he would live long after Earth's conquest, but he would be free of torment at least. But as he watched the mindless destruction, he could not help but feel … horrified. He had never really wanted to rule, exactly. It was a lot of work. He merely had wanted to prove himself just as worthy as his brother, the golden Prince. But then his 'Father's' lies had come to light, and he had betrayed and fought his brother … how could there be forgiveness for him? He was a kinslayer. He lured his true father to death, and then he felt nothing but vindication when Laufey was slain. There was no grief, only satisfaction that the monster who created and then abandoned him was gone for good. Loki knew he could have caused Thor's death with his terrible judgment in sending that Guardian after him … no, there was no forgiveness in store for him. Only death.
He was too afraid of further torture to fight Thanos and the Ebony Maw. He would give in, and die afterwards. In the embrace of everlasting death, he would be free of pain and regret and fear at last, though it was too much to think that he would be allowed into Valhalla. He would be banished to Niflheim, that hell of ice and death … but for a Frost-giant, that might not be so bad, really. Anything was better than the suffocating heat of Thanos' special prison, even an eternity of ice.
Loki dully submitted as he was forced to fight his brother upon the Stark's tower, and then was nearly shot through the eye by the now-free Hawk, and to his utter surprise, he suddenly found himself battling a mortal who wielded Seidr.
He had not realized that Midgard still had those blessed with access to the power of Yggdrasil. Loki thought at first, in a surge of childish hope, that this Seidr-mage could free him from the Mind Stone and stop this madness … but in the next moment, he realized that this mortal was likely too weak, and already tired from battle. He also fought with raw magic, using no weapon to focus his formidable dark power, which seemed to harness the power of storms just as Thor's did. But again, his hope rose as he thought back to the times he had seen this sorcerer … he seemed to be skilled in mind magicks, and had freed both Barton and Selvig from the Stone's influence without much effort. Emboldened by such hope, his true mind surged forward, fighting the Mind Stone and Ebony Maw as he realized his uncontrolled body was going to end up killing the human Seidr-mage.
He had to admit that it was impressive, how the mortal was able to hold his own against the Asgardian, who was possibly the greatest mage Frigga had ever trained. Loki knew he might even surpass her in some areas. Yet this human, barely a child by Asgardian standards, landed a few magical strikes (however feeble) upon Loki's body with his skill, and there was a storm raging around them, much like Thor's power, but darker. He caught glimpses as the power of the Mind Stone began to hungrily lick at the mage's mind and absorb his defenses, flooding the human's magic with its own and strangely acting as a sort of mirror for the mage's power. Loki's opponent was being eaten alive by his own magic, which was going wild in such close proximity to two Infinity Stones and Loki's own powerful magic. If he had been able to, he would have cut off the ridiculous taunts coming from his own mouth to just knock the human out before he was simply drained of his life by the magical forces tearing him apart. Perhaps if Loki were free he would have been fascinated by the strange effect the Stones had on Midgardian Seidr.
The Midgardian was so focused on the battle, so distracted by pain, so resigned to his death, that he did not even notice, let alone fight, as memories from his life flashed before Loki's mind. The Ebony Maw did not let the images of past humiliation, of guilt, of pain, of terror, slip past without using them. Just as he had when tormenting Loki with his own regrets and painful remembrances, Loki heard the Maw speaking from his lips, taunting the human mage and using his magic to torment and mock the human. It was obvious that this mage was at his last bit of strength. He was barely fighting, merely struggling to rise again after being thrown down, fighting to take another breath, fighting to get words out of his broken, bloody mouth …
And then the mage managed to stick Loki's tongue to the roof of his mouth. That was an unusual spell, to be sure. The Asgardian wasn't sure whether to be irritated or impressed. He was amused that Maw seemed so annoyed at being silenced, at any rate, and he mentally fought back when the telepathic monster tried to force him to undo the spell. So, the Ebony Maw decided to punish them both. Loki marched over to the sorcerer and gathered his Frost-magic. He shied back in horror, having still never come to terms with his true form, but the Maw seemed sadistically insistent on forcing him to watch as his own hands began to torture this foolishly brave Midgardian mage. The cold was welcome to Loki, but he hated the burn of ice under his skin as it reminded him of his worthlessness and filled him with self-loathing. He hated how he was forcing this powerful mage to scream as he screamed under the torturers of Thanos …
The man screamed in agony as frostbite began to spread across his skin. Memory flashed across Loki's vision. He was tortured with heat and flames, while this man was being tortured with cold and ice. Memories that were not his own flashed across his vision as well, of this man being magically tortured by a creature without hair or a nose, with red eyes like those of a reptile, and a high-pitched laugh that reminded him of Ebony Maw's. The human screamed and screamed, and Loki wanted to scream as well, and order the mage to shut up, to stop screaming and just die already!
There was a sudden roar from behind and Loki turned around, just in time to get hit by a gigantic green fist.
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Severus sobbed with relief when the freezing burn of Loki's magical torture faded abruptly, and he blinked through the haze in his eyes while he tried to breathe again. The wild magic burning his body had simply dissipated while he was under the icy torment, and the sunlight that now burned freely through the shattered windows was almost too bright for his blurry sight. Never had the sight or sound of the Hulk been so welcome. The green troll was currently peering down at him with something like concern on his brutish face and Loki was currently nowhere to be seen.
"Thank … you … for that …" Severus rasped shakily. He rose on his elbows and looked around for Loki. The Asgardian was rising from where the Hulk had thrown him across the ruined room, clenching his fists and heaving with fury. Roaring, Banner's alter ego slammed his fists into the floor and rushed at Loki to finish him off.
"ENOUGH!" Loki bellowed, stopping the Hulk in his steps. "You are all of you BENEATH ME!" he screamed, apoplectic with rage. His blue eyes burned and snapped with maniacal energy and Severus found himself transfixed in amazement. He had learned to fear the Dark Lord when he was in an angry mood … but he knew that Loki was far more dangerous. "I am a GOD, you dull creature!" the Asgardian ranted. "And I will not be bullied …!"
He suddenly yelped as the Hulk tired of his bellowing and snagged him by the legs. Severus watched in horror as the green troll slammed Loki around like a rag doll, cracking the floor and throwing chips of gray flooring material into the air. The wizard put his arm over his face to protect himself, and curled up for fear that the Hulk would accidentally slam Loki down on top of him. He wasn't sure he'd survive that. While he was … grateful, for the assistance, it was horrible to watch his foe be beaten against the floor in such a brutal fashion. Would the Hulk just keep banging Loki on the floor until he was a bloody hunk of dead meat?
But the Hulk paused for a second before decisively slamming Loki down and leaving him there, embedding him in the floor with the force of his blow. As he turned to go, the green troll sniffed dismissively. "Puny god," he muttered, before he trudged off for more 'smashing'.
Severus relaxed a bit and took a painful breath into his aching lungs. He was distracted from his relief by a pained whimper coming from Loki's direction. The wizard held his breath and blinked dizzily. Was the Asgardian still alive … and conscious, after being flung around like that?
Severus only hesitated for a second before he crawled forward until he was beside Loki. He wasn't sure he had the strength to finish the Asgardian off, or even knock him out … but it might be worth a shot.
The eyes that looked up at him looked concussed and dazed … and green. Blue was pulsing behind them though, like lights that flickered in an electrical storm. Severus held his breath as he wondered if, perhaps, Loki had not truly been acting of his own accord. They had always been blue, that he could recall, like Barton's and Selvig's were before they were freed. Were they not the only victims in this entire charade? Loki's eyes were clearly green, blinking up at him with strange calm after being beaten against the floor like a rag doll.
"What … color are your eyes … normally?" Severus demanded in a strained voice, grimacing against the agony in his lungs with his broken ribs crushing them.
"G-green …" the Asgardian whispered faintly, still looking too dazed to really know what was going on. He looked confused and in pain, and his eyes kept darting around as if looking for threats. Fear seemed to seep out of Loki's very skin.
Severus shook his head slowly, wondering if he was being tricked or if he had just discovered something monumental. "They were … blue, before;" the wizard gritted out. Trembling with pain and exhaustion, he reached out his hand to the Asgardian. "Like Barton's … like Selvig's … The … Mind Stone … may have possessed you."
"I … won't even ask … how you guessed that," Loki murmured, his breath wheezing pathetically as he struggled to get up. "But I cannot … deny it."
Severus caught his hand and the two of them managed to sit up, both gasping and coughing for breath, their bodies broken beyond endurance and a strange easiness resting between the two of them. It was bizarre, Severus thought. Never in the Wizarding wars would he have dared sit down like this with his foe after they nearly killed each other … but then, he wondered what would have happened if, say, he fought someone under the Imperius Curse and managed to free them. They would no longer be enemies then, would they?
"You're not … going to try and kill me again," Severus panted. It was a statement, most certainly not a question.
"I regret … almost killing you," Loki rasped as he coughed painfully. "You … are powerful, to hold your own against … me."
"I was foolish to try," Severus rejoined wryly, still breathless with pain. "As … I have no wand … it makes magic … difficult.
A look of panic washed over Loki's face before he could reply. His green eyes washed blue briefly before the Asgardian whimpered softly and raised his hands to his head. Green slowly returned to his eyes, and Loki suddenly turned to Severus.
"Mage of Midgard, you must render me unconscious." The Asgardian Prince spoke so quickly that his words tumbled over each other, and Severus saw the naked terror and apprehension growing on Loki's face. Looking at him now, Severus realized that he had seemed pale and haunted from the first time they saw one another in the square at Stuttgart. Loki was now dreadfully gaunt and haggard, and his eyes bore dark circles under them like bruises. How had he missed such obvious signs of stress and torment? Or had Loki forged an illusion of himself to keep them from finding out?
"Who controls you?" Severus demanded, his own pain forgotten as he considered the possibility of an even greater enemy eyeing their planet. If he knocked Loki out, the god of magic would simply escape once he awoke with his possessor in full control again. But if he could free Loki …
"Knock me out! Now!" Loki hissed, visibly fighting some mental force as he tangled his fists in his black hair, his face filled with panic and agony and dread. His eyes pulsed from green to blue and back to green, but the green had more blue in it with every pulse. The look of desperation he threw Severus was so raw and painful that the wizard didn't even consider the possibility that Loki was lying, (which he very well could be).
Severus sighed and wondered why he was even doing this. It could very well be the death of him. But he had some mental ability still, even if he wasn't strong enough to keep fighting physically. He wasn't sure he could put the necessary power into a simple stupefy strong enough to knock out an Asgardian who got slammed into a crater by the Hulk without looking more than a little cross-eyed. So, he reached out and roughly grabbed Loki's face, (grumbling that he was going to regret this and he had definitely picked up too many bad habits from Gryffindors) and shouted the mind-invading spell with all that his cracked voice had left.
"Legilimens!"
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Legilimency was not an exact science, and Severus was not truly a master at that particular art. He was capable of it, of course, but he was like a muggle bulldozer, rather than a subtle shadow as Dumbledore had been. Severus Snape was a master at protecting and hiding his own mind, not invading others'. He knew, from attempting to teach Potter, that his Legilimency caused considerable discomfort and was unmistakable, certainly not nearly unnoticeable as a Master of the skill ought to be. Anyone he Legilimized usually knew their mind was being probed unless he just brushed the surface of their thoughts. Barton and Selvig had both complained of headaches when he finished freeing them from Loki, and he knew the Asgardian would likely have words with him later about how rough he was … but Severus knew the moment he dove into the chaotic whirlwind that was Loki's mind that something was seriously wrong here and his blunt approach to mind-traveling would only be an asset. It felt as if three consciousnesses were battling for supremacy here, and he was just adding fuel to the fire.
It felt and looked like a whirlwind of fire in here. Everything was burning and on fire and the pain was excruciating. He couldn't tell up from down and he couldn't distinguish Loki's mind from the other two screaming for dominance. He did not scream or fight, but he dove to the bottom of the crashing ocean of fire that was Loki's mind, determined to get to the core of his mind first, and hopefully he could do what he did best: erect Occlumency barriers, and throw the invaders out.
Memory flashed past him, but thankfully, he was moving too fast and it was too chaotic for any one memory to seize him the way Barton's had. There, the victim had been fully conscious, not actively fighting, and he was of a strong enough will that he could still focus on specific events and thoughts even while he was possessed by another force.
I know how you feel, Brother, and frankly, I agree with you …
Why didn't you tell me?!
Farewell, Brother …
Did you mourn?
This is proof that I am worthy …!
I only sought to destroy my brother's perfect day! The golden prince, their precious little godling, who could do no wrong …!
You said we were both born to rule!
NOOO…!
Severus gasped as he tumbled through the chaos, buffeted by powerful emotions and searing memories. He saw a regal king with an eyepatch, a noble queen with a kind smile, a boisterous threesome of trouble-making warriors, and a beautiful dark-haired woman in armor that had eyes only for Loki's golden brother, as it seemed everyone in the universe did. Jealousy, and pain, and fear, and rejection, and longing, and love, all were mixed up together in a dreadfully confusing whirl of consciousness. Loki was cunning, and he was clever. He was dangerous, and secretly fond of his brother the thunder-god, and he was purposefully flippant to hide how much he cared. Severus felt a sudden realization that he and this Asgardian prince had a great deal more in common than anyone he had ever met. How annoying.
The battle for the Asgardian's mind was nearly lost by now. Loki was retreating, screaming in excruciating pain as fire scorched his senses and power lanced through his mind and drained his magical defenses, of which there were few. He could detect the wreckage of some mental protections, but they had all been battered down during weeks and months of unending torture, bits of which flashed past Severus' horrified gaze. The Mind Stone had taken care of the rest, essentially locking Loki in his own mind and providing the means for a powerful Telepath to use his body like a puppet. Watching the flashes and bits of memory fly past, detailing Loki's horrific torture over the past year, Severus wondered how long it would have taken the Dark Lord to shatter his mind had he ever been found out. Bringing his own experiences and pain to the fore, he used them to shore up Loki's walls of defense, starting from the very core of his mind. Here, Severus could see and sense the memories that Loki held most dear and which had shaped him the most. Here, he could see the Asgardian's magical core, pulsing weakly and splintering in agony. Here, he could see who Loki truly was, without the masks and without the tricks and without the hiding. Here, his vulnerabilities were laid bare; his love for his family and those he had always thought of as his people, his fears of rejection and failure and weakness, his love of mischief and teasing and cunning, his fear and self-loathing, learning he was not related to his family at all, and knowing that now he was an instrument of destruction and terror, controlled like a puppet by a monster who caused him constant, unendurable pain for nearly a year before Loki broke down and submitted.
There was also a deep sense of shame that colored everything here: shame of his parentage, shame of his actions that caused him to fall from Asgard, shame that he was not strong enough to die rather than submit to a Mad Titan, shame that he was controlled so easily by the Mind Stone's siren song of power, shame that his family had witnessed his fall from grace and the fear that they would hate him … the fear that maybe, they had always hated him a little. After all, no one had come looking for him, no one had rescued him. In his sweltering prison, he had begged for forgiveness and called for Heimdall, for Odin, for Frigga his mother … even for Thor, though he had no gift to see or hear across the Nine Realms. But no one had answered and no one had bothered to find him. He had felt utterly abandoned, and the telepathic torturer had delighted in mentally torturing him with these thoughts of despair and self-loathing and grief.
Severus could relate to all of that, and it was annoying. He could not afford to be distracted by thoughts of pity or compassion. He had defenses to build, hopefully before the Ebony Maw or Mind Stone detected his presence. The wizard built some basic Occlumency shields around the core of Loki's mind and threw out a Legilimency feeler for Loki's consciousness. He needed to reel him in behind the shields in order to keep layering, but Loki was still fighting for his life and sanity against both the power of the Stone and the telepath controlling his actions: Ebony Maw. Severus had to admire the strength and tenacity it took to battle two such powerful foes when Loki was so utterly exhausted. This Loki was not the true villain. True, he could have held out until death against the demands of his tormentors, but Severus was logical enough and experienced enough to recognize that Loki fighting back for almost a full year was more than anyone could have expected of him, and becoming overwhelmed in the end was not a cause for shame … it was merely a battle lost.
Loki was fighting back now, and he wasn't alone this time.
"You are not alone," Severus growled, not realizing he had spoken to the Asgardian's mind until he heard his own voice echoing around him. The chaos of the mental battle paused for just a second, long enough for the wizard's mental fishing line to snag Loki's consciousness and drag it behind the walls where he could recover and hopefully help push the invaders out.
Loki looked so much different in his own head. He was still tall and slender, but his skin was a rich blue, there were strange patterned markings on his face and hands, and his hair was a dark blue, not completely black. His eyes were red rather than green, and he was dressed in rags. He was gasping and hunched over in pain and open wounds were oozing dark blue blood all over his skeletal body. He hardly seemed aware of himself or where he was.
"Loki, brace yourself!" Severus barked, amazed that his mental self was so much healthier than his physical self currently was. Perhaps their mind selves reflected their actual mental states. Severus was more than ready and able to fight a mental battle, even if his body was weak and in pain. But Loki was on his last legs. He had been struggling in this mental war for almost twelve months now.
"Who are you?" Loki whispered weakly, raising his haggard face and gazing at him with pain and fear, and strangely enough, gratitude. "You are … holding him back."
Severus grimaced as the two consciousnesses battling for control of Loki's mind suddenly attacked his shields. He gave way before their onslaught and merely shored up the defenses in a different place. It was an old technique that came as second nature to him after so many years of practice. Keeping Occlumency shields flexible was what allowed him to fight so well to protect his mind. The defenses were fluid, and he could shift what memories or emotions or thoughts were shielded or not at the blink of an eye, allowing the enemy to exhaust themselves with useless information. When the Dark Lord used to think that he was submitting, Snape was merely allowing his flexible defenses to be pressed in at one point while he built up the defenses elsewhere.
"I believe together we can force these two invaders from your mind," Severus grunted, throwing more of his magic behind the shields and feeling a warning pang in his chest and head that warned him he was dangerously close to overspending himself. Magical exhaustion would not be a good way to die.
Loki looked around in skeptical, and reluctant, admiration. "I have never seen shields like this before," he commented in a soft voice that might have been filled with … awe. "Which means that the Ebony Maw has likely never seen such shields either, which gives us an advantage," Loki added decisively. "Tell me at once how you do it, and we will throw them out at last!"
Severus silently opened his own mind to Loki, showing him his Occlumency training and techniques, and trickling in a bit of the specific magic he used. It was dangerous, especially with two hostile mental forces so close to his vulnerable mind. He really didn't want Ebony Maw or the Mind Stone migrating to him next if they couldn't dominate Loki anymore.
Loki caught onto Occlumency quick enough, and soon, he stood beside Severus, building and shoring up the defenses faster than the attackers could tear them down. With Loki's powerful help growing the defenses too quickly for the telepath and the Stone to combat, the wizard began to push them back at long last.
Loki's body shifted, going from 'tortured Frost-Giant' to 'Prince Loki of Asgard' as his confidence grew. They both pushed outwards, absorbing more and more of Loki's mind and consciousness behind the Occlumency shields. They were successfully pushing against the Ebony Maw, who hissed with rage and threatened Loki with torment if he did not submit, and the Mind Stone, which continued to whisper seductively and attempt to convince them to lay down their defenses and surrender to the soothing embrace of reason, but neither Severus nor Loki cared to listen. They were single-minded in their task, and their pace began to pick up. The Maw was not capable of fighting them both, especially because his telepathy was being conducted from an entire galaxy away. He would be forced to retreat, lest his mind be destroyed.
"I think … can we do it?" Loki asked breathlessly, a hysterical laugh of disbelief bubbling out of his throat. He had been without hope for so long, it was as if he had forgotten what it felt like.
"We will do it," Severus retorted as if the idea of not succeeding was absurd. "Now focus, and when I say push, we both push outward as hard as possible. Hopefully that will be enough …"
"Fools!" the hiss of Ebony Maw broke through their shields. His voice was arrogant and nasally, and Severus wondered if it was possible to mentally punch someone in their mental nose if he couldn't see them. "The great and mighty Thanos is not so easily thwarted! You will be found, and you will perish in the end, Loki, Laufey's Son … You are no one! You are weak! You are –!"
"Boring us," Severus interrupted with a snarl. "Take your useless chatter elsewhere, Ebony Maw. We shall not submit to you or your master's tyranny! And the mere fact that you think to tell Loki of Asgard that you believe him weak and insignificant is an excellent indicator that you believe the opposite. So begone, unless you wish for me to turn you into a gibbering idiot!"
"Foolish mortal! You will soon learn what true supremacy is! Do you not think that the Children of Thanos have powers to rival those on your precious Earth? This is but the beginning! The Chitauri will devastate your planet and bring you both to me for punishment, and you will be taught the meaning of suffering!"
Severus had enough. The Mind Stone was fighting to keep a foothold, but it was more passive and could be pushed out with determination. Ebony Maw had latched onto Loki's mind like a poisonous leech, and the wizard had no time to waste. With the control of the Mind Stone so unstable and weak now, it was the perfect time to push. He only needed to distract the Maw long enough to loosen his hold.
"Loki, be ready for the last gasp," Severus warned the Prince. He took a deep breath and turned his attention to the Maw, who was still spewing vitriol and speeches like the cliché mouthpiece of a psychopathic villain he was. He had the perfect spell in mind, but the power he would require might backlash. Still, it was a better spell than its Unforgiveable counterpart, which he had no strength for anyway.
"I am ready!" Loki growled, his green eyes flashing vindictively. He reached out his hands, the shields surrounding the two of them, and his entire mind by extension, shimmering green in response to his gesture.
"I am going to attempt to cause the Maw some discomfort; when I shout, you push!" Severus ordered. He gathered up the dregs of his power, aching in every bone as he did so, realizing that would probably wake up dead, if that made any sense, but this Thanos person would no longer have a hold on his pawn, and Loki would be able to tell the people of Asgard and Earth of the threat. His life flashed before his eyes, including his earlier 'death' and wondered if he would get buried in a nondescript muggle cemetery in New York this time.
"I will make certain you are laid to rest with the greatest Seidr-mages of Asgard if I have any say in it," Loki suddenly said, surprising Severus. Had he projected those fears aloud in the Asgardian's mind? The green eyes flashed at him with mischief … and gratitude. "I am of Asgard, even if my blood is not. If you free me, my life belongs to you, however distasteful the idea to me personally. I would be duty bound to see to your honorable burial … but I pray you not to die on purpose. I'm only just starting to get curious about you. By the Norns, I don't even know your name!"
"You talk too much," Severus snorted, almost laughing. In another life he might have enjoyed trading barbs with this sorcerer, even if he was the Marauders' idol. Who knew that Loki was actually more like Snape than any of those Gryffindors? He turned his attention back to his task, barely tuning into the fact that the Maw was describing what the Children of Thanos would do to the planet Earth and its people when their plan was brought to fruition, (whenever and whatever that was). Severus gathered the last of his magic and stepped outside the Occlumency barrier. He would be flung out of Loki's mind too, but that was the idea. The Maw seemed surprised, and almost insulted, to see him now. The wizard was haggard and stumbling with weakness, yet still, Severus dared to face him.
"You wish to die for this worthless weakling?" the Ebony Maw sniffed. He was a thin, vague shape in the shadows on the edge of Loki's mind.
"I am much weaker than this foolish weakling, and yet we have nearly defeated you, Ebony Maw," Severus announced nonchalantly. "I wish I had the strength to kill you, but expelling you for now will have to do."
"Oh, this will be amusing," the Telepathic alien cackled. "As you pathetic humans say: do your worst."
Severus smiled, before flinging himself, aglow with the last reserves of his magic, at the shadowy figure that had gleefully tortured and possessed a powerful Prince over the past year.
"Tormenta!" he shouted, feeling Loki surge with power behind him at the signal. The Maw shrieked as the low-level pain curse caught his mind and made him writhe in agony, loosening his hold on Loki's mind. The Asgardian wasted not a second and held nothing back, strongly growing his new shields out to the edges of his mind, crowding out the seductive Mind Stone, the screaming Ebony Maw, and Severus himself, who fell into a void of darkness, surrounded by the infuriated howling of the defeated Telepath and the soft siren song of the Mind Stone … and the victorious, giddy laughter of Loki high above them.
A~HP~V~HP~E~HP~N~HP~G~HP~E~HP~R~HP~S
Natasha Romanoff held the golden scepter tightly, its sharp tip braced against the energy barrier surrounding the pulsing Tesseract. Her grip became sweaty and her neck ached as she strained to watch the red speck that was Iron Man, as he guided a nuclear missile through the open portal. Dr. Selvig stood beside her, also watching, and muttering to himself in a language that might have been Swedish. Or gibberish. But she really did not care right now. Her mind was in three different places, and none of them were here.
She was with Stark, praying to whatever power there might be to bring him back, to let him live. He was an arrogant, self-important jerk, but he was a good man, deep down. Not just anyone would leave his mansions and towers and billions to put on a suit of armor any day of the week simply to help people. Not many men would willingly take a nuclear weapon willingly through a portal into cold outer space, knowing he may not make it back. Tony Stark was many things, but she really didn't want him to become a martyr in all this. He would hate that too.
Her thoughts were also with Clint, whose communications had abruptly cut off after she heard a particularly troubling crash through his earpiece, and nobody had found him yet. Please be alright, she silently pleaded. Please don't be a casualty today. He was her oldest friend, her mission partner, a man who knew more of her secrets than anyone alive … The man who saved her life time and again and never asked anything in return. Her Hawk was always there for her, whether she needed to let off steam or cry in someone's shoulder or stand back to back in a battle for their lives; she couldn't imagine a world without Clint Barton. Please, please be alright, Clint.
Strangest of all, her foremost thoughts were on Severus Snape. The dark, mysterious, impressive scowler had dropped into her life like a lightning bolt, and he intrigued her the more she learned about him. He was a wizard, and a warrior, and a true Avenger if there ever was one, and he had gone two floors down to fight Loki alone. The freak storm that had gathered around the tower had terrified her, but she was strangely even more terrified for him now that it was gone. Like wisps of smoke, the mysterious storm had vanished, and now the sky was clear, save for the portal in the sky, and there were no sounds from below. In the storm, she had been able to hear shouts and cries, but now, it was silent. A few minutes ago, right after the dark clouds blew away and the strange storm stopped, she heard what sounded like Loki's enraged voice and the Hulk bellowing. Then there was some other noise like crashing and smashing, and she could see the Hulk leaping across skyscrapers now, crushing Chitauri like aluminum cans in his huge fists. She hadn't heard Severus' voice since the storm had been raging, and she feared that he was dead. He had promised her that he would die well, and the thought made her throat sting. She barely knew him. Why did she care?
Iron Man still had not returned. The Black Widow shifted her stance, which was becoming more uncomfortable as the seconds ticked past. A hush descended over the city. The aliens seemed to have been stopped, and all the universe held its breath. She flinched when she saw the bloom of brilliant heat from the nuke deep within the portal, and still no sign of a red and gold suit of armor. Her heart seized and she blinked at the burn in her eyes.
"Shut the portal," Captain Rogers' regretful voice came from her earpiece.
"Yes sir," Natasha murmured obediently, and she shoved the golden scepter into the Tesseract. There was a flash of brilliant light before the pulsing glow in the blue cube suddenly died and the contraption surrounding it powered down. The portal, high above them, started to shrink rapidly, the hole getting smaller and smaller as the fireball from the explosive came closer and closer.
Then the portal was gone and no fire fell upon the city.
Natasha straightened up, and then stiffened when she realized that something small and red was falling out of the sky. She whooped before she could stop herself, and she could hear cheers from Rogers and Barton too. It was a pleasant surprise to hear Clint's voice after the last ominous noises she'd heard from him. He sounded alright, just a bit tinny. His earpiece had been damaged, but it seemed to be picking him up fine now.
"He's not slowing down!" Clint suddenly shouted in alarm.
"Thor …?" Cap started, but she clearly saw the Hulk leap off a building and catch the falling Man of Iron. She grinned with relief and pressed a finger to her earpiece to hear better. Was Stark alive? Was he hurt?
"He's not responding," Cap's worried voice broke through the excited babble.
She suddenly heard the Hulk roar, and then, Stark's voice, just as chipper and snarky as ever. She never thought his voice would be such a welcome sound.
"Whoa, did someone kiss me? Please tell me nobody kissed me!"
"We won," Captain America said quietly, heavy significance in his voice.
"Oh yay," Tony cheered, sounding exhausted. "Let's just not come in tomorrow. Take a day, you know? Hey, have you ever tried schawarma? I haven't, and I'm dying to find out what it is. There's a nice little schawarma joint right down the street from my Tower. What do you say we all head over to refuel?"
"Not just yet," Clint interjected grimly.
Natasha glanced down at Stark's penthouse where nearly all the letters of his name had been smashed off. Only the A was left. She knew Hawkeye was right. There was one more bit of business they needed to take care of first.
While the rest of the Avengers made their way to what was left of Stark Tower, Black Widow turned to Selvig, who was sitting with his head in his hands. "We'll get you down soon, Doctor," she told him. "There's just something we need to take care of with Loki."
The scientist glanced up with a pinched expression and nodded vacantly. "I … I'll be fine," he said quietly.
Natasha nodded and took a running leap off the roof of the Tower. She landed in a crouch on the platform Iron Man used to remove his armor, wincing at the impact. When she turned, she saw the elevator light up on the opposite side of the shattered room. When it opened, Captain Rogers and Barton came out, side-stepping what looked like a destroyed bar area. Shattered bottles had joined the glass from the window on the floor, and there were gaps and indentations in the ground, likely from the Hulk's rage fest. There was a crash from behind her, and she whirled to see the Hulk climbing up the side of the tower, and Stark landing beside him in his red armor and his helmet off. With a loud thud, Thor landed near her and gave her a courteous nod before turning his attention to the object of their search.
Loki sat on the steps in the penthouse living room, battered and bloody, but conscious. In front of him lay Severus Snape. He wasn't moving, his eyes were closed, and his ghostly pale skin looked like that of a corpse. Surprisingly, it looked like Loki had actually laid him out, since it wasn't likely that Snape had fallen on his back with his limbs and clothing straight and his hands folded on his breast. Loki sat beside his body with a vacant stare, his eyes no longer gleaming their maniacal blue. Instead, they were a calm, placid green. He flicked his gaze up as Barton raised his bow and the rest of the Avengers congregated around him.
"I think I'll take that drink now," Loki said mildly, flicking his gaze to Tony with the tiniest of smirks.
"What did you do to Snape?" Natasha demanded in a low voice.
Captain Rogers was already crouching beside the wizard, feeling for a pulse. "He's still alive," he said. "Stark, could you call for …?"
"Already done," Iron Man cut him off. "Alright; talk Rudolph. What'd you do?"
"We fought," Loki shrugged. He glanced over at Thor, his gaze suddenly sharp. "He was not put in this state by me."
"Who did it then?" Captain Rogers demanded, his voice calm, but his face tight with anger.
Loki stiffened and narrowed his eyes minutely at the Captain. "The one who commands the Chitauri," he replied stiffly.
"Which would be … you," Stark announced in a bored tone.
"Brother," Thor said softly, glancing from Snape to Loki. "Your eyes …"
"I was not quite myself, and that is all," Loki snapped. He slowly stood, hiding a wince of pain, and held out his hands with a nonchalant air. "Now, aren't you going to cuff me and lead me to justice? Or whatever it is you 'Avengers' do?"
"Have a care," Thor cautioned his friends as they moved in on the Asgardian. "He must face Asgardian justice."
"Sure, Asgard can have whatever Earth doesn't send through the meat grinder," Clint muttered, his eyes glinting murderously. Loki gave him a look one might give a child who was insisting they needed a later bedtime, but otherwise didn't answer.
Stark snorted a laugh as he stepped forward and cuffed Loki before tugging him away from Snape's body. Natasha didn't miss how the god of mischief seemed to keep glancing down at the wizard with something like worry in his now-green eyes. Some mystery lay in Loki's demeanor about this whole thing. One might think the Asgardian somehow cared about whether Snape was alive or not when they seemed to have exchanged a lot of magic in a battle to the death.
"Yeah, um, you guys can have what's left after Earth's done with him," Tony Stark agreed with Hawkeye. "As far as I can see, his crimes are against us, not you."
"He is my brother!" Thor protested.
"Thor," Loki sighed in exasperation, rolling his eyes. "Do leave it. It isn't as if you ever particularly cared."
"What?" Thor gasped, looking … hurt. "You know that is not true! I would have sought you in the void, Loki; I swear! But the Bifrost was destroyed, and …"
"Excuses, excuses," Loki interrupted, shaking his head mockingly. "You know, Thor, there is no need to keep up the act here."
"This is no act! Loki, be reasonable!"
Natasha crouched next to Rogers beside Snape while Thor and Loki kept arguing and Barton and Stark kept an eye on their prisoner. "What happened, do you think?"
"He's pretty battered," the Captain said grimly. "Broken ribs, gashes, bruises, a lot of blood loss … he's bleeding from his ears too, so I guess head trauma of some kind. But he's still breathing, (barely) and his pulse is weak, but it's there. I have no idea what happened. These injuries didn't come from a fist fight, that's all I know."
"… What do you make of this?" Natasha asked quietly, gesturing at how Snape seemed to be laid out with care.
Rogers glanced up at Loki, who was scowling as Thor ranted about something. "I don't know," he said slowly. "Loki seems … different. Did you see how awful he looks?"
"Hulk smashed him around a bit," Natasha snorted without pity. "But I think Snape was unconscious before that. The storm thing only happened after the wizard went down to fight Loki, and it disappeared a little before the Hulk came."
"Well, I don't know anything about magic or …" Rogers gestured helplessly. The sirens of approaching ambulances and law enforcement, and the clatter of helicopter blades filled the eerie silence outside. "Anyway, we'll have to get him taken to a hospital. He's lost a lot of blood and he's got shattered ribs and a broken arm …"
"But he's tough; he'll be okay," Natasha whispered fiercely, gazing down at the man who had willingly faced a being far more powerful than they, knowing he would likely die.
"Yeah, probably," Rogers sighed, standing up. He marched over to Loki and broke up the argument, leaving Natasha to sit vigil beside the wizard. Barton carefully lowered his bow, seeing that Loki didn't seem to care about escape and that the Captain was more than capable of helping Stark and Thor if there was a problem.
"He okay?" Hawkeye asked gently.
Natasha shrugged and reached out to wipe a smear of blood from Snape's cheek. When unconscious like this, the hard lines of his face smoothed out and even his large hooked nose and lank hair didn't seem so ugly. He looked rather young when he wasn't scowling. In fact, she might assume he was about thirty, maybe, if she didn't know his date of birth already.
"You know, he's in his fifties," Natasha whispered without looking up at Barton. "According to what we could find, he was born in 1960."
"He doesn't look it," Clint answered with a hint of amusement in his voice. "Dang, I hope I look as good when I get to his age."
The elevator dinged suddenly and a suited SHIELD agent, followed by several armed STRIKE team members, entered the apartment, asking questions and checking that Loki was properly restrained. The Asgardian looked insulted to the point of boredom, but Natasha could detect a bleak despair in his eyes, especially when he glanced over at Snape on the floor. The Black Widow stood up and marched over to the men. It was Sitwell leading the team and she felt a pang at the thought of Phil Coulson, who would otherwise have been here if Loki hadn't killed him.
"Agent Romanoff," she introduced herself. "We've got a man-down here. Medical?"
"On its way," Sitwell replied, looking over the tops of his glasses at Snape, but he couldn't see much with the steps in the way, and Barton hovering protectively over his body. "Civilian?" he asked briskly.
"Yes," Natasha answered at once, loud enough for the rest of the team to hear. "Cause of injuries, unknown." She darted a glance at Loki as she said this, and was surprised to see his surprise. He was looking right at her with one eyebrow slightly raised, as if questioning her sanity. He quickly turned away, and perhaps to distract from his moment of shrewd attention, he started mocking the Avengers, and shape-shifted into a copy of Captain Rogers to mimic what he'd just said. Thor angrily slapped a muzzle on his brother and ordered him needlessly to shut up.
"Keep him where he is," Sitwell ordered, his tone bored. "Medical will take care of him. The rest of you, with me. We've got to get the Tesseract back to where it belongs; and that staff …" He glared at the golden item Natasha was still gripping in her hands. "It goes with us. We brought a container for it."
Natasha didn't pay much attention as she obediently set the golden staff into the box they brought. It looked like a repurposed carrying case for a keyboard or something, and it was padded inside and locked on the outside.
"Tony, Selvig's still on the roof," Natasha said distractedly while she and Barton followed Sitwell and the rest of the STRIKE team.
"I'm on it," Stark replied, and marched out of the penthouse via the broken windows.
It felt wrong, leaving Snape alone, but the less fuss they made about him, the better. Rogers seemed determined to stay behind with him though, which was a good thing. It left the STRIKE team free to escort Loki away, and Natasha and Clint free to join them and get debriefed. And Thor followed the men who had his brother, looking lost. Tony joined them a minute later, removing his suit and helping the traumatized Selvig to navigate the maze of rubble. He was also carrying the blue cube and nattering on about how hard it had been to get this penthouse set up just how he liked it and now he had to start over. By now, Natasha knew that babbling about inconsequential things was Stark's way of navigating a delicate situation where otherwise an awkward silence would reign. It was kind of nice, she thought, to listen to a litany of petty problems when there were so many other stressful things going on. Stark joined them in the elevator and ordered the Hulk to take the stairs instead, something that the green beast took offense at.
"Take the STAIRS?" the Hulk grumbled, stomping his way down the narrow staircase. "Hulk not LIKE stairs …"
A~HP~V~HP~E~HP~N~HP~G~HP~E~HP~R~HP~S
Hope you all enjoyed this! This aftermath of the Battle for New York has been occupying my every thought for the last few days and I'm still fiddling around with scenes and ideas to finish this story up. I am thinking since Avenge is so short, (maybe twelve chapters tops) I might just continue posting the sequel here as chapter thirteen ... Or I might come up with a different way to number the chapters, like renaming the first chapter, my prologue, with Part One, or something. And I am most definitely sending Snape to Asgard now, and he might not be involved much with Winter Soldier, though I do plan for Snape to help Bucky's brain heal ... somehow.
I just want to say that I WILL bring some other HP characters in later, (Potters, Weasleys, etc. probably canon pairings) but I'm still at a loss of how I'm going to do it. There are literally so many options that I can't decide what I'm going to do to introduce Harry and his friends into Snape's new world. Wish me luck!
I want to say thank you to all of my readers and followers, even if you don't review. I am beyond flattered when I open my email and see how many favorites, follows, and reviews I get just over one weekend. (I don't check email on the weekend)
So thank you to you all!