Standard Disclaimer: I own nothing in regards to Harry Potter or the MCU. All properties therein are those of their creators.

Note: I'm gonna be playing around with the ages of certain characters and the timelines of other events. This might annoy some people, but to that I say, the Marvel timeline for events is convoluted as hell. Especially with all the time jumping they've been doing for the last several years. I'm using it to tell my story now and I'm gonna have some fun doing it.

Note: Fans of Naruto might notice some familiar words later in this chapter. This is not plagiarism on my part so much as recognition of how impactful those words truly are. I couldn't help wondering what they would mean to Harry if he'd heard them instead.

Note: The poll for harem members is still open. Send any recommendations you have with reasons why they'd work, and I'll happily consider them.

Part Three - New Friends

Harry checked his suit for the fifth time in less than twenty minutes as he nervously fingered the silver tipped cane his grandmother had given him for his last birthday. Activating his latent frost giant genes had completely healed his leg, but he still felt phantom pains on occasion, and both he and Frigga thought a good walking stick looked distinguished, so he kept this one with him at all times.

Beside him Jean, who was dressed in a frilly red dress, squeezed the hand she had been holding. "Harry, you need to relax. Everything will be fine."

The two were standing with Peggy and Frigga in the lobby of the new Asgardian Embassy as they, countless world leaders, dignitaries, generals, and several dozen reporters, awaited the first public ambassador of an alien race's arrival. For today, Loki Odinsson would be traveling via the bifrost to address the world at large. Frigga was dressed in a formal gown of purple and gold. Peggy, who had never exactly been comfortable in dresses, had decided to don a well tailored woman's suit. She'd received special permission to wear her sword and shield as well.

"Listen to your friend, son." Peggy spoke beside him. "Loki will address the world, mingle with the guests for a bit, and then you'll have the rest of the day to spend together. You're going to have a great time."

Harry smiled at the thought and said, "I know, but I just can't help my nerves, ya know? And those cameras aren't really helping."

At those words the former soldier glared at the latest reporter with the gall to raise his camera toward her boy. He quickly lowered it, but she made a note to keep her eyes on him. She'd known that her group would collect attention. A former war hero, a literal god, and two children, one of which was blue, were bound to do so. That didn't mean she was just going to let them put her kid on the front page. No sir.

Peggy tried reassuring him with a smile, and internally clapped herself on the back when the gesture seemed to calm him a bit. She also took a moment to consider his accent. Years of living in both England and New York had given his voice a unique tilt that just sounded adorable.

Her musings were interrupted however when the sky lit up in a golden hue and a cylinder of light impacted the earth of the front lawn. Everyone present covered their eyes to avoid being blinded, and when they opened them, were met with the sight of a the god of mischief. He was clad in a black suit ornamented with segments of green armor, and he walked inside the building with a confident swagger, his hands held behind his back.

The moment he crossed the threshold of the entrance cameras began flashing and questions started being shouted. Not deigning to acknowledge the rowdy press representatives, Loki instead walked through them to stand at the head of the room where he promptly conjured a podium. A wave of his hand silenced the reporters, much to Harry's amazement, as he'd been able to feel the controlled burst of magic from where he was standing.

The god's eyes sought out the boy, and when their gazes locked he smiled warmly at him before turning his attention back to his audience. "Ladies and gentlemen," He began, "I am Loki Odinsson, the god of mischief and magic. As many of you have been informed, my king, the Allfather, has deigned to open a dialogue with your world so that we might share in trade and mutual security. I am to serve as his envoy and messenger to you. As such, I'd like to assure you all that we do indeed come in peace. In a moment drinks will be served and you'll be free to mingle with both myself and my staff. But before that I would like to say that I am proud to be here, and I hope that our interactions can be mutually beneficial. That is all."

A shimmer in the air revealed the Asgardian aides he'd brought with him, and then he descended into the mob that awaited him. After an hour of exhausting conversation, he finally managed to pull himself free long enough to escape down a side hall and Harry's group saw that as their cue to catch up to him. It didn't take long as he was simply going into the nearest office to wait for them all.

The room itself was covered in soft carpet flooring and hardwood walls, and Loki stood facing them before an unlit fireplace with a warm smile on his face. Frigga went up to hug him first, and after a few whispered comments stepped aside. For her part, Peggy gave the man a look that she believed clearly conveyed all of the horrible things she'd subject his body to if he stepped out of line, and then stepped over to the side of the room. This left Harry and Jean, still holding hands, standing before the taller man. Loki took a moment to look between them, and Jean gave her friend a last comforting squeeze before releasing him to go stand beside his mother.

The god slowly knelt before his son and as everyone watched, his glamour faded away, revealing a blue face with red eyes that perfectly matched Harry's own. "It is good to see you again, Harry."

The boy nodded and before anyone knew what was happening, he'd launched himself into the surprised deity's arms. "It's so good to finally meet you in person, dad! I mean the helicarrier was cool, but now I know who you are!"

Loki laughed out loud and hugged his boy with just as much enthusiasm. "I agree. Dreams are all well and good, but this is so much better. On that note," He pulled back slightly so he could look his son in the eyes, "Have you been practicing what I taught you?"

"Yup." Harry closed his eyes in concentration, and as his surprised group watched, his blue features seemed to fade away, leaving him with pale skin and eyes that remained red. "I haven't been able to figure out how to glamour my eyes yet, but a pair of sunglasses should cover them."

"Very good." Loki conjured a pair, reapplied his own glamour, stood, and took hold of the eleven year old's hand as he looked to Peggy. "Ms. Carter, I promise to have our son back her by nine."

"Where are you going to take him?"

"I thought a walk in the park might be nice, and then perhaps a, what do you lot call them? Movies? Yes I will take him to a movie. I believe that is what parents do on outings on this world, correct?"

Carter exhaled in relief. She'd been worried Loki might have her boy help start world war three as a practical joke. "That sounds perfectly fine. But I'll be watching the clock, and if you are even a minute late getting him back we are going to have some problems."

Loki raised his free hand in a gesture of implied peace. "I mean no harm to our son, Ms. Carter. Nor do I discount all that you have done for him as his mother. It is not my intention to take him from you or try to drive a wedge between you. I simply wish to get to know young Harry, and perhaps become a more natural part of his life."

"I'd really like that too, mom." Harry piped up, earning a fond smile from the normally stoic woman.

"Alright then. Have a good time you two." She said.

As the duo exited the room, Harry's happy waving absolutely warmed her heart anew, and Frigga nodded as she stood beside her. "You handled that well." She complimented.

"Thank you. For a moment there I was worried I'd go all mama bear on your son, but I managed to stop myself."

"Yeah." Jean agreed as she walked up to them with a confused look on her face.

"What is the problem, child?" Frigga asked as she pulled the girl the rest of the way forward.

"I'm not really sure." She mumbled. "Harry is happy, I could feel that much from him when he left. And I'm happy he's happy. But now he's gone, and I don't really know what to do with myself. I don't have any other friends at the institute to play with."

Peggy smiled and took her hand as the trio left the room. "I didn't have a lot of friends either growing up. Here's a life lesson, you don't need a large number of friends. One or two is enough as long as they are true to themselves and you. Now, Harry is going to a movie, so why don't we go see one ourselves, hm? Frigga, would you like to come with us?"

"Verily I would be delighted." The regal woman smiled.

"Excellent. I believe a new Disney movie just came out that would be perfect."

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

"Harry Potter." Minerva McGonagall called into the dwindling group of first years. When no one stepped forward she tried again, "Harry Potter?" Once more, no one approached at her call.

Becoming increasingly nervous, the deputy headmistress walked briskly up to the first years and inquired, "Is anyone here named Harry Potter?" The shuffling group of first years all shook their heads in the negative, and Minerva turned a thunderous glare on the headmaster. It was one that was easily matched by Professor Flitwick.

Before they could confront him in the middle of the great hall, Albus beat a hasty retreat back up to his office. The rapid clicking of boot heels that followed him all the way signaled the fact he'd have to no time to prepare, as before he could even sit behind his desk, the two professors he'd at one time considered his closest living friends burst through his door with murder on their faces.

Before he could say anything in his defense, McGonagall stepped into his personal space, grabbed his robes, and shoved him forcefully against the nearest wall. "What did you do!" She screamed.

"Where is Harry?!" Flitwick yelled from her side.

Albus was ready to respond with the perfect lie he'd spent months crafting, but before he could even speak it, Flitwick pointed his wand at the bearded man's throat and spoke a word the older wizard couldn't understand. A flash of turquoise light passed through his larynx, and the next thing Albus knew, he was doing the one thing he swore he wouldn't. He was telling the truth.

"Harry disappeared from his relatives home five years ago. I have made numerous inquiries and performed more searches than I can recall, but have yet to find any clues as to his location."

The Scotswoman was seething at those words. "And you didn't think to alert the authorities as to his disappearance?"

Albus gritted his teeth and tried as hard as he could keep himself from speaking, but in the end the spell won out. "I couldn't afford the possibility that someone else might gain influence with the boy or worse, find out about his relative's abuse. If anyone else discovered it I'd be ruined."

"Abuse!" Minerva roared before slamming her knee into her boss's gut, sneering as he keeled over in pain. He gasped and gagged, trying to bring in air, and all the while his deputy seethed. "You're a monster, Albus. I can't believe I ever had the misfortune to call someone like you a friend."

She turned to Filius and said, "I'm calling an emergency session of the school board of governors to inform them of this event and provide them with all the evidence and petitions against Snape that we've gathered. I'll be going to see Amelia Bones at the DMLE immediately after that. A proper search and investigation needs to be enacted. Do you think you can keep Albus from interfering for the next hour or so?"

The half goblin fingered his wand with barely restrained eagerness as he looked down on the crumpled form of his employer. From his perspective the man wasn't suffering nearly as much as he should be. Lily had been one of his greatest students, and later one of his closest friends. He'd been there on her wedding day, he'd held Harry on the day he was born, and he was more than aware that the bearded goat was the only reason he or Minerva had not been able to raise or even contact the progeny of their students. "I'd watch him for two if you'd like."

On the floor, the headmaster groaned in both pain and despair. There was nothing he could do. Alone, and without his wand in his hand, he was no match for Flitwick. The man was a former world champion duelist after all. At least he wouldn't be removed from Hogwarts. He had enough political capitol and goodwill built up from his decades of work and service, but he'd definitely lose his posts in the ICW and the wizengamont over the scandal that was sure to come. In one fell swoop he'd lost almost all of his influence on the greater wizarding world. He was also very likely to lose his spy. Sure, Lucius would most certainly speak for his son's godfather's defense, but as rich as he was the man was just one voice amongst many. And the rest had children at Hogwarts too.

Xavier's School for the Gifted

"Ah, Peggy, could I have a moment of your time?" The aforementioned woman stopped piling up punching bags from her last self defense class, and turned to face the professor. He wasn't alone. Beside him were Logan and Auroro, and for some reason they were both dressed all in black.

Carter looked at her watch and nodded. Harry had another couple hours before he was done with classes for the day. As long as she had time to prepare his afternoon snack she'd listen to whatever he had to say. "Of course, Professor. How can I help you?" By that point her visitors had made their way up to her, so she didn't have to raise her voice.

Xavier looked at her strangely for a moment before nodding to himself and speaking. "I know that you are a trustworthy person, Captain, so I know that the things I tell you will not make their way into the ears of SHIELD or Mr. Fury."

Peggy nodded, "As long as what you tell me isn't hurting anyone."

"I assure you it's not. Quite the opposite in fact. But regardless, what I am about to say needs to stay between us. Is that understood?"

"Completely."

"Good." Xavier wheeled his chair until he was level with her, and gestured out onto the grounds. "This conversation might go better if it happens as we walk, or roll in my case. Shall we?"

Carter nodded, and they took off down the green. "So what's the issue, professor?"

"Well, I have a… certain way, of locating mutants and powered individuals in need of aid. This world is a cruel place for those that are different, as you well know, and I built this school as a haven for them. I can't tell you how I do it just yet, but I currently know of two mutants that are in need of rescue and I would like you to retrieve them and bring them here. They're both children around your son's age, and they are all alone. Will you do this?"

Peggy took a moment to organize her thoughts before asking, "What about their parents? Where are they? And what would I even tell them about why I'm there?"

Xavier answered right away, as if he'd anticipated such questions. "In both cases, the parents are deceased. One is in Germany, and the other is in England. For that one I would like you to enlist the aid of Doctor Strange, as magical barriers could be a problem. Finally, all you need to do is tell them that you are there to help them. Neither is in a very good place."

Peggy nodded. She didn't like how short notice this was, but she couldn't turn her back on kids in need. Also, if these were mutants, well… most countries didn't have regulations or laws in place to actually protect them yet. It sickened her to see it, but there it was. She looked at her watch again, "When would I need to leave?"

"As soon as possible. I've already talked to Doctor Strange and he'll meet you in London. Auroro has volunteered to fly the jet for you."

"Fine then, but first let me make a call. I need to make sure Harry has someone watching him while I'm gone." She smirked at the bald man as she pulled out her phone, "Hope you're ready to have a god of mischief on your grounds."

Charles blanched at that. "You're calling Loki!?"

Carter shrugged as she typed in the number for his office at the Asgardian Embassy, "He's been asking about more opportunities to spend time with Harry, and this one seems perfect for him. I'm sure he won't be any trouble at all for you." No one could have possibly missed the sarcasm dripping out of that last sentence.

Hapsburg Germany

"Step right up folks, and see with your own eyes the wonders of the world!" A boisterous announcer in a ridiculously colored coat and top hat announced from a podium outside an enormous tent. "Here at at the ten ring circus we have acrobatics, stunts, dancing elephants, and our one of a kind freakshow will test your courage as you witness the greatest horrors imaginable. It's all here to see for the cost of a single ticket!"

As the buffoon continued to sell his show, Peggy and Aurora slipped through the gate, having already purchased tickets of their own. Having heard some of what he was implying, Peggy felt a pit opening in her stomach as she turned to her work colleague and friend. "He said 'freakshow'… is that where we'll find the boy?"

Aurora nodded sadly. "That's why Charles sent us. There aren't laws in place to protect mutants, and there's just enough wiggle room for them to be exploited as a result. Especially if their mutations change their appearance. No one wants to go to bat for someone that looks like a monster."

"That's horrible." Peggy gasped.

"That's the world we live in."

The former soldier scowled, "Well it isn't the world I fought for." With a snarl she stalked away form the glittering tent entrance, past the carny run games and events, and into the camp and living quarters of the performers. Once there she saw smaller tarps, RV's, cargo trucks, and finally… cages. Without waiting for Storm to catch up, Carter grabbed the nearest carnie and slammed him into a wall, "Where are the freakshow cages?" The terrified man waved a shaking finger to the east and she took off running.

What she saw when she arrived only enraged her further. A line of wheeled cages greeted her, and each was filled with some variation of underfed, clearly mistreated mixed breed, animal, except for one. The last in the line held a skeletal, shivering, child with blue skin and a tail under a thin sheet of a blanket. It was hard to be certain, but at a glance he looked to be around eleven.

Peggy stared at the child. He reminded her so much of her son, and the way she'd first found him, that all rational thought left her mind to be replaced with one singular objective. Protect. With a roar she gripped the bars of the cage and tore them from the frame before grabbing the startled child and pulling him into a warm hug. As he struggled against her she shushed and rocked him quietly, all the while humming and saying, "It's alright. I'm here to take you away from these monsters."

He stilled at once, and a pair of crimson iris's looked up at her. "You promise?" He asked, his voice ringing with a heavy German accent.

"I do." Peggy nodded. "You speak English?"

He nodded as his tail wrapped gently around her arm, "Ze nun at ze orphanage taught me. Zere vas a fire." He broke off, and Peggy hugged him tighter as she began making her way back to Storm, who was watching quietly a few meters away.

"It's alright, Kurt. You don't need to say anymore."

"You know my name?"

Peggy nodded brightly at him, "I know a lot. For instance, I know that you and my son are going to be very good friends. He looks a lot like you, you know?"

"Really?" "Yes. You see-"

"Stop right there and drop my property." The boisterous man from the circus entrance intoned as he and several of his carnies blocked the path to the entrance. Each held some form of blunt object in their hands.

Carter glared at the man and said, "This is a little boy, not a piece of property."

"The law is on my side, lady. I provide a roof over his head and put food in his stomach. The rest, well, he's not exactly human is he?" The circus leader sneered.

Before she could act on her justifiable rage, Aurora placed a calming hand on her shoulder and stepped forward. "Care for the little one. I will take care of these, monsters."

"Oh really?" Intoned the flamboyantly dressed man. "And how are you going to do that, miss? Seems to me that you're all alone out here."

"And it seems to me that you brought a lead pipe to a fight with nature." All at once the african woman's eyes turned pure white, and storm clouds started forming in the air. "You should have just let the child go." Before anymore insults could be spoken, bolts of lightning began to fall from the sky, pelting the earth mere feet from their attackers and causing them to flee like rats into the night as the X-Man, Peggy, and their new passenger walked calmly back through the grounds to their camouflaged jet. They took off mere minutes later on course for England.

The Next Day

"Dr. Strange, it's good to see you again." Peggy said as she shook the sorcerer supreme's hand.

"You too, Ms. Carter. Now what seems to be the problem?"

The two were standing in a glenn outside Ottery St. Catchpole while Storm was keeping her hands full looking after Kurt on the Jet. His appearance apparently wasn't the limit of his mutation. A fact made apparent as the little trouble maker had a habit of poofing around every square inch of the craft. Apparently he'd been beaten for even attempting it at the circus, and he was enjoying his newfound freedom to the fullest. Neither of the women transporting him had had the heart to scold him.

"Professor Xavier apparently learned of a mutant in need of aid somewhere in this general area, and he sent me to bring her back to the institute. The only problem is that her family was apparently magical and her home is hidden behind wards."

Strange stroked his chin as he thought over the implications of that statement. "Interesting. Do you know anything further about this child? Anything I can use to try to narrow down her location or build a metaphysical connection to her?"

This was the hard part. Due to the sensitive nature of what they were about walk into, Xavier had disclosed considerably more information about this child than he had for Kurt Wagner. Peggy took a breath to steady herself before saying, "Her name is Luna Lovegood and she is ten years old. She is in danger because her last living parent has just died and she doesn't realize it. Very soon she is going to run out of food and water and without an adult she'll be unable to call for help."

Stephen frowned, "How can her parents both be dead without her knowing it?"

"Because of her mutation. Luna can apparently see and communicate with the dead. Her mother passed years ago, and Charles said that her father was flighty enough before his heart attack that she might not even be able to tell that he's no longer living."

Strange groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Mediums always have it rough, but a ten year old girl? Xavier was right to send us in. Such a child should not bear this on her own." The caped man turned back to face the glenn, and a look of concentration crossed his face as his hands began to move through the air in a strange pattern, bleeding arcane light behind them all the while. It took a solid ten minutes, and by the end the sorcerer was panting for breath, but finally the air shimmered before them, and an oddly leaning tower came into view. Standing for all the world as if the space it occupied hadn't been empty minutes before. "Damn but that warding scheme was intense! Who mixes runic designs from eight different dead languages!"

The two superheroes wasted no time in running up to the house and knocking on the door. It was promptly opened by a tiny waif of a girl in a bright yellow sundress that was clearly in need of a wash. She took one look at them and said, "Oh, I wasn't expecting guests. Please come on in."

The two did so and were immediately brought up short by the smell of decay and rotting flesh. Trying to put it as delicately as possible, Peggy asked the child, "Um, sweetie, where is that smell coming from?"

Blessedly the girl pointed to a closed door across the room from them. "That's daddy's office, I'm not supposed to go in there so I don't really know what it is, but I think he's probably working on luring a crumple horned snorcack into the house for study. Clearly good smelling food didn't work so he's moved on to the rotten stuff. That's what he told me at least."

Strange looked around rapidly and asked, "Is he here right now?"

"Of course. Can't you see him? He's right behind you."

Peggy looked, but of course there was no one there. Making a swift decision she knelt before the child and said, "Sweetie, there's no one there. Your… your father is gone."

Luna's lip started to tremble, as the thoughts and fears she'd been repressing since the office door closed a week ago started to come to the surface. "You're lying. I can see him! I can hear him!"

"I know, dear." The woman placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and worked to hold in her own tears. She hated being the one to have to tell this child she'd lost the only parent she had left. "But that isn't him. It's his spirit." An idea came to her then and she asked, "What is he saying right now?"

Tears began to fall rapidly down the child's face as she answered, "He's saying you're telling the truth. That he's sorry he's left me alone, but that you seem like nice people. He wants to know if you'll take me somewhere safe."

Remembering what she'd said earlier, Peggy looked behind her and said, "That's why I was sent here. I'll take her somewhere she'll be fed, clothed, and given the best education possible. She'll meet other kids like her, and most importantly, she'll be protected."

Silence reigned for several moments before the warbling voice of Luna spoke up, "He says I should pack a bag. I'll be down in a minute."

As the little girl fled up the stairs both Carter and Strange turned to address the place they knew the spirit occupied. "Thank you for speaking for us. I promise you, we'll keep your daughter safe." Though no answer came forth, Both adults would later swear they'd felt a sense of gratitude radiating through the room.

The Next Day

Xavier's Front Lawn

Peggy hand't even taken three steps off the ramp of the jet before she found a flying missile of blue skin launching itself into her arms. It was a good thing Aurora was helping the new children with their seat belts or they might get a shock at the sudden arrival.

"You're back!" Harry shouted happily as he squeezed her with all the strength he could muster. Considering the fact that his frost giant heritage had been awakened, that was quite a lot actually. He wasn't as strong as her, but Harry was definitely above any other human alive. Still, the former soldier relished the love and attention as she hugged her little boy back. She'd missed him just as much actually. A quick look over the lawn showed her a smiling Loki, dressed in an immaculate human suit. Grey this time. He bowed low before waving at her lightly and disappearing in a shimmer of light. His message was clear, 'Thank you for the time with my son. Now he's all yours.'

Peggy had expected problems concerning sharing a child with the mischievous god, but so far he'd been rather accommodating. "Where's your grandmother, Harry?" she spoke softly as she set him back on the ground. Idly she took note of the intricate walking stick he still carried around with him, and Jean rushing to catch up with him. Clearly he still loved Frigga's gift, and the moment he saw the jet he'd taken off running.

"Working with Mr. Logan. She said something about trying to help him with his memory blocks."

She raised an eyebrow. "Didn't Professor Xavier already try?"

"He hasn't tried magic."

"Ah, of course."

By that point Jean had finally reached them and snatched up Harry's hand with clear annoyance written across her face. "Next time slow down. I got stuck listening to Kitty daydreaming about how tight Piotr's Russian ass was. Why does she care that it's tight!? Why does the fact his ass is Russian matter?!" She raged.

"Jean, language." Carter scolded, trying like hell to keep herself from laughing. Neither of the kids had received the 'talk' yet and these misunderstandings were just hilarious. She wasn't looking forward to the day she actually had to explain the facts of life to her boy though. A sudden thought broke through her reveries, "I thought you'd figured out how to block out others surface thoughts?"

Jean blushed and scuffed the ground with her shoe. "Ever since Harry saved me from that thing in my head my powers have been… stronger? Bigger? I don't really have the word. My techniques still work, but they take a lot more effort."

"What does the professor say about it?"

"He wasn't very helpful. All he told me to do was keep practicing. Something about mutations working like muscles, and how mine just got bigger." She waved the hand she held happily and said, "In the meantime, Harry still helps block everything like when we first met."

"I'm sure he does." Peggy looked back up the ramp, and she could just see the white haired teacher leading their new arrivals over the edge. "Would you two like to meet our new students?" Both children nodded excitedly, and she moved beside them so all of the kids could see each other. There were a lot of nervous stares, and Kurt was subconsciously running a three fingered hand through his hair.

When the silence reigned for one second too long Luna took it upon herself to march down to the blue skinned boy and redhead, reach out both of her hands at once to shake, and said, "I'm Luna Lovegood. Who are you two?"

Not seeing any reason to question the strange double greeting, Harry and Jean shook her hands with their free ones as the blond girl beamed up at them. "I'm Harry Carter."

"And I'm Jean Grey."

"Perfect. Now that we know each other we're going to be friends." Luna declared with an authoritative nod of her head. Before her new 'friends' could question that assertion, the new girl ran back up the ramp, grabbed the tailed boy, and dragged him over to meet the others. "Introduce yourself." When he failed to do so, she rubbed his shoulder gently and said, "These two are nice. I can tell."

Emboldened by her words, the new boy looked up and started for a moment at being so close to someone else that shared his skin color. It actually made him feel more at ease as he thought about it. "I am Kurt Wagner." He said, slowly offering a handshake, which Harry returned. "Ms. Carter told me zere vould be others like me here. I thought she vas kidding."

Harry chuckled lightly "My mom rarely kids about anything. Do you like soccer?"

Kurt tilted his head in confusion. "I'm German. Of course I do."

"Then let's play! The field is right over there and the ball shed is always unlocked!" Jean crowed as she took a hold of Luna. Together the four raced off, and all Peggy and Aurora could do was smile at the sight.

"It always amazes me, the resilience of children." The african woman commented as they closed up the Jet.

"It's a truly wondrous thing." Peggy agreed. "Now let's go see the professor. We need to get rooms made up for those two if they haven't been already."

A Few Hours Later

It was an exhausted group of children that made their way to the entrance of the mansion. They'd been playing none stop since arriving, so it made sense, and over the course of that play a true friendship had begun to form between them. They showed this with all the friendly ribbing they gave each other over 'cheating' with their powers. Jean had read their minds to figure out what direction they were going to run with the ball, Kurt had teleported across the field to stay out of range of his competitors for his shots, and Harry had frozen the ground beneath both of their feet, tripping them where they stood. For her part, Luna had just skipped around them all happily, kicking a goal in here and there, but otherwise just enjoying the company they represented.

They were all set to go in for dinner, but before Harry could walk inside Luna took hold of his shirt to stop him. "Um… Harry, there are two people over your shoulder. They've been asking me to speak for them for about an hour now and they're getting really loud."

"Huh? What do you mean there are people over my shoulder?" He asked blankly.

"Ms. Carter told me I can see the dead, and these two say they're your parents."

Harry grew still and his eyes grew into impossibly wide orbs. "M-My parents?"

"Yeah. One of them has super red hair, and the other has a shaggy black mop on his head."

Through much digging over the years, Phil Coulson had managed to procure a wedding picture of the Potter's for little Harry at Peggy's request. She didn't want him to forget the bravery and love of the parents that had died to protect him, and what Luna was describing sounded a lot like the Potters.

Swallowing the lump that was forming in the back of his throat, Harry asked, "What are they saying?"

Luna stared into space for a moment before answering, only… her voice sounded different. Older, somehow. "Harry, darling, we don't have much time left. The next great adventure is calling and we have to move on. But before we go, please know that we love you, no matter what. And we are more happy than you could ever know that Peggy found you. It was never our desire for you to go to Petunia and Vernon."

The blond girl's voice took on a decidedly male quality as she continued, "Son, I may not have been your father, but in every way that mattered to me I was your dad. I couldn't have cared for you more if you really did come from me. Never doubt that."

Tears began to fall down the boy's face at those words. He hadn't even known he needed to hear that until this very moment. He loved his adoptive mother, but some part of him had always wondered about the Potters. His emotional upheaval was far from over however, as the voice he now knew to be Lily Potter took over once more.

"Before we move on, we wanted to pass on some last little pieces of advice. They aren't much, but they'll make sense in time. First, try your best to make friends, like you have been. You don't need many, just as long as those you have are ones you can trust completely. Next, study hard and apply yourself, weather it's academics, mutant abilities, or combat. The world is a big and often dangerous place so you need to be prepared and knowledgable. Don't borrow money if you can avoid it, and don't touch alcohol until you are at least eighteen. Finally… women. You might think they're icky now, but someday you are going to want a girlfriend. When that happens, don't go for the first skirt you see. Find someone great, like your new mother, Peggy. Someone kind, strong, and willing to stand beside you through any challenge."

James' voice took over once more, "Or just go wild and form a full harem. Make me proud son!"

"James!" Lily admonished (if a bystander were watching they'd certainly have a laugh at what looked like a little blond girl arguing with herself.) "We're supposed to be giving him good advice!"

"That is good advice, Lily. We don't want him to be too serious in life. He'd be as bad as Moony then."

"Regardless," she cut him off, "we're out of time now, Harry. Goodbye, my son. Mommy and Daddy love you, always and forever."

As the voices cut out, Luna was the only one that could see their shades fading out of existence. By that point there were tears of her own falling in time with her new friend, and without thinking she pulled him into a hug, holding him as he fell apart.

That was how Carter found them. She'd been concerned when her son didn't arrive with the others for dinner, and she'd gone searching, finding the wayward children in time to hear what seemed to be Lily Potter's last words. She was touched at the trust the shades seemed to have in her, and after her boy had quieted down to sniffles she walked out and took him lightly from Luna's arms.

"Thank you for being here for him, dear. Go on in and eat, I'll look after him now."

The girl didn't leave right away, "Can I come see him later? I want to make sure he's alright."

Peggy smiled at her little boy's new friend, "Of course. Why don't you bring Kurt and Jean with you tomorrow and we'll all have breakfast before your classes? I'm sure he'll be ready for visitors then."

Luna beamed and raced off with a, "Thank you, ma'am!" shouted over her shoulder.

Later, as the super soldier was tucking Harry into bed, the boy reached for her hand and said, "Mom… thank you."

"For what, dear?"

"For finding me, taking me in. For everything."

Carter leaned over and hugged the boy she'd practically wrapped in a cocoon of comforters. "You'll never need to thank me for that, Harry. I'm your mother after all."

"Yeah." He smiled as drowsiness started to take its toll. "The best mom in the world. Lily thought so too." at the last word he lost the fight and drifted off into the land of dreams, leaving a wetly smiling Peggy in his wake.

Meanwhile

The White House

Two men were sitting across from each other in the oval office. One wore a salt and pepper beard and carried a leather binder, while the other was clean shaven and nursing a glass of bourbon.

"Mr. President, you must see the need for this operation's approval." The bearded man spoke.

The commander in chief swirled the liquid in his glass for a moment to collect his thoughts before responding. "I see that there is cause for concern, Striker, but I'm not sure the response you've recommended is the right one. It would be a large escalation."

Colonel Striker frowned. "Sir, it's a school focused on training mutants to use their abilities, with no government oversight. They could be building an army, and we have seismic scans of the grounds that show a vast tunnel network full of lead lined rooms. They could have weapons, explosives, or god knows what down there besides their fucking jet."

The president was clearly troubled by that insinuation, but nevertheless he made sure to voice his worries. "This isn't a terrorist cell we're talking about, colonel. It's a school, full of children. You're talking about leading an armed force onto the grounds and taking them into custody before transporting them to a black-sight. Do you have any idea what the media could do with that if they caught wind of it? What about the parents? Do you expect them to not notice when all contact with their kids stops at once? On top of that, your proposal gives no indication of what you're going to do with those children once you have them detained."

Striker sighed and reclined back further onto the couch, tapping his binder lightly on his knee. "I wanted to give you plausible deniability, Mr. President. Someone in your position needs a certain level of separation when hard decisions need to be enacted after all."

"What exactly are you saying?"

"I'm saying these aren't 'children' we're dealing with, not really. According to the law, they are mutants and that gives us some wiggle room in how we treat them. We need to understand their powers. What makes them work, how to counteract them, and finally… how to eliminate them from our gene pool if possible. When people exist that can move entire cities with their minds democracy cannot long stand. If you really need to know what I'll do, I plan to cut some of these creatures open and see how they tick. Better they be used to save humanity than be trained to fight against it."

The president's face was going gray at what he was hearing. "That's monstrous! You can't be sure that's what they are doing there."

"Really?" Striker opened his binder, pulled out several large photographs and slid them across the coffee table between them.

The leader of the free world took a few seconds to look over them. In one he saw a very powerfully built woman, another that looked downright regal, and a small blue skinned boy. Another gave him the view of that same boy apparently coating the grass around him in ice. Finally, and this one definitely made him blink, he saw a picture that seemed to have been taken inside the new Asgardian Embassy in New York. He saw Loki, half his body blue, as if the shot had been taken as his skin was changing, kneeling before the same boy from the other images.

"What is this, Striker?"

"Proof that my moles in SHIELD are worth the government expense, sir. Through careful examination of their records and correspondence, they managed to ferret out who exactly that child is." Without further ado, the colonel leaned forward and steepled his fingers as he said, "That is Harry Carter. The adopted son of this country's most effective super soldier, the grandson of Frigga, queen of Asgard, and the son of Loki, ambassador of Asgard. So I ask you Mr. President, do you still think that school is no threat? Even knowing that a fucking demigod attends it, supported by two other deities? A foreign power has elements amongst a potentially violent mutant population, sir. We cannot do nothing."

The president was silent for five whole minutes, staring at those photos the entire time. Eventually he looked away, visibly wrestled with himself, and then said, "I won't approve your experimentations. It is not my belief that this country has fallen far enough to resort to such tactics. Especially when the mutant population as a whole has not proven violent. That being said… you have raised some valid concerns. So here is my decision. You have my authorization to go in, detain, and question those students in regards to what exactly goes on in that mansion. But you will not under any circumstances use lethal force. I won't have any dead mutants on the six o'clock news."

"Excellent choice, Mr. President. I'll begin preparations at once-"

"And Harry Carter is not to be harmed." he interrupted, causing Striker to freeze.

"I'm sorry sir," he began, "but I thought you said-"

The president stood and walked back behind his desk, "You heard me well enough, Striker. If things go wrong then kidnapping the boy will be bad enough. God help us if he's been damaged as well. We cannot afford a war with Asgard. If Thor alone is any indication then their military might is massive."

"Sir that is all the more reason to use the boy to discover what makes their bodies tick! They might have a weakness we can exploit!"

"I said no. You can take him, interrogate him, but you will not harm him. That is my final word on the subject." He spoke with a clear note of finality, signaling his subordinate to stand.

"Very well, Mr. President." The colonel was working overtime to keep his scowl off of his face. The little blue bastard had been the catalyst that caused him to bring this proposal before his superior in the first place. An actual Asgardian, within his grasp! Now he was being told to limit his interactions with it? No, he'd just have to be 'creative' with his approach to the boy. Adhere to the word of the orders, and not the intent. He'd make it work.

With a farewell nod, he left the room, met up with his secretary/bodyguard Yuriko Oyama, and left the white House behind. He had an incursion to plan.