Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or the Avengers. Unfortunately.

Chapter 10: Loki Loses It

Harry and Happy were playing poker with candy. Happy was losing. Harry laughed as Happy lost yet another hand and proceeded to mutter under his breath about Stark genetics. Harry may not have been a good chess player but he was surprisingly good at poker once Happy had taught him all the rules. While they played Happy told him about some of Tony's more amusing adventures.

"Why do all these stories end with Tony naked in strange places, and you having to pick him up?" Harry couldn't help but ask.

"They don't all end that way." Happy protested.

"The last three have." Harry argued.

"Well, it's not my fault that your dad can't seem to keep his clothes on. I don't know if you've noticed but your dad is a bit impulsive. Sharp as a tack but he can be dumb as a rock when he comes up with a new idea. His self preservation instincts are severely lacking."

Harry could only agree considering some of the things he'd heard and seen Tony do.

Despite the stories and the poker Harry's mind kept wandering back to what Tony was doing, and if was all right. Harry wasn't stupid he knew what Tony did was dangerous. Sure, initially he had just been amazed by what Tony did as Iron Man, and proud to discover that his dad was a real life hero. It was only recently that he really started to grasp the dangerous side of it. It was a bit of an oversight on his part considering that he was well acquainted with the fact that things weren't always sunshine and daisies. He'd been in enough dangerous situations on his own to know better. Tony always made everything seem so easy, and that it wasn't such a big deal that people had tried to kill him. Harry must have gotten that unfortunate trait from him. It just seemed that the Starks were danger magnets, and always ended up with people who wanted to kill them.

These were the thoughts that kept lingering on his mind while Tony was away dealing with Loki, the supposed God of Mischief. When Jarvis informed him that Tony was calling them Harry practically lunged for the phone, eager to hear how things were going. It was difficult for Harry to sit back when life-threatening things were happening around him. He was used to being right in the middle of things, and doing all that he could to help. Being stuck at home was new for him. However, he had enough common sense to recognize that there wasn't much that he could do in a situation like this one. It was really up to people like Tony who had experience in these types of situations or happened to have a highly advanced, powerful suit of armor to protect them.

"Tony?" Harry gasped as he answered the phone.

"Hey, Mini-Merlin," he replied. There was something off in his voice; Harry couldn't help but think that something had happened.

"Is everything all right?" Harry asked.

"Of course! Everything is just fine, kiddo. I'm just checking up on you and Happy. You haven't driven him crazy yet have you? It would take a lot of effort for me to break in another driver." Tony babbled.

"Tony, he's been working for you for years. I don't think there's anything that I can do to drive him crazy that you haven't already done," he replied cheekily.

Tony snorted. "You're probably right."

"Of course I am," Harry responded, happy to hear that Tony's voice had returned to normal.

Harry launched into a description of his day. He told him how he was beating Happy at poker, and about all of the stories Happy had told him. He expected Tony to protest the stories or make some sort of remark about them to defend himself but he seemed distracted.

"Hey, kiddo I'm really sorry but I have to go. I'll call back again soon, okay?" Tony said, cutting Harry off mid sentence.

"Yeah, okay," Harry murmured before saying goodbye. His shoulders drooped and he tried to avoid the concerned look on Happy's face as he put the phone down.

"Is everything all right?" Happy asked, watching him closely.

"Yeah, he was just checking in."

"Well, how would you like to hear about the time I found your dad passed out in a pie shop? He had bought the entire store just so he could he eat all of their pies. He had to have eaten ten of them by the time I found him."

Harry couldn't help but let out a snort. "He's a bit daft, isn't he?"

Happy only grinned in response and launched into his story.

He'd only gotten about half way through the story when an alarm rang throughout the building.

"Jarvis?" Happy called standing up quickly, his hand slipping under his jacket for his gun.

"There's been a security breach in the entrance hall. I would suggest quickly proceeding to Master Stark's workshop while I call Master Stark for back up. The agents Agent Coulson assigned to watch the building are attempting to fight back. It appears to be—"

Jarvis was abruptly cut off and all of the lights went out in the penthouse. It was still the middle of the day so the large windows provided an ample amount of light. It was still eerie being in the modern penthouse and not have any of the appliances working.

"All right, Harry we need to get you somewhere safe, now." Happy grabbed hold of his arm and started pulling him towards the bedrooms.

Harry couldn't help but wonder what was happening. His mind was whirring with possibilities. Tony had sounded off during their conversation but he would have told them if they were in danger from Loki. So was someone else attacking the tower? Someone Tony didn't know about? Or someone working for Loki?

The sound of the lift had both Happy and Harry stopping quickly. With the entire building's power shut down the lift shouldn't have been operating at all. Harry watched eyes widening in shock as the doors opened to reveal a tall man wearing black, green, and gold leather armor, and holding a long gold staff with a glowing blue stone on the end. He had long black hair that was slicked back behind his head, and his eyes were an eerie pale blue. Harry recognized the man instantly. He had seen his picture with all the other information that Phil had brought with him. This was Loki, the man Tony had left to stop. This was the man who had godlike powers, and wanted to use them to take over the world.

With his free hand Loki was holding a blonde man wearing navy blue wizard's robes off the ground by his throat. Harry gasped as the man suddenly slumped like a puppet with his strings cut. Loki dropped him to the lift floor where another man in wizard's robes lay unconscious or perhaps worse. Loki stepped from the lift into the penthouse his sharp blue gaze locking on Happy and Harry. Harry could do nothing but stare at the god as he stared at him. He could sense the magic surrounding him. It was almost like being in Hogwarts or Diagon Alley. He could just sense the man's sheer magical power in the air around him.

"Go up to the roof. You know what to do from there," Loki snapped.

For a moment Harry thought he was talking to them. A quick glance into the lift showed a familiar face. It was Dr. Selvig, the kind doctor that Harry had met while staying at SHIELD. He had an odd, vacant smile on his face, and he was carrying some sort of metal contraption along with a metal briefcase that he was hugging protectively to his chest. Harry couldn't imagine what Dr. Selvig was doing with someone like Loki. There seemed to be something off with the doctor's eyes but he wasn't able to get a good look before the lift doors closed once more.

"What do we have here? Does the metal man have a heart after all? How foolish of him to leave it so unguarded," Loki purred once they were alone. He glided gracefully forward. A predator stalking his prey.

"Not one step closer, mister," said Happy keeping his gun trained on Loki while keeping his body in front of Harry as a shield.

"Or what? You'll shoot me? Your pathetic mortal weapons wouldn't even scratch my skin," Loki taunted.

"I'm warning you," Happy growled.

Loki only chuckled as he continued to slink towards them.

"Harry run!" Happy shouted.

Harry's legs obeyed before his mind could really think it through. He sprinted towards the bedrooms. If he wanted to be of any help he needed to get his wand first. Behind him he heard Happy firing at Loki. He peeked back to see that Loki had stopped and though the shots seemed to slow him down a bit, they certainly didn't stop him.

"Happy!" Harry shouted once he had the door open.

Happy turned to run back to him. Loki pointed his staff towards Happy. It glowed an ominous blue but just before he fired Hedwig swooped down and knocked his wrist aside. A powerful blue force exploded from the staff and hit the wall leaving behind a scorch mark. Hedwig's distraction gave Happy enough time to reach Harry. Hedwig also shot towards the open doorway and made it through just in the nick of time. Once the door shut the reinforced steel door shook from another blast from Loki's staff.

"That won't keep him out for long. Tony keeps some weapons in his bedroom. I'll grab them, and hold him off at the door. You need to barricade yourself in your room," Happy ordered.

Harry nodded. He wasn't planning on barricading himself in but he was going to go to his room to grab his wand and invisibility cloak. He raced into his bedroom with Hedwig at his side. The trunk with all of his magical items was at the foot of his bed. He dropped to his knees beside it and swiftly started shuffling through it. The sound of the door to the hallway smashing open had him jumping and glancing quickly towards his bedroom door. There was the sound of more gunfire, and then a thud. Hedwig puffed up her feathers, her wings half unfurled looking like she was preparing for battle. Harry quickly went back to searching for his wand and cloak, hoping that Happy was all right.

His fingers had just closed around the handle of his wand when the door to his bedroom slowly opened. He jumped to his feet and whirled to face the God of Mischief himself. The god's eyes were calculating as they roved over him. An amused smirk settled over his sharp, lean features.

"Well, this is certainly an unexpected surprise," he drawled stepping into the room.

Hedwig screeched and launched herself at him. Loki merely lifted his free hand and Hedwig dropped to the ground, unmoving.

"Hedwig!" Harry cried running towards her. He didn't even care about Loki in that moment. Hedwig was the one constant in his life. The first true friend he'd ever had. She couldn't be dead.

"She is alive. I've merely put her to sleep. She is quite the loyal creature. You're very lucky." Loki informed him.

"You're very lucky. If you killed her things wouldn't have turned out well for you," Harry growled gently stroking her feathers while also checking to see if she was still breathing.

Loki chuckled. "Brave words for a mortal child. Do you know who I am?"

"You're Loki. But I don't care who you are. It doesn't matter because I'll do my best to stop you," said Harry his recklessly brave Gryffindor side coming out to play.

"Ah, there's no doubt in my mind now. You are the son of the Man of Iron. What is your name young mortal?"

"It's Harry," he spat out. "What are you doing here? What do you want?"

Harry was trying to formulate some sort of plan. He had his wand but he had only had one year of a magical education under his belt. Yes, he was smart and had spent a lot of time in the library. He had even learned some advanced spells that they didn't teach until fourth or fifth year. But he wasn't completely proficient at them, and he definitely wasn't anywhere near the level of being able to compete with a millennia old god. He just had to remain calm and confident, and believe that he was going to be able to get through this. Or at the very least last long enough until Tony arrived. Because there was one thing Harry had come to trust about Tony and that was that the man would always be able to find him.

"I've chosen your father's tower as the location to herald in my new reign," Loki declared and as if on command the lights in the tower suddenly came back on.

"Jarvis?" Harry called.

"Your father's mechanical servant has been shut down, permanently, for the time being. We are alone."

"Why are you doing this? Why do you want to rule Earth? Aren't you a god? Shouldn't you want to rule Asgard or something?" Harry asked.

Loki's features darkened. Asgard was obviously a sore subject for the god.

"I have a much more glorious purpose now." His gaze became distant for a moment.

"Taking over the world isn't exactly what I would call glorious," muttered Harry.

Loki's eyes snapped back into focus and trained themselves on Harry.

"You are not what I expected a child of Stark to be," Loki observed.

"What do you mean?" Harry snapped self-consciously.

Loki's eyes lit up with amusement.

"Oh don't worry, I mean it in the most positive of ways. You are not like other mortals. I can feel the magic in you. You are one of those rare mortals who have a strong connection to the magic of the universe. I wouldn't have expected a man like Stark to have a child with such an ability. He seems so resistant to the idea of magic. Of course the two are practically the same. But magic is just a little bit more. It has a spark of life in it. A will of its own, and it seems to favor you for some reason," Loki explained drawing closer to Harry.

"You know a lot about magic?" Harry couldn't help but ask. After all how often would he ever get the chance to talk to a Norse god about magic? And Loki seemed to like to talk about himself so it would waste time if Harry kept him talking.

A full grin split Loki's features this time. "You could say that. And I could teach it all to you if you wanted."

"Why would you do that? You don't even know anything about me. Besides isn't Tony sort of your enemy?" Harry questioned.

"Ah, yes but that is what would make it so brilliant. It would truly crush his spirit to see his own child turn against him," Loki mocked.

"I would never do that," Harry snarled, wanting nothing more than to hex Loki.

"I can already see the potential bursting inside you. You could be great you know. And I could help lead you down that path to greatness," Loki drawled unknowingly restating what the Sorting Hat had told him last year. And just like before Harry wanted no part in the type of future Loki was explaining.

"Not if that greatness comes at the price of hurting other people," Harry told him sternly.

Loki sighed. "So young and yet already so full of morals. Are you sure you aren't related to that ridiculously patriotic man instead of Stark?"

Harry just glared at him.

Loki shook his head, looking disappointed. "Don't you realize that you are better than they are? They are all fools who fear and hate that which they do not understand. All those who are different face this prejudice. Yet they are the weak ones, and it is not my fault if they cannot protect themselves. They have no reason to mock you. To hate you for being better then they are. They chose their fate and for that they must suffer."

For some reason Harry got the impression about half way through his diatribe that Loki wasn't exactly talking about him anymore. He had that distant look in his eyes again, and they seemed to be bluer than they had been before. Either way his rant made him seem like a crazy person.

"I'm not better than anyone," Harry mumbled his mind going back to all the times he had been told he was less.

"But you are. You have a gift that the general masses could only dream of having. Others crave this power and this is why they will always be envious of you. The wretched mortal filth cannot be trusted to have their own thoughts. They will always seek to destroy that which they cannot have. That is why they must be subjugated. They must be freed from freedom. You will see they will be happier this way. To have their thoughts, thought for them."

The insane light in Loki's eyes made Harry take a step back. Something was wrong with him. The more time Harry spent listening and watching him the surer he became of this fact. Unless it was normal for an Asgardian's eyes to have such an unnatural spark to them. The brighter the blue glow in his eyes became the crazier his words were. As a whole he didn't seem to the most stable of people but it seemed the angrier he got the more erratic he became. Staring into his eyes made Harry feel unreasonably chilly, like he was gazing into a dark endless void. There was something in that void that was probing at the depths of his thoughts. It was cool and slimy. It felt like it was slithering through his mind, searching for his weakest points.

"I think you're wrong. Not all people are like that," Harry said defiantly.

"Really? What about your relatives? Was it right for your Aunt and Uncle to lock you in a cupboard and to treat you like a slave? Were they good people who loved you despite your differences from themselves? No. No matter what you did you couldn't earn their affection because you were not their son by birth. You were foreign, and controlled powers that their pitiful minds couldn't even begin to understand."

Harry's mind faltered in its escape plan. He didn't want Loki to know about that, and he absolutely hated that he was bringing it up.

"How do know about that?" Harry hissed.

"This staff that I was given has gifted me with a wealth of power and knowledge. I can do so much more now. See things from far off worlds that others can barely imagine. I know things that others could never dream of. It is only right that I rule these pitiful creatures. Dr. Selvig is even now preparing the portal and soon my army will come. I will reign supreme, and all will kneel before the might of Loki," Loki breathed in exhilaration.

Harry shivered as he felt the cold power emanating from the insane god wash over him. It was only then that Harry realized just how close Loki had gotten to him. He was barely a few metres away. Harry slowly inched away. He wanted to keep some distance between the two of them. Harry wouldn't put it pass Loki to attack him at any moment. He was too unpredictable at the moment.

Loki wasn't deterred. He just stepped closer every time Harry stepped back. "I have seen into your mind. I have seen how alike our childhoods were. My father always loved my brother over me. It was not until recently that I learned why. Odin plucked me from Jotunheim during the last war between the Frost Giants and the Aesir. I was not his true son and therefore he could never love me the same as Thor. I was just another stolen relic to be kept safe should he ever have need to use me," Loki whispered.

For a moment Harry could almost swear that his eyes looked more green than blue. There were tears in Loki's eyes that sent a pang through Harry's heart. For a moment Harry could sympathize with the god. When he had been young he had just wanted the Dursleys to love him but at one he realized they would just never love him the way they loved Dudley.

"We have so much in common you and I. There are so many things that I could teach you. Together we could do anything. If you join me, you could have your revenge on your relatives. You could have all of the knowledge, and power you ever wanted," Loki claimed, his eyes flaring blue again. The god was clearly losing his grip on reality if he thought those things could sway Harry.

Loki was very close to him now. If he was going to do something he really had to do it soon. There was only spell he was confident in using that just might work to help him get away. At the very least it would hopefully distract Loki long enough for him to get past him and out of his room.

"I'm really going to have to pass," Harry insisted. Then before he could think better of it he lifted his wand. "Expelliarmus!"

A red jet of light shot from his wand and slammed into Loki. It sent Loki reeling back from the close range of the spell, and the staff flew from his hand. While he was momentarily incapacitated Harry shot forward towards the door Loki had previously been blocking. He snatched up the staff as he ran by. The staff seemed to be the source of Loki's power, and Harry wanted to weaken him as much as possible. However, it was the wrong thing to do.

The moment his hand closed around the staff it was like an explosion went off inside him. It was like every nerve ending was suddenly on fire, but filled with ice at the same time. Pain like nothing he had ever felt before was coursing through his veins. The pain was from the overwhelming influx of energy that was pouring into him. The worst part was the voices. They were whispering things in his mind, terrible things. Wonderful things. They told them how he would never be good enough, how they could help him if only he listened to them. He could make the Dursleys suffer. He could destroy Voldemort for killing his mother. He deserved the power. He deserved to rule. But first he would need their help. Only they could make him great.

It was that utterance that snapped Harry from the ensnarement they were working over his mind. He dropped the staff. It was only then that he became aware of his surroundings once more. He had fallen to his side from the sheer force of the agony touching the staff had caused him. Loki was standing over him. His murky blue-green gaze locked on him. He hesitated slightly before reaching down and snatching up the staff once more.

"Now, you have seen the power that you can wield if you join us," Loki proclaimed.

"No, I won't do it," Harry whispered weakly, his body was still shuddering with the aftereffects of touching the staff.

"I think this might change your perspective on things." Loki swung the staff forwards.

The tip of the staff pressed against his chest, right over his heart. The poisonous power of the staff surged through Harry once more. It was a more concentrated power. It had a purpose and it was more difficult for him to fight off. It seemed to seek out his heart and mind. It locked away all of his own will leaving behind only his memories and a strong desire to see Loki succeed. It made him feel detached and very far away from himself. The energy from the staff and the way it interacted with his magical core was a different story. It seemed to open up his magic, giving him access to it in a way that he had never believed possible.

"Now do you see, Harry? Do you see all that we can accomplish together? But first we must crush your father, and the other fools who seek to stop us. It will be poetic to see the father being crushed by the son," Loki hissed.

"I understand now," Harry replied and in that moment he did. He wanted nothing more than to see Loki accomplish his goals. The energy had opened him to a whole new world of possibilities and he couldn't let anyone try and take that away from him.

"Then go wait in the penthouse. Your father will be arriving soon and I want you to give him a proper welcome."

Harry nodded knowing exactly what he meant, and Loki grinned pleased by the turn of events. Harry walked out towards the penthouse to wait for Tony. He stepped carelessly over the unconscious body of Happy. He appeared to still be breathing but at this point Harry hardly cared either way. A part of him screamed that this was wrong but it was locked tightly behind a brilliant blue cage in his mind. The rest of him had a task set before him and he needed to complete it no matter what.

When Iron Man finally did arrive it was all too easy for Harry to catch him unawares. He allowed the man to hug him before he blasted him off his feet. It was so simple all he had to do was think it and it happened. It was all so much easier than having to channel his own energy through another magical object.

The part of Harry that was still him vaguely registered that he shouldn't be able to do magic like that. But the staff that Loki had used to pilot Harry's body had given him a wealth of information on how to better manipulate his own magic. He had a better sense of his own magic, and how it moved through him and connected with the world around him. He could see the magic in the world around him. It was everywhere and connected to so many different things. It was wonderful.

Harry listened absently as Loki and Tony argued. It didn't really concern him. He was only waiting for the moment when he could be of use again. He did break into their conversation once when Tony was trying to sneak something off the counter. Loki often became too wrapped up in his own speeches to pay close attention to what his enemies were up to. Harry was more than happy to help him out in that area.

Loki saying his name brought his attention back into sharp focus. "Harry, it's time for your father to leave."

Harry couldn't help but smile as he raised his hand more than willing to use his power again. He only had to twitch his fingers and Tony was once more thrown across the room. The task was simple as he lifted him into the air and spun him around before dropping him. It was great fun for Harry. It amused him to watch how helpless Tony was against him.

"See all of the things I can teach you?" Loki whispered into Harry's ear. Harry just nodded unable to stop the smirk from stretching over his features. He understood now, he really did, and he couldn't wait to learn all he could from Loki.

"Anytime now, Jarvis," Tony coughed out. He looked so bruised and battered. The part of Harry that knew it was wrong to see Tony this way took hold. He shouldn't feel amused or elated to see his father like this. Just a few hours earlier he had been worried sick about him.

"Finish him," Loki hissed.

Harry hesitated. This wasn't right, he couldn't kill Tony. Tony was all Harry had left in the world. Tony had taken him in, given him a home where he felt safe, and a family to call his own.

"I said finish him," Loki snarled impatiently.

But Tony wanted to stop him. He wanted to keep him from using this new power because he was afraid of him.

"Harry kiddo, I know you're in there. Fight it. I know you're stronger than he is. You can break his hold on you!" Tony shouted.

Harry stared at Tony. His eyes were moist with unshed tears and the lines of his face were creased with worry. Tony was worried about him. He wasn't afraid of him. Tony cared about what happened to him. Tony believed in him. Suddenly, Harry recognized that something was wrong with him. The thoughts in his head weren't truly his own. He didn't want to hurt Tony. Tony was working so hard to make up for the years they had lost. Harry closed his eyes and shoved back as forcefully as he could against the voices in his mind.

"Enough!" Loki screamed.

Harry vaguely heard the sounds of shattering glass but he was too focused on his own internal battle. He couldn't lose or else he would be forfeiting his own mind in the process. The voices tried once more to lure him back into their web of mind control. But Harry knew better now. He was more aware of their lies, and he could fight back. He had to fight back. He couldn't hurt Tony again. The voices seemed to realize that their soft whispering lies wouldn't work anymore so they tried a new tactic. They moved on to trying to overpower him by sheer force. The pain was incredible and he couldn't help but scream aloud as he fought back with his own magic. The voices were getting weaker, cut off from their own power source, and unable to sustain themselves without an anchor to Harry's own magical core. Something else seemed to be helping Harry to fight off the voices within him. It was a dark energy that seemed to be concentrated in his scar.

The dark energy worked with Harry's own magic to help protect its host from this foreign invader and together they finally wiped it out. However, in the process the dark energy was also destroyed and the ensuing climax to their internal battle caused an external shockwave to explode from Harry's body. Harry could do nothing but lay curled up on the floor clutching at his head from the pain. The war inside him had felt like it had waged for eons, and it was difficult for him to reorient himself to the outside world again.

He could hear the cry of "Harry?" and feel hands gently tugging at his own. "Please talk to me. Tell me what's going on. Tell me you're okay."

Harry could only respond with a groan and continued to clutch at his head. His whole body hurt and he was absolutely exhausted from the magical struggle. The hands that had been pulling at him suddenly moved to scoop him up into a warm embrace. He was gently rocked in the comforting hold, and strong hands rubbed his back in a soothing gesture.

"Come on kiddo, come back to me. I know you can do it, Harry," a voice he finally recognized as Tony's whispered against his hair.

"Tony," Harry mumbled still feeling a bit disoriented. His memories were all in a confusing jumble. The pain and the mind control left him seeing the events of the last few hours in a disjointed mess.

"Harry! Let me see those eyes, kiddo," Tony demanded gently prying his hands away from his face.

"What happened?" Harry asked. He was unclear as to why Tony was being so insistent at seeing his eyes.

Tony just chuckled. A huge grin stretched over his features, and his brown eyes were shining.

"Loki!" Harry gasped suddenly remembering everything. "He… He attacked Happy. Knocked him out. But I think he was okay. There were some other men, wizards I think. He stopped them too. I'm not sure if they're all right. Then he used that staff he was carrying on me. It made me feel like I was floating. Everything was really fuzzy and I couldn't think for myself. I just wanted to do everything I could to help Loki. It… He made me… I… I hurt you."

It all came out in a confused heap. The events of being under the influence of Loki's staff were becoming less clear. At the time he had felt levelheaded, albeit detached, and that what he was even doing had been the right thing. It had warped his perceptions.

"No, that wasn't you. You could never hurt anyone like that," Tony told him firmly.

"But I—" He should have fought back harder. Maybe if he didn't still harbor a small pool of anger and resentment towards Tony then maybe he could have broke the hold over him sooner.

"No, Harry, Loki made you do those things. He did the same thing to a couple of world-class spies and a really intelligent scientist. You're an eleven, almost twelve-year-old kid. It's amazing that you were able to fight off the mind control whammy he had over you," Tony praised him.

Harry didn't feel in the least bit worthy of his praise. He was happy to have Tony believe in him, though.

"I'm glad you're okay," Harry murmured. It was a relief to have him back, and all in one piece especially since Harry been personally responsible for tossing him around like a puppet on its strings.

"Not as glad as I am that you're okay," replied Tony, yanking him in for another hug and a quick kiss to his forehead.

Just then a voice from Tony's comm came over the line telling him that the other Avengers had just arrived in New York. Tony pulled away from him and got up to look out the window. Harry reluctantly followed. Outside there were strange creatures on strange flying machines zooming everywhere. They were firing at buildings and people. There was even a giant flying whale-like thing. It was complete chaos. Even after spending a year in the wizarding world Harry had never dreamed of anything like this happening.

"Well, that's not something you see every day," Tony murmured sounding just as stunned as Harry was.

"We have to stop them," Harry insisted. They were killing people and destroying the city.

"I have to stop it," Tony corrected him. "We just need to find a safe place for you."

Harry felt anger surge inside him. Tony couldn't just leave him again.

"Harry go down to my workshop. Seal yourself in and don't come out until all of this is over."

Harry opened his mouth to protest. He didn't want to be left behind. He wanted to help. It was in his nature to face things head on, and to want to do everything in his power to protect others. Hermione called it his 'saving people thing'.

"No, I said go. You're not equipped to handle something like this. Now, just do what I said."

A part of him understood that he couldn't fight this battle. But at the moment he wasn't sure Tony could either. He certainly didn't want Tony going out there and getting hurt.

"Please just go." Tony pleaded.

"Only if you promise to come back," Harry insisted. He couldn't lose him.

"I'll do my best," replied Tony seriously.

Harry just nodded. He could accept that answer. It seemed he had gotten his self-sacrificing behavior from both parents. If Tony had to, Harry knew he would sacrifice himself to save the day just like Harry himself would.

"Now, I really have to go kick some alien butt. The city wouldn't stand a chance without Iron Man around to save the day," said Tony with a grin.

Harry just smiled back before Tony shot off into the battleground that New York City had become. He watched him until he had disappeared around a building. Then he ran back into the bedrooms to check on Happy and Hedwig. Tony had told him to go to his workshop but Happy was still completely knocked out and there was no way he was leaving him. It took him a lot of effort but he managed to drag Happy into his bedroom. The door was still intact and he quickly shut them in. He checked on Hedwig as well and placed her gently on his bed. His wand lay abandoned on the floor where he had dropped it after first touching the staff. A shudder travelled up his spine as he remembered the pain and the voices. The voices coming from the staff did make him wonder. Were they something of Loki's own making or were they something else. Loki did say someone had given the staff to him so it could have been them.

He was jarred from these thoughts by a loud growl, and then the sound of shattering glass followed the vibrations of the tower as something slammed into it.

Hesitantly he made his way back out in to the main area of the penthouse. What he saw shocked him. It was the Hulk. He was much larger and more intimidating in person. Not quite as big as the mountain troll but from what he had read in the Avenger files he was infinitely stronger and more dangerous.

Loki was back in the penthouse as well and was picking himself up from the floor so that he could shout abuse at the Hulk.

"Enough! You are all of you beneath me! I am a god you dull creature. And I will not be bullied by—"

The Hulk cut him off by grabbing hold of his legs. Harry watched in utter amazement as the Hulk picked him up and slammed him into the floor like a child with a ragdoll. He paused for a second in his smashing to peek at Loki and then proceeded to slam him a couple more times for good measure. By the time he was finished there were Loki sized holes in the floor of the penthouse. The god in question was bleeding and lay in a stunned heap in the hole the Hulk had dropped him in.

The Hulk turned and muttered, "Puny god," as he sauntered away.

He caught Harry's eyes and paused for the briefest moment as he passed by. Harry was nervous that the Hulk would attack him but he just grunted and proceeded to jump out of the tower onto the back of one of the flying whales. Harry cautiously took a peek at Loki. The god stared up at the ceiling with clear, bright green eyes making a strange wheezing sound. The color of his eyes did make Harry pause because he was certain Loki hadn't had such clear green eyes before.

"Loki?" Harry asked not really sure why he was even bothering with the insane god.

He turned confused green eyes on Harry. It was as if for a moment he didn't even recognize Harry. Harry was about to question this phenomenon further when the phone rang. He leapt over to the couch and found the phone lying safely on the ground. Somehow it had managed to survive all the damage that had happened in the living room. It was Tony calling and Harry immediately answered hoping to tell him about what had just happened in the penthouse.

"Tony!" Harry cried.

"I've only got a couple of seconds here, kiddo. But I just want to say… I want to tell you that I love you, Harry. I couldn't have asked for a better son. I love you and I'm sorry for doing this to you," Tony said.

"What do you mean? Tony? Tony! Dad!" Harry gasped, confused and terrified enough for the word he had wanted to use for a while now to just slip out.

"Bye, kiddo," Tony whispered in a choked voice before ending the call.

Harry sat there with the phone to his ear, and nothing but dead silence ringing from the other end. The call could have only meant one thing. Tony was calling to say goodbye. He was going to sacrifice himself. He didn't know how or why but Harry knew that was what he was doing.

No! Harry couldn't let that happen. He sprinted to his room. He grabbed up his broom, enlarging it, and hopping on it in one smooth stride. He was air born and zooming out of the ruined penthouse windows a second later. There weren't any more aliens flying around they had all dropped to the ground, appearing lifeless. Harry could barely bring himself to care; he just needed to find his dad. He happened to glance up at the sky, and gaped at the large black hole that wavered up in the big blue sky. It was a real portal into another world, and Harry could only stare at it as it got smaller and smaller. At the last moment a familiar red and gold shape fell through the portal before it closed for good.

Harry didn't hesitate before shooting towards it. He watched in terror as his dad continued to fall. He should have stopped himself by now but he realized that Tony must have been unconscious or worse since he was still falling. Harry wasn't sure if the Iron Man suit would be able to save Tony from the impact he was going to make when he hit the ground.

Unfortunately Harry didn't think he would be able to get to Tony in time to try and slow him down. It was with great relief that he watched the Hulk shoot out of nowhere and catch Tony in his arms. Harry changed his course for where the Hulk at jumped down, luckily it wasn't too far from him and he was close enough to watch them safely land. From a distance he could see three figures surrounding the stretched out form of a motionless Iron Man. The moment he was close enough he jumped off his broom and sprinted the remaining distance over the wreckage to his dad's side.

"Dad!" Harry cried.

Relief swamped through him when he saw Tony jerk up, their eyes connecting. He launched himself at Tony sending them both toppling over with Harry sprawled on top. Harry clutched at his dad, and tried to suppress the sobs of relief that were coursing through him.

"It's all right, Harry. Everything is going to be all right now," Tony assured him, stroking his hair.

Harry just gripped him tighter.

"You know we're going to have to have a talk about you listening to me. I clearly remember telling you to stay put." Tony joked.

Harry just snorted. Of course he would have to make light of the fact that he had almost died.

"Yeah, you get the not following rules thing from me. And, well a kid flying on a broom is probably like the fortieth on the list of weird things that happened today. So we'll just think about the consequences for that later," Tony said with a grin. Harry hadn't even thought of the consequences of flying through the city but there were sure to be a few. "But anyway who's up for shawarma? I saw a shawarma place a couple blocks back and I've always wanted to try it."

"First, there is something that we must do," said a tall, red cape wearing blonde man. Harry instantly recognized to be Thor, the God of Thunder. Harry would have been more thrilled to meet him had he not had the day he just had.

"Right, your brother," said Tony darkly.

"The Hulk tossed him around like a rag doll. I saw him," Harry couldn't help but point out. It was definitely one of the highlights of this awful day. He turned to grin over at the Hulk.

The Hulk grinned back and repeated his words from earlier, "Puny god."

"Whoa, you can talk big guy? Who knew?" Tony exclaimed looking stunned.

"We can discuss this later. Right now we should go grab Loki before he decides to try and slip away from us," said the other blonde man in a red, white, and blue suit. Captain America or Steve Rogers if Harry remembered correctly.

The others agreed and they all made there way back to what was left of Stark Tower. The five of them met up with Natasha and Clint.

Harry almost felt bad for Loki as all the Avengers stood over him, angry and united in that angry. He looked so broken from the Hulk's thrashing as he calmly lifted his empty hands in surrender. It didn't stop Tony from punching him in the face knocking him back out. He really did deserve it for everything that he had done. But Harry couldn't help but think that there was more to Loki's story.

"No one messes with my kid," Tony growled, wrapping a secure arm Harry's shoulders.

"So now what?" Harry asked.

Thor was tying up Loki and the other Avengers all looked completely exhausted. Harry couldn't blame them he was tired too. He was physically and magically exhausted.

"Shawarma," Tony replied with a grin.

"Sounds good to me," huffed a short man with messy dark, greying hair. He was clutching at a pair of too large ripped pants.

Harry gaped at him when he realized that this man was the Hulk's other half.

"Chin up, kiddo," Tony said putting a finger under his jaw to close his gaping mouth.

"So, this is your son?" the man who was sometimes the Hulk asked.

"Yup, this is my Harry," Tony announced proudly. "Harry meet Doctor Bruce Banner. You already had the pleasure of meeting his large, green alter ego who likes to smash things."

"Hello Dr. Banner. It's nice to meet you," Harry greeted.

"Call me Bruce and it's nice to meet you too, Harry." He reached over to shake his hand and nearly lost his hold on his pants in the process. "You don't happen to have any spare clothes I could borrow, do you Tony?"

"I think I can rustle up something for you big guy especially after the way you handled Reindeer Games. But I'll expect everything back dry cleaned." Tony waggled his finger at Bruce.

Bruce just smiled, he surprisingly seemed to understand and tolerate Tony's attempts at humor. It was obvious that Tony and Bruce got along quite well with another. Harry could see why, Bruce just seemed to exude a calm, unassuming presence despite the anger that no doubt simmered just beneath the surface.

"You have a son, Man of Iron?" Thor suddenly boomed. He had been watching over Loki's unconscious with slumped shoulders and a forlorn expression. Now he was suddenly animated and excited.

"Uh, yeah Point Break, that was kind of why the kid was calling me dad back there in the wreckage," Tony drawled.

Harry now had the eyes of all of the Avengers on him. Clint and Natasha already knew about him so it wasn't some big revelation to them. Steve Rogers on the other hand looked flabbergasted as he stared from Harry to Tony.

"Yeah, I know it's a shocker to find out Stark reproduced," Clint grinned, elbowing Captain Rogers. Captain Rogers gave a weak smile in response.

"Cap you're just lucky that you get to know three generations of Starks. Maybe four if you're really lucky, and Harry finds some nice girl to settle down with," Tony pointed out. Captain Rogers on the other hand looked a little green.

"Your son is a Seidr?" Thor questioned.

"A what-deer?" Tony frowned.

"A Seidr, a being born with the ability to wield magic. Of course that was primarily a term for the Norse magic users," explained Thor.

"I'm a wizard actually. My mum was a witch," Harry seeing no reason to keep it a secret anymore. After all half the people here weren't exactly normal themselves.

"Get out of here," Clinton snorted.

"Nope, he really is a wizard. He has a flying broom and everything," Tony crowed excitedly. He had definitely come a long way in his acceptance of Harry being a wizard. "Show 'em, Mini-Merlin."

Harry shrugged and held out his Nimbus 2012 for Clint to inspect.

"The magical world is a real thing. I'm not making this up Legolas. Go ask your one-eyed boss about it," Tony insisted when Clint still denied that Tony was telling the truth.

Natasha on the other hand appeared to already be aware of the information, and finally told Clint that it wasn't a joke.

"Nat, how could you keep something like this from me?" Clint whined.

"Orders," was all she replied.

Clint sighed but settled down. By that time Bruce had gotten dressed, Happy, the wizards, and Dr. Selvig were taken to hospital, and SHIELD had come to collect Loki and bring him to his temporary prison. The Avengers, plus Harry, all went for some well-deserved shawarma.

"You seem to be taking this wizard thing pretty well," Tony commented to Captain Rogers while they were eating.

"Well, we did just fight off an alien invasion led by a homicidal Norse god," Captain Rogers replied good-naturedly.

"True, but why do I get the feeling that that isn't all?" Tony pressed.

"I heard and saw some things during the war."

"What kinds of things?" Tony persisted. "Come on Cap you got to give me something."

Captain Rogers pinched the bridge of his nose and appeared to be asking for patience.

"Hydra and the Red Skull had an ally. A man named Grindelwald who could do extraordinary and unbelievable things. He had his own army of people, wizards, who were just like him. They were trying to take over the magical parts of Europe. They wanted to get rid of all the non-magical people in Europe but they cut some sort of deal with Hydra so that the two ended up working together. We ended up working with some wizards on the opposing side from Grindelwald. They were led by a man named Albus Dumbledore—"

"He's my headmaster at the school I go to," Harry cut in. It was amazing to think that Captain Rogers had known Dumbledore back in those days. He wondered what the headmaster had looked like.

"Wait, he's still alive?" Captain Rogers gaped.

"Yeah, he's well past 150 years old," Harry explained.

Captain Rogers was still staring. "I just didn't think I would ever get the chance to see anyone from the time before I was frozen."

Harry couldn't help but feel bad for him.

"Well, I'll definitely reintroduce you to Dumbledore if you want," Harry offered.

"That would be nice," Captain Rogers agreed with a smile. Harry grinned back.

"Okay, less talking more eating. The God of Hammers over there has somehow already inhaled four plates worth and looks ready to start scrounging off ours," Tony commented, glaring at the god in question.

For the rest of the meal Harry got the chance to hear the firsthand accounts of the battle from the Avenger's perspective. He had to say it was incredible to be sitting and eating with the people who saved the lives of millions of people. And his dad was the biggest hero of them all.

They finished up their shawarma and the Avengers all came back to the tower to sleep for the night. The city was in too much of a state of chaos and they were all too tired to try and find accommodations elsewhere. By the time they arrived Pepper had gotten back and she was standing in the pile of the wreckage holding Hedwig and crying.

"Pepper!" Harry cried running towards her.

"Oh thank god!" she gasped and swept Harry up into a tight embrace.

"Um, I'm alive too," Tony offered.

She chucked her mobile phone at him.

"Anthony Edward Stark! If you ever do anything stupid like riding a nuke through an unstable inter-dimensional portal again I will kill you!" she snarled looking deadly.

"Yes, dear," Tony said cowering slightly.

"I'm so glad you're alive," she whispered before collapsing into his arms.

He caught her and dragged Harry into their embrace.

"Everything is fine I wanted to redecorate the place anyway and look we made new friends," Tony cheered.

"Just shut up for once will ya?" Pepper asked but she was smiling.

"I think that's one thing that's beyond the realm of his capabilities," Harry said sagely.

"Hey, for that I'm not buying you anything for your birthday," Tony sniffed.

Harry just rolled his eyes. Despite the terrifying day he had had and all of the things he had faced since coming to live with his dad he wouldn't have changed a single moment of it. He was with his dad and Pepper in their destroyed tower. He was right where he belonged.

So I lied. I did end up having some time to write this chapter and I'll have time during Thanksgiving break to write Chapter 11, which has been outlined. The chapter is titled Birthday Bashing and will feature Harry's birthday which all of the Avengers will be attending and his reaction to the death of Phil and more on the mind control.

So this chapter really ended up getting away from me. I really meant to get to Harry finding out about Phil's death but by the time I concluded the Avengers I was past 9,000 words and didn't want to rush the revelation. So it will just be in the next chapter. I edited the last chapter a bit. Nothing major just typos and things. But anyway thanks to all those who reviewed, favorited, or followed!