So luckily for you guys, this chapter wasn't nearly as late as I thought it would be since the place I'm staying at unexpectedly has wifi and I am a kind and benevolent dictator who has answered your cries for more...
Pairings: No pairing is still in the lead for Harry, with Hermione and Daphne tied for second only a few votes behind. FrostIron is also still in the lead. Voting for Harry's pairing will continue until the Yule Ball chapter, while Loki's will keep going on for a while past that.
Extras: Thank you Terra King for being the very best sounding board.
And thank you to Kara Malarkey; your review was so lovely I just want to roll around in it like a cat.
Also bless everyone who takes the time to write individual reviews for each chapter as they read. You guys are the best.
Harry startled backward as Fawkes appeared before him, fire and smoke dissipating as quickly as it arrived. The phoenix trilled happily upon spying Harry unharmed. Vibrant wings flapped once, twice, and suddenly Fawkes was diving toward him, talons outstretched. Harry instinctively flung a hand up to protect his face but there was no need. Loki's hand had shot out in a flash and plucked the bird clean out of the air by his tail feathers.
"No!" she growled. Fawkes struggled, flailing wildly in an attempt to escape from the god's iron grip. He made to disappear into flame but still could not break free. Steam leaked from the spaces between Loki's fingers, which had taken on a curious blue sheen. The air around her crackled with magical energy. Red hair waved about on a non-existent breeze and green eyes took on an unearthly glow. She appeared every inch of the god(dess) she claimed to be, even clothed as she was in borrowed, over-sized sweatpants.
"What is that?!" "What's going on-" came various shouts from the room's other occupants. They were ignored. Loki stood, bringing up her other hand to hold Fawkes' upper body still.
"Harry," she said slowly, barely contained rage in her voice. "I want you to pen a letter to your headmaster. Reassure him that you are in good health and shall be returned to Hogwarts within the next 24 hours, whereupon the situation will be explained to him in full. And tell Dumbledore to keep his crooked nose out of your family affairs. I do not appreciate his lackey attempting a kidnapping, nor do I appreciate his complete disregard of the instructions in my will! You were never to be sent to those wretched people!" Loki was breathing harshly by the end of her impromptu shouting. Fawkes now appeared to be squawking in pain, rather than indignation. Loki took a few deep, slow breaths and loosened her fingers though her hair continued to float above her neck as her magic sparked around her dangerously.
Harry's mind was reeling. He could have, should have grown up away from the Dursleys, and Dumbledore; his mentor and possibly even a grandfather-figure had been the cause of his terrible life with them! His positive image of the wise old Headmaster was abruptly shattered into a thousand pieces. Harry found himself quickly running through every interaction he'd had with the man in a very different light. He thought back to the end of his first year, when he had asked Dumbledore why Voldemort wanted to kill him so badly… how many other things was the man hiding from him?
Bruce passed over a notepad and pen he had retrieved from a nearby end table, a sympathetic look on his face. Harry pulled himself from his upsetting thoughts and reached for them with a shaking hand. He scribbled a quick note, trying to keep the feelings that were rapidly bubbling up inside him under control. It took far more effort than it should have to not include a pointed comment about his home life in the letter, or to fill it with questions.
Professor Dumbledore,
I'm fine. Thor took me to see my mother in New York, where they confirmed what he told us in the Great Hall. We'll come back sometime today or tomorrow the same way we left and they can explain in more detail.
Harry
Harry tore out the page he'd written on and before he could do anything more, Loki snatched it from his hand and shoved it at Fawkes. The bird curled his talons around the paper with a reproachful look at his captor.
"Take this to your master, and do not come back here." She told Fawkes as she released his feathers. The phoenix took to the air once more, sporting what was likely the angriest facial expression physically possible for a bird. He listened to her orders however, and let out a sad warble in Harry's direction before vanishing into flames once more.
Loki sighed with relief but did not sit back down. Instead she tapped Harry gently on the shoulder.
"Come," she said. "Let us move this conversation to a place with more privacy." Harry swallowed, apprehensive, before he rose to follow. He was not looking forward to this conversation. Already the past two days had been the most emotionally taxing of his entire life. He could tell that his mother already had an inkling of what he'd been through but it still wouldn't make it easy to talk about.
Thor fell in line behind them, and Loki made no move to dissuade him. The look she shot the rest of the Avengers however, clearly said "Stay away".
"What was that all about?" asked Bruce as the three magic users disappeared into the hallway beyond.
"Loki just found out that this Dumbledore guy placed Harry with abusive relatives, which Loki apparently specified in his will Harry should never have gone to." answered Natasha in a matter of fact tone. "He then sent his magical teleporting bird to steal him back to England." She did not seem outwardly phased by these events, unlike Steve and Tony clearly were. Their brains still seemed to be struggling to reboot after witnessing a Phoenix in real life.
"I apologize for being unable to stop the intruder, Sir." JARVIS spoke up.
"That-That's okay J," answered Tony. "I'd be more worried if you actually had come up with safety protocols for magic fire turkeys."
"Harry's been abused?" Steve backtracked the conversation, eyes wide.
"Yeah..." replied Clint. He leaned forward as he filled Steve and Bruce in on what the others had witnessed and discussed the night before. Natasha turned to Tony.
"You might want to delete your records of Harry's home address, or at least keep it hidden from Loki for a while." she advised.
"No way, then he'd come after me! Or she? How does that work?" Tony rambled. "Seeing Momma Loki was all kinds of confusing let me tell you; you know I have a thing for terrifying redheads." He waggled his eyebrows at Natasha appreciatively. She rolled her eyes at him.
The Avengers sat in silence, pondering what to do next.
"Wonder what they're talking about in there…" said Clint. Tony fidgeted, fingers drumming an unintelligible rhythm on the arm of his chair. He leaned forward.
"Well you know… it was part of Loki's agreement with SHIELD that his rooms are all to be monitored by JARVIS until we're satisfied he won't go evil on us again…"
"Tony no, we can't spy on them-"
"Cool it, Cap. We'll turn it off as soon as they're done and they'll never have to know. J, if you would please?" Tony gestured vaguely to the ceiling. JARVIS acquiesced without a word and pulled up the security footage of Loki's room on the large flatscreen before them. Steve squirmed uncomfortably in his seat, but his protests fell silent as they all turned to the screen together.
"-wasn't that bad, really." Harry was saying, but it was clear that Loki and Thor were unimpressed with his story. The former had reverted back to his male form, looking tired and pale. Harry wondered why Loki kept changing into Lily if he was too weak to maintain the illusion, and to whose benefit he kept it up, exactly. Speaking of which…
"Er, what should I call you?" Harry changed the subject. Loki stared at him with a slight upward quirk of his lips. He knew exactly what his son was trying to do but decided to allow it for the moment.
"You may call me whatever you wish, though I will understand if familial endearments do not come easily to you. You may also use whichever pronouns you deem appropriate. I have no preferences." Loki said vaguely. Harry frowned. That wasn't exactly helpful, although he was glad to know that he wouldn't offend if he referred to Loki as female out loud. It was surprisingly simple to think of him in different names and pronouns. Already Harry felt used to his dual nature.
"Now," his mother continued. "You will not be able to worm your way out of this conversation my little liesmith; I am not known as Silvertongue for nothing. It will be many centuries before you reach my level of word manipulation. So tell me the truth; what did my rotten mortal sister do to you?"
Harry sighed, looking back and forth between the two gods seated across from him on the bed, seeing only fierce determination from Loki and gentle encouragement from Thor. He took a moment to organize his thoughts.
"Well they, they didn't love me, or even like me really...but life was mostly er, okay with them except for when I used accidental magic or did anything… 'freaky'." Harry avoided their eyes, picking at the hem of his shirt.
"Like what?" Thor pressed, obviously curious about the Midgardian magic previously unknown to him.
"Er… I once grew all of my hair back overnight when Aunt Petunia cut it off. And I think I apparated once, onto the roof when Dudley and his gang chased me at school."
"Dudley is the name of your cousin I presume?" asked Loki. He rolled his eyes at the ridiculous name, unknowingly echoing the same movement of several of the Avengers a few rooms away. Harry nodded.
"Another time I vanished the glass to a snake exhibit at the zoo," Harry reminisced, a little vindictively. "Dudley fell right in. The snake got free; he thanked me on his way out." He idly wondered what had happened to it. Harry continued on, naming the other incidents he remembered. Loki began to look thoughtful.
"Magical children's accidental magic tends to predict the type of magics they'll excel in. Would you say that you are good at Charms and Defense?" He questioned. Harry nodded again.
"Defense is my best subject." He added. He liked charms as well. It contained the most useful spells, in his opinion. Whereas Transfiguration could get very repetitive, Charms and Defense remained interesting and varied.
"The incident of growing your hair may imply latent metamorphmagus abilities, or you may have gained some of my own talents for shapeshifting and illusion… and a Parselmouth as well…" Loki trailed off, clearly thinking hard but uninclined to share.
Harry blinked at this information. He had wondered if his surprise Asgardian heritage would mean anything strange for his abilities or body. He figured he'd ask more about it later. Loki moved on; eyes narrowed.
"And how exactly did they punish you?" He asked carefully, sharing a meaningful glance with Thor. Harry fidgeted and looked down at his lap; missing it entirely.
"They… locked me in my cupboard under the stairs." He mumbled quickly, as though if he said it fast enough they might not hear. The two gods' eyebrows furrowed in similar expressions of rage.
"Er… Uncle Vernon smacked me around sometimes, and Dudley and his gang would try and corner me a lot at school..." Harry bit out slowly. Why was it so hard to admit these things? He didn't think that the Dursley's treatment had mattered all that much to him, but talking about it to people who seemed genuinely concerned and angry on his behalf was enough to make Harry feel choked up. No one had ever listened before.
"Th-they starved me sometimes. Lied to me. Until I was 11 I thought you and Dad were drunks who died in a car crash!" Harry exclaimed. That part still stung. He could understand Aunt Petunia's hatred of him, and even his dad, but he couldn't understand her extreme hatred of her own sister, or why she'd gone so far as to lie about her to Harry. As someone who had longed for a family or siblings his entire life, he just couldn't understand it.
Thor's face had grown stormy as Harry talked, while Loki looked as though he could set the Dursleys on fire with only the force of his glare. Outside of the room, the Avengers reacted much the same.
Steve looked like he was a few seconds away from exploding into a furious rant. Bruce seemed a bit green around the edges. The scientist plugged his ears as he took a few deep breaths; he didn't want to hear any more, reminded too much of his own unfortunate childhood. Clint and Natasha appeared unaffected, though the set of Clint's mouth and the tap of Natasha's foot betrayed their feelings to those who knew them.
"Okay, that's it." said Tony. "Let's make this kidnapping official. JARVIS, would you let Pepper know to make plans for putting up Loki and his spawn in the tower, officially?" He looked up at the ceiling, uncomfortable with the gooey, approving feelings the others were sending him with their faces. He had a heart, okay? And Harry was really rocking the whole 'pathetic lost orphan' thing.
Any further discussion was halted by JARVIS.
"Incoming message from Director Fury." Announced the AI. Tony waved a hand in response. The security footage on the screen blinked away, replaced by a view of Nick Fury seated at a desk in what appeared to be SHIELD Headquarters.
"Sir." Steve, Clint, and Natasha chorused. Fury glared at all of them with his one eye.
"Where's Thor?" He asked, searching the room for the missing god of thunder. "He better have a damn good explanation for why I'm getting reports of him abducting some metahuman from supposedly one of the most fortified places in Europe."
Just then, said god shuffled back into the room, followed by Harry and Loki, their conversation apparently put on hold for now. Fury's eye widened upon focused on Harry.
"Oh hell no. Tell me that is not Harry Potter in your tower right now. Are you trying to cause an international incident?"
"It is. He's Loki's kid." Tony blurted as he pointed a finger at them. He did so love making Fury annoyed. Harry shifted nervously.
"Loki's kid." Fury deadpanned. He scrubbed a hand down his face and breathed in deeply through his nose. "I'll repeat: you better have a damn good explanation."
Harry tried not to stare too much at the man, Fury, as the Avengers filled him in on Harry's situation. He was clearly in charge and a government official of some kind. He was also extremely intimidating. Harry watched with interest as Thor fumbled through an apology for causing trouble in Magical Britain though he clearly didn't see any problem with his actions. Fury obviously realized it too, because he cut the God of Thunder off abruptly.
"Just promise me you idiots won't do something so stupid again without running it by SHIELD first." He sighed.
"Wait." Said Natasha. "Why do you know who Harry is? How long has SHIELD known about magic?"
"Most governments are in the know. We were going to bring your team in on it if and when it ever became relevant. In fact, several of my agents are wizards. They stuck to the shadows during the Chitauri incident, helping with the evacuations." Many intrigued looks were traded around the room.
"Why haven't any of them joined the team?" Asked Bruce.
"There's a law. Strictly enforced: no exposure to the outside world." Fury answered succinctly.
"Obliviators will erase the memories of any non-magical person who witnesses magic, and the wizard who performed it is fined or imprisoned, based on what they did." Harry added, guiltily remembering the incident with Mr. Weasley's flying car. Fury eyed him shrewdly, but didn't seem to mind the interruption too much.
"Anyway; don't do anything like this again. I want the kid brought in today for a DNA test and NDA signing and then for the love of God, take him back where he came from and calm things down before that dumbass Minister finds out and does something stupid." Harry snorted at the reference to Cornelius Fudge and with that, the screen went dark.
After some muttering between themselves it was decided that Bruce would draw Harry's blood while they were at the tower rather than let some stranger do it, then Thor would accompany Harry to the closest SHIELD base to let them test it against Loki's DNA already on file, and so he could also sign the Non-Disclosure Agreement. Clint explained what that meant to Harry while Bruce left the room to collect his supplies.
"It basically just means you can't tell anyone about SHIELD or Fury or any mission related information you might pick up from us."
Harry nodded as Bruce returned. He directed Harry to hold out an arm. Loki hovered over them both, a distasteful expression on his face as he eyed both the needle and the oblong scar on Harry's forearm left behind from the Basilisk fang. It was a little awkward yet comforting, and unbeknownst to the two of them, adorably endearing to everyone else.
Bruce capped the vial of blood as he finished and taped a bit of gauze to Harry's arm. The vial went into a specialized container that resembled a lunchbox, which he passed to Thor.
"Come along nephew." Said the god as he led Harry back through the tower to the balcony they had first arrived on. He was expecting Heimdall to transport them instantly to some drab government building, so Harry was rather shocked when instead Thor grabbed him around the waist and flew them up into the sky.
It wasn't as comfortable as riding a broom but exciting all the same. Harry couldn't keep the wild grin off of his face as they climbed higher and higher at ridiculous speed. The city streets rushed along below; a blurred kaleidoscope of color and sound. He should have been worried about falling but Thor's grip was firm yet comfortable.
The ride was over all too soon as they came to a stop on the roof of another modern glass building. It wasn't nearly as flashy as Avengers tower, but it wasn't hideous either. It seemed calculatedly simple and unassuming; perfect for a secret agency like SHIELD.
Thor scanned his thumb on a pad near the door. There was a quiet beep, and then they were in. The interior of the building was harshly lit and plain. Harry stuck closely to Thor, uncomfortable. The agents they passed ignored them, walking briskly to wherever they needed to be without pause. The two finally came to a stop at an office door. The nameplate designated it as belonging to an "M. Hill".
M. Hill turned out to be a slim, brunette woman with a no-nonsense attitude named Maria. She directed them to sit, taking the container with Harry's blood from Thor and pushing a stack of papers across her desk. Harry took the papers and Agent Hill walked him through the agreements he was to sign. Harry did so as quickly as possible, signing and initialing about a dozen different lines. Agent Hill stood swiftly, scooping up the pages as Harry finished.
"If you'll follow me, I'll drop this off at the lab for testing and you can wait there for the results. It should only take twenty minutes or so." She was already walking away with the vial, expecting them to fall in behind her. They did, moving down a few more floors until they arrived at what was clearly a futuristic science lab. Agent Hill handed the vial to one of the people milling about in lab coats, along with another form of some kind. She then directed Harry and Thor to a bench outside of the lab to wait, and let them be.
Thor clapped a hand to Harry's shoulder and kept it there, a comforting weight. Harry marveled at the sensation. He'd never experienced any physical contact from the Dursley's that wasn't unpleasant in some way, and had only received rare hugs from his friends, but here his mother and uncle were almost constantly giving him reassuring touches. Was this what it was like to have a real family? Harry leaned into the touch slightly, a small smile pulling at his lips. They sat in comfortable silence until Agent Hill returned.
"It's official, you're the son of Loki." She told Harry as she handed over two sheets of paper. "Here's your copy to keep. The original will stay in our records." She didn't appear surprised by the results; either she had already been briefed on the situation or just had a really good poker face.
Harry stared reverently at the papers in his hand. The first page confirmed that Loki was indeed his parent while the second confirmed that Loki's DNA was a match to one Lily Potter. Harry briefly wondered why SHIELD had access to Lily's DNA, but decided that it wasn't very important in comparison to just what these papers meant for him. The tiny lingering doubts in his mind were blown away by this tangible evidence of his relation. Loki and Lily Potter were one and the same.
Thor patted his back soothingly as Harry discretely wiped his eyes.
"Okay, let's go back." Harry said as he stood, folding the papers into his pocket.
"Home." Thor corrected with a smile. This time Harry didn't even try to keep the grin off of his face the entire ride back to Avengers tower.
Upon landing they were immediately greeted by Tony and Loki and the news that Harry really could make the tower his home, if he wanted. Harry's eyes darted quickly back and forth between the three smiling men and the shining building before them, overwhelmed.
"R-really?" He couldn't help but ask, and received three affirmative answers. He leaned slightly into Loki's side, not quite ready to initiate a hug but wanting the contact anyway. The god placed a hand on his shoulder, drawing him in close.
"Yes. Stark, it seems, has a habit of collecting interesting strays." Loki murmured.
"Thank you, all of you." Harry said quietly. They all returned to the same common area from before, though only Natasha had remained, reading a book in a language that Harry didn't recognize.
"Clint got called out for a mission, and Bruce is down in the lab." She informed them.
"Ooh, speaking of the lab, could I run some experiments on you sometime?" Tony asked Harry. "Loki mentioned that magic doesn't work well with electronics and I love a good challenge." Harry stared dubiously at the man's rather manic expression, but nodded.
"Not today Stark." Said Loki. "Harry and I have more to discuss." Tony nodded, still grinning, and left for the elevator with a jaunty wave. Loki, Thor, and Harry sat down, this time on different couches rather than sharing the same one.
"We have many plans to make. Firstly, your godfather and Remus. Do you have a way to contact them?" Loki asked. Harry nodded.
"Yes, although Sirius hasn't replied in a while." Harry hoped he had written a reply and that it was simply waiting for him back at the castle. It was worrying that it was taking so long, but he was on the run.
"I want you to explain everything to them, and send them here, to me. I have much to ask of them." Loki ordered with a strange emotion in his voice. "I also want you to tell me about Albus Dumbledore; everything he's ever spoken to you, anything he's told you regarding Voldemort, or your aunt, or the safety of Hogwarts. I wish to be prepared for when we meet again." He added with a predatory smirk.
Harry obliged, and began to talk, starting with Dumbledore's orders for Hagrid to deliver Harry's Hogwarts acceptance letter. They talked for some time, though Loki gave no indication of what he planned to do with the information Harry gave to him. They eventually moved on to the Ministry of Magic, the current Minister, and Sirius's lack of a trial. Harry listened, fascinated, as Natasha joined the conversation then and she and Loki began to form a rough legal strategy for freeing the innocent man, and how to punish those who had been involved with his imprisonment.
The conversation eventually turned to amusing anecdotes of missions Natasha and Clint had completed for SHIELD, and various battle stories from Thor. The hours flew by until it was nearly dusk, and Loki stood.
"It is time for you to return to school before that old fool comes for you again. I will not be joining you at this time, though I will visit soon to speak to you and your...esteemed Headmaster. Thor will accompany you...and Natasha, if you would? I believe your particular way with words may be helpful in this endeavor." She looked up at him, surprised before a smirk spread across her face.
"Sure. Just let me change first." Natasha answered as she also stood, walking to the elevator. Harry and Thor rose from their seats as well.
"You may write to us if you require anything." Loki told Harry warmly. "Use the long-distance school birds, rather than your own, they will travel faster." Harry nodded. Loki embraced him tightly. Harry returned the gesture as best he could. They stepped apart as Natasha returned, now clothed in the black leather suit of the Black Widow. She smiled.
"Shall we, boys?"
There it is! Sorry you won't be getting your Loki/Dumbledore confrontation for a little while, yet. Hope you all enjoyed, and remember to leave a review and vote for your preferred pairings.
Chapter Fun Fact: I had to write this entire chapter outside in the sun, because the wifi here only reaches a tiny portion of the building, which does not include my room. It's way too hot for this.
Next Time: The news is broken to Dumbledore. Harry learns of Hogwarts' reactions to Thor's appearance and Harry's heritage. Loki and the Avengers plot.