Disclaimer: I own nothing, nada, nil, need I say more? All belongs to J.K Rowling, Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, Marvel, and Disney
Warning: The Knight Bus, because it deserves one.
A/N: Happy Halloween, I was going to wait until I finished more of the next chapter but I decided to post this for Halloween. I realize Arya sort of took over the last chapter and nearly took this one and I have attempted to rectify it by trying to make sure that Harry remained the point of focus. There is still quite a lot of Arya but his appearances will be more moderate in the coming chapters.
There is now a poll up on my profile. It is on how much outside Marvel knowledge you guys have. It will be easier to direct this if I know, generally how familiar everyone is with the Marvel verse. This basically means any knowledge outside the movies. I probably should have done this sooner so I had a better idea of which storylines to go with. As it's probably been noticed I sort of jumped into this story head first. With no real idea on what I was doing or where I was going. I have several ideas but not all of them are set in stone and how this poll goes will help me determine a few things.
Broken tiles, shattered mortar. . . a fragmented sky where the ceiling used to be. . . debris falling from the ceiling. . . he was going to be crushed. . . have to move. . . move!
Harry fell out of bed. He sat on the floor panting, and remembered that he was in Avengers Tower. He was safe, the war ended months ago. He stood up and rubbed his raw throat. He heard a screech and his wand was immediately in his hand. He pointed it towards the threat and was surprised to see a snowy white owl staring back at him. Hedwig blinked dolefully then flew towards Harry. He saw that she had a few letters and he untied them.
"Hello girl, how did you get in here?" Harry asked, gently stroking her fathers.
Hedwig hooted and gave him an indecipherable look. She held out her leg and Harry understood that she wanted him to read the letters first. He relieved her of her burden and set up a perch for her and gave her some water.
"Right I guess I'll figure it out later." said Harry. He turned his attention to the letters. One was from Fred and George the other was from Luna. He opened the one from the twins first.
Dear Little Harrykins,
How's the big apple treating you? Things over here have been just peachy. Minister Welker has sent us a request that we have fully complied, over complied with even. It should be arriving soon. We won't spoil the surprise but the contents will definitely help. Also don't worry, the Alley is still in one piece. Have you seen the file yet? We guarantee that it was one of our better pieces of work. We're quite sure that nobody caught us exchanging it. We've also found ample opportunity to test some new products, the Ministry has been a big help there.
Love,
Fred and George
P.S. See you soon
There were several loud bangs on the door. Harry folded the letter and slipped it back into the envelope which he shoved in the nearest drawer. The knocking continued. Hedwig hooted and ruffled her feathers in irritation. Harry turned towards the door and saw Arya who was grinning at him around the partially opened door.
"Are you going to let me in or do I have to keep knocking?" asked Arya.
"You seem to already be in." said Harry.
"Not all the way, besides my mama taught me manners and it's rude to come into someone's room without asking permission." said Arya.
"Sticking your head in counts." said Harry.
"No it doesn't." said Arya.
Harry rolled his eyes. "Fine, come in then."
"Thanks" said Arya, "I wanted to talk to you about the fieldtrip. We're headed to Sleepy Hollow, Lily Dale, and Cynosure Cavern. In that order, well Sleepy Hollow is a detour but I have an errand and it's on the way. Now, let me see your wrists."
"Why?"
"So I can take off the suppressors, you don't need them anymore. Plus it would be impossible to do any practical lessons. Just don't curse anyone unless they deserve it."
"I'm not going to curse anyone."
"I wouldn't really count on that. Magical hijinks tends to happen a lot in this city."
"What are you doing?" Harry asked.
He backed up as saw Arya reach for his wand and instinctively reached for his own. Harry had it pointed directly at Arya who didn't even have time to reach his own wand. Arya held his hands over his head in an exaggerated gesture of surrender. Harry lowered his wand.
"Whoa there quick draw, relax, it's not like I'm going to chop off your hands besides I happen to be the only one here with the unlocking spell so come on. It won't hurt a bit I promise." said Arya.
Arya slowly drew his wand from an invisible holster. Harry could see that Arya was moving slowly for his benefit. He watched as Arya raised his wand, each movement deliberate. Arya held up his free hand in a placating gesture and motioned at Harry's wrists. Harry tensed.
"I'm just going to get the bracelets of but you have to let me see them." said Arya.
Harry deliberated for a few minutes then held out his wrists to Arya reluctantly. Arya's twirled his wand and he tapped it against both metal bands. The bands clicked open and Harry set them on the drawer by his bed. He watched as Arya holstered his wand in the same slow and deliberate manner.
"There, that wasn't bad now was it?" asked Arya.
"I guess not." said Harry.
"I told you it wouldn't hurt. By the way, you have a magnificent bird there, intelligent too. I saw her hovering over the landing pad and let her right in. It wasn't easy getting her to your room either. Had to port her directly into your room."
"Why didn't you just knock earlier?"
"I was kind of in the middle of something when she showed up Harry. She made it to your room all right."
"What were you doing?"
"Getting a couple of things ready for today."
"What things?"
"Uh-uh no spoilers, you'll see when everybody else does."
"Something tells me I should be worried. I'm pretty sure that whatever it is that it's a bad idea. Then again you've already broken the Statute of Secrecy."
"Yeah, I'm expecting a fine and strongly worded letter any day now. Besides the people I told deal with stuff weirder than magic." said Arya.
"The Avengers have gotten pretty close to the magical world but don't you think anymore is pushing it? I don't think the Ministry will be pleased to hear about six muggles being informed of the wizarding world." said Harry.
"Don't worry, everything will be fine. Now I have to get back upstairs meet me up there in twenty all right. I have JARVIS on standby for the wakeup call. Everyone but Tony is already awake." said Arya.
"All right, I'll be down in a few minutes." said Harry.
He watched as Arya left the room and waited until he heard receding footsteps before he pulled the letters back out. He checked Luna's envelope for evidence of tampering. He found none and opened it. He made a note to check his mail more thoroughly in case it got intercepted again. Although the fact that Arya hadn't tampered with Harry's mail even though he had the opportunity earned him some respect. He shrugged and read the letter Luna sent him.
Dear Harry,
I was wanting to write you this letter when I found Hedwig. She was stopped by a snowstorm though I suspect that renolumps may have delayed her. They tend to do that you know. She's fine. I did suggest she wait out the storm. I do hope that you are alright and your nargle infestation has cleared up. I am quite busy as I have just found evidence of a nest of crumple horned snorkacks. It is very hard to tell because of all the snow. Tell Peter I say hello. Also summer is quite near. Don't stay inside too much. Try and explore the city, I hear there are several Alicanto nests there. Watch out for the purple water. I have to go now the kettle is ready.
Luna
P.S. I have also sent along some tea that I think you'll like. It's very good for getting rid of Wrackspurts.
Harry smothered a laugh as he finished the letter. It was so very Luna. She had some seeing abilities and he had no doubt that he would encounter several of the things mentioned in the letter. He tucked it back into the envelope and put it back in the same drawer. He added a locking charm for safety then went upstairs. He saw Arya standing next to the elevator with a wicked grin. Steve, Bruce, and Thor were standing nearby. Then the sound of a trumpet blared through the room and Harry had to cover his ears. He was not the only one. When the sound receded he looked up to see Tony run in with Natasha and Clint. Pepper came up behind them looking confused.
"Are we being attacked?" asked Clint.
"Reveille?" asked Steve.
"No that was your wake up call. Up and at 'em everyone. We need to go over a few ground rules there are ten, I think." said Arya.
"What's rule number one?" asked Bruce.
"Don't get lost. I don't want to have to explain to Fury that I managed to misplace one of you because I'm not sure I'd be able to get you back." said Arya.
"That's comforting." said Clint.
"Is that possible?" asked Pepper.
"Sort of, traveling with magic can be difficult. I'm sure that Arya has taken the necessary precautions." said Harry.
He pinned Arya with a glare and hoped the man had made every precaution available. If anything did go wrong he didn't want to be blamed for it. Arya merely grinned and turned his attention to the waiting group. Harry pinched the bridge of his nose but remained silent. He hoped between him and Arya he would be able to keep them out of trouble. The only person he was really worried about was Tony; the man was just too curious for his own good. He realized that was a bit hypocritical of him but at least he never purposely sought out trouble. Tony seemed the kind to find trouble and poke it with a stick.
"Here are the rest of the rules in order: don't get separated, don't touch anything that looks harmless, don't drink anything orange, if you see a dragon run, if you see a green light duck, don't provoke anyone with a stick, don't provoke anything without a head, if it bites run, again no electronics, and no swimming. I think that's everything," said Arya, "oh yeah failure to comply with the rules may result in accidental maiming or death."
"Accidental maiming?" asked Bruce.
"Accidental death?" asked Pepper, alarmed.
"Again really comforting." said Clint.
"So we should act as if we are in hostile territory," said Natasha.
"Sort of but treat it more like an unknown territory with the potential for hostility. And I have taken several security measures so don't worry too much. And here are supplies to get you through the day" said Arya.
He handed everyone small round sacks with colored accents. Harry peeked into his and saw it held some wizarding currency as well as emergency portkeys and two first aid kits. He also saw an umbrella, a bag of marbles, a baseball, a whistle and he was certain there were more things he couldn't see. He dropped the bag and it gave a disproportionate thump. He picked it up. As his fingers ran through the material he looked down at the bag. Then he touched the disillusioned pouch around his neck briefly.
"Arya are these bags mokeskin?" asked Harry.
"Yeah, and they have personalized accents as well so you can tell them apart. These bags have emergency portkeys, they are the brass rings at the top, if you do get separated from the group grab it and say, beam me up scotty. If you're injured grab the platinum ring and say fubar." said Arya.
"You're a Trekkie?" asked Tony.
"Sort of though, I was going to use there's no place like home but it seemed too long." said Arya.
"That does seem to fit better." said Bruce.
"Speak for yourself, we would have probably had to wear the stupid red shoes too." said Clint.
"Yeah but the other one is so much cooler, I wonder if it works anything like-" said Tony.
"A teleporter. Maybe we can get some to test later." said Bruce.
Harry saw the glint in Tony's eyes and wondered if it was really a good idea to unleash Tony on the wizarding world. He didn't want to think about Tony running amuck in Cynosure Caverns. He pulled his wand back out and waited until Arya started speaking again to discretely place tracking charms on Tony. He also put one on Clint and one on Thor as he thought they were also likely candidates to get into trouble. After a moments thought he decided to put a tracking charm on everyone but Arya.
"Moving on, there are also two different first aid kits, one magical and one non-magical both come with instructions. There are also weapons in case we do get in a fight they have are enchanted with automatic instructions just grab and you'll know what to do." said Arya.
"Automatic instructions?" asked Tony.
"Well it's faster and easier than explaining," said Arya.
Tony grabbed a marble and threw it at the ground. It released a cloud of smoke the instant it made contact with the ground. Harry took the opportunity to slide his wand back into the holster. He saw Tony grin and reach for something else when Pepper elbowed him. Harry hoped his bag was the only one with an undetectable extension charm though he doubted it. Hopefully the billionaire wouldn't realize all the tricks his new bag could do until later.
"Interesting but I still think this magic stuff is a little unbelievable after all science used to be mistaken for magic," said Tony.
"One of Clarke's laws states any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. So it certainly is possible." said Bruce.
"Magic experiments are fun," said Arya.
"Noted." said Bruce.
"As long as he doesn't blow up the tower while I'm in it I don't care." said Clint.
"He's not going to blow up the tower at all if he knows what's good for him." said
"Now, there is also some wizarding currency in these bags, 50 galleons, 25 sickles, and 10 knuts." said Arya.
"What is the conversion rate?" asked Bruce.
"Seventeen sickles to a galleon and twenty-nine knuts to a sickle." said Arya.
"I think Bruce meant to American currency." said Pepper.
"Well the amount in your bags is around five hundred dollars. I think. And don't go blowing a gasket my money is inherited so don't worry about it. Just spend it on whatever I don't really care." said Arya.
"That's quite generous of you but I-" said Pepper.
"Meh, like I said inheritance. Now before we go I'm need to know if anyone gets motion sickness" said Arya.
Harry frowned there was definitely something more to that last comment. Arya attempted to change the subject far too blatantly.
"Wait a minute you're rich?" asked Clint.
"Yep, pretty sure it was mentioned in my file. Anyways money is pretty useless to me anyways; I can't get what I want with it," said Arya, "which is a shame really because I would love to have a bulbasaur for a pet or maybe a lapras."
Harry's eyes narrowed. It was easy to see the flippant comment as just that but there was more to it. Arya held himself tighter and his eyes hardened briefly. He noted it so that he could call Arya on it later. The fact that Arya had an inheritance was also curious. Several questions came to mind and he pushed them away to be examined later.
"Are all rich people insane?" asked Clint.
"Probably. Just one more thing and we can go, Bruce drink this, it should help with your big green problem." said Arya.
Bruce eyed the vial in Arya's hand warily. After some internal debate he grabbed the vial, uncorked it, and drank. Harry saw the others tense and seconds later his wand was in his hand. He instinctively settled into a defensive position. Clint, Natasha, and Steve were watching Bruce wearily and Harry mimicked them without thought.
"Are you waiting to see if he turns colors?" asked Arya.
"Is that possible?" asked Bruce.
"Possible, but not very probable. What you just drank was an amped up calming draught now we have to test it, make sure it worked." said Arya.
"Wait, what-" said Bruce.
He didn't get a chance to finish because Arya conjured a knife then threw it toward him. There was no time to react. It missed Bruce though it did nick his sleeve. Natasha had Arya pinned an instant later. Harry had his wand raised and looked around uncertainly. He couldn't sense anything dangerous though the others were tense. Bruce turned to gape at the knife that had so narrowly missed his arm. The scientist blinked and looked down at his hands in shock.
"I'm fine, the other guy feels totally mellow. It almost feels like he's asleep, it's a bit weird actually, I haven't felt this calm in years." said Bruce.
"Goo' t' know it works" said Arya.
His words were muffled as he was still pinned to the floor by Natasha. Despite his position he seemed quite relaxed as he was pressed against the floor. Natasha slammed him forward then stood up. Arya pulled himself off the floor. He looked amused. Harry had a feeling that Arya let Natasha pin him. It was obvious from the way Arya moved that he was able to fight. It was carefully hidden under a playful veneer but Harry could still see the reflexive fighting stances that Arya positioned himself in. In many ways Arya reminded Harry of Mrs. Figgs cats, playful but always ready to pounce. He was sure that Arya wouldn't like the comparison though.
"Are you crazy?" asked Natasha.
"Again, debatable, totally depends on your definition of sanity. Though I would have thought it obvious that I threw the knife with the intention of missing, it was easy to see that it wouldn't hit. Besides I knew it would work to some degree," said Arya, "the potion wasn't completely untested just never Hulk tested."
"If it hadn't we could have been dealing with a Hulk rampage in the middle of Manhattan. You endangered several-" said Steve.
"At ease," said Arya with an eye roll, "do you really think I would pull a stunt like that without thinking about that? Give me some credit. I spent all night and most of this morning prepping in case I was wrong. An effort that I just proved unnecessary."
"What would have happened if you had been wrong?" asked Bruce.
"You would have ended up big, green, and fluffy. Besides this place can take a bit more damage now if it needs to." said Arya.
"How is that possible?" asked Clint.
"Magic." said Arya.
"How did you manage it, magic doesn't tend to work properly around electronics." said Harry.
"Magic, I know how to use it without sending anything electronic near me haywire. You have to be really creative though because magic and electricity do not get along." said Arya.
"Does this have to do with the magic you were explaining yesterday?" asked Harry.
"Yup." said Arya.
"Will I be able to learn how to do it too?" asked Harry.
Harry was a bit weary of worrying whether he would accidentally blow up one of Tony's appliances. He was scared that he would have a surge of accidental magic and knock out the power. He was quite sure that Tony would not appreciate the power being blown out. He wondered if Arya could explain his surges of accidental magic as well. As far as he knew most wizard stopped having bouts of accidental magic when they received their wands.
"Most likely. I imagine it will be a relief to stop worrying about being near anything electronic." said Arya.
"You have no idea." said Harry wryly.
"Well I think that's everything so let's get downstairs. We'll eat after we arrive at our second destination" said Arya.
Everyone got into the elevator which fit everyone comfortably. Harry was a little surprised it could fit everyone so well. He watched as Pepper talked Tony into leaving his electronics behind as the man didn't want to be parted from his electronics.
"This is the Knight Bus, it is one of the methods wizards employ to travel. Normally the Knight Bus would have other patrons but I have rented it privately for this trip," said Arya.
"It's purple." said Clint
"It's big" said Pepper.
"It's a triple decker" said Bruce.
"It's not going to wait forever so get on and please remember to keep your limbs inside the vehicle at all times," said Arya.
Harry groaned and headed for the back of the bus. He prayed that this bus wasn't like its counterpart. He saw that it looked a lot like the Knight Bus in England. This didn't help. The others filed onto the Bus in single file with Tony bringing up the rear.
"All right folks first stop Sleepy Hollow, home of the Headless Horseman." said Arya.
"What-" said Clint.
He was cut off by the bus pulling forward and throwing him into Tony who landed on Bruce. Steve was caught off guard and thrown forward. He landed on top of the Tony. Natasha avoided the carnage and was crouched on the floor. Pepper was sprawled on the floor next to her. Thor was thrown around but he managed to stay standing for the most part. Tony, Clint, Steve, and Bruce were trying to stand up when the bus jilted. They stumbled and fell forward in a heap. The bus swerved violently and Harry was thrown forward. He struggled to his feet as the bus swerved into oncoming traffic. Clint and the others also managed to stand up; they were treated to a full view of the front mirror.
"We're on the wrong side of the road." said Clint.
"The dividers, look out for the dividers" said Bruce.
"Tony you are no longer the worst driver I have ever met" said Pepper.
"This is kind of fun" said Tony.
"I have never been in a chariot such as this." said Thor.
"This is worse than Bangkok." said Natasha.
"It's not the worst ride I'd ever had." said Steve.
"It'll be easier if you sit in a chair." said Arya.
"How-" said Clint.
He was cut off once again as the bus pulled to an abrupt stop and Clint ended up with his face planted against the front window. Everyone except Arya was on the floor again. Harry watched Arya stood up from his chair and grinned at them. Harry picked himself up with a groan. He was certain that was even worse than his previous trips on the Knight Bus.
"Couldn't we have traveled on brooms or something?" asked Clint.
"Too visible." said Arya.
Clint choked. "So last night when you said broom riding-"
"He was serious brooms are real, I don't know if they can be used by anyone without magic though." said Harry.
"They can with the right adjustments," said Arya.
"I want to ride a broom." said Tony.
"I think I'd like to keep my feet on the ground." said Pepper.
"Just wait until you've traveled by portkey." said Harry wryly.
"I have a feeling that it's not pleasant." said Bruce.
"It's not, most wizarding travel methods are fast but they're a bit uncomfortable though you do get used to it after a while." said Harry.
"Don't worry we won't be talking the Knight Bus to our next location. We're going to portkey to our next destination so you can find out what it's like then." said Arya.
"Can't wait." said Clint.
"It can't be that awful." said Pepper.
"Just walk it off, I'm about to take you to one of the most haunted places on the Eastern seaboard." said Arya.
"Are we sure this guy is sane?" asked Clint.
Nobody answered him as they all trooped after Arya who was walking at a brisk pace. Harry was quite sure that all of them agreed that Arya seemed to have a warped idea of fun. Harry kept pace with Arya easily and looked around the narrow road they were walking along. His eyes widened as he realized that Arya was leading them into a graveyard. Harry was beginning to think that Arya wasn't the only one in need of a head examination.
A/N 2: Okay I may have had too much fun with the Avengers on the Knight Bus. I really couldn't help myself the thought just popped into my head so I just rolled with it. I did make the trip chaotic because I figured that adding New York traffic with the Knight Bus would lead to one wild ride. I know I am adding a lot of magical locations to New York but it's based on research into anything weird or arcane that has been recorded in actual New York. There were so many places to work with that I had a hard time choosing.
I do realize that I have over-compensated a bit as I have been trying to make up for Arya's lack of an established base as the other characters have one but he doesn't. Also because the others characters do have an established base I have not put as much attention on them as I should have. I will warn you that Arya doesn't have a happy story and his lack of sanity is somewhat genetic. I'm actually working on a story that sort of begins the outline for Arya (the story actually centers around Arya's mother) but I'm not going to publish it until I've revealed more on Arya and I have more chapters written. Arya is related to a canon character so it'll be kind of interesting to see if anyone can guess who it is.
Thanks to everyone who has reviewed.