DISCLAIMER: I have not been granted use of the Intelligence Properties of Harry Potter nor any figures from the Marvel Comics Universe. All copyrights belong to their respective holders. I am simply telling a story, and am posting this story with no intent to make a profit off of these characters. Again, this is UNBETAED and fresh off the presses!
Uatu: Since time beyond your reasoning, I have observed Humanity throughout the Multiverse. Long have I gazed through the various timelines to see both the best and worst within a truly unique race. I have, in my time, seen you Humans ascend to great heights and sink to deplorable depths. One of the truly remarkable aspects of Humanity is that, when times are darkest, there always seems to be one who arises and shines bright enough to combat that darkness. One such individual is Steven Rogers. Most of you would know him as Captain America. Possessing an unshakeable sense of right and wrong, often I find myself standing in marvel at his resoluteness. Still, there are others who are called to pick up a similar burden when darkness threatens their world. In one such world, a young man is forced to shoulder such a burden because of the acts of his mother. A prophesy, given before his birth, lay the burden upon his shoulders. In most timelines this young man, a Harry Potter, is forced to struggle alone. In one timeline, however, he is found at a young age and taught the significance of what his role in this world is by one who also carries this burden. Yes, in one such timeline, young Harry Potter is taken in by none other than Steven Rogers. I present to you:
WHAT IF… Harry Potter was raised by Captain America. Or, as you humans tend to call such things:
Harry Potter and the Legacy of the Past , part 3.
3 miles outside Nuremberg. T-6 Hours until Assault.
In the last six hours Steve got a crash course on the OTHER side of this war from Charlus and Fleming. Apparently there was an entire half of the war that he had only heard the vaguest of rumors about. Sure, everyone knew Hitler was obsessed with the occult. It was known that he was ordering the confiscation of anything of religious significance. Several of the old Holy Roman Empire churchs had already been looted. Rumors even had Hitler holding the Spear of Destiny! That was a little much for Steve to believe. After all, how could a stick have any sway over battles fought with tank and rifle.
Apparently though, they did. This other war, which the Magicals with Charlus called Grindelwald's War, was fought in a shadowy defiance of modern conventions. And, according to Fleming, the Magicals were having a profound impact on the war. D-Day had taken the concerted efforts of several British and American Magicals, just to allow the 'muggles', as they call normal folks, a chance to actually get a foothold in Mainland Europe. Steve was shocked to find out how much effort was put into actually making the beach landing possible: only 5 of the 50 Wizards sent to occupy the German mages made it back alive. Couple that with the fact that the British had a Wizard in deep cover aiding the French Resistance, the Magical's touch on the war was profound.
Still, it was a little difficult to take them seriously as combatants. Their magical sticks, err wands, didn't really lend themselves to intimidation at all. That, and Steve had to admit it was hard to take a man in robes seriously. The worst about it in the group of wizards taking part in the Nuremberg assault was Albus Dumbledore. The man just DRESSED loud. Oranges and purples and pinks and other colors that he hadn't seen worn by anyone outside of a USO social. Then again, thinking of the white haired Albus Dumbledore in the same thought as the friendly USO Girls was a profoundly disturbing thought. Still, Charlus swore that Dumbledore was the most powerful wizard that the United Kingdom had seen since Merlin. Steve decided that it was for the best to trust Charlus' on that matter. Charlus, despite his assertation that Dumbledore was the greatest of the wizards there, seemed to hold the man in little regard. Something about not trusting him completely was the excuse that Steve was given.
The rest of the wizards, as introduced by Charlus, were a little bit better, but not much. First there was Elphias Doge, who seemed to be nothing more than a middle aged Dumbledore fanboy. All Doge did was seek the approval of Dumbledore, and Steve had to wonder if the man would actually survive the coming battle, much less contribute to it. Better was Lugh McGonagall. The stern faced younger man, while still a civilian, at least carried himself with a better sense of decorum. Charlus said that the man was a Curse-Breaker for some group called Gringotts. Whatever that meant. Charlus assured Steve that Lugh was a valuable member of the team and could more than hold his own in the coming battle. The last two, Steve had to admit, after spending some time around them, definitely seemed to belong on a battlefield. While Robert Bones was about the same age as Lugh, he carried himself with a quiet confidence that spoke of both excellent training and the experience necessary to temper that training into useful skill. The best of the lot in Steve's mind was Sir Argus Longbottom. Maybe it was the way that Charlus introduced Sir Longbottom as his godbrother that tilted the scales for Steve, or maybe it was the way that Sir Longbottom actually understood a soldier's lingo. Whatever it was, Sir Longbottom was definitely a warrior. Charlus had introduced both Mr. Bones and Sir Longbottom as Aurors, something akin to a Magical soldier. Those were men who had seen what war could do to a man. They had already seen battle, and had came out the other side. Steve could respect that.
The only other new additions to the staging area was a small platoon from the First Canadian Parachute Battalion. Steve had worked with them in the past, and had found them all to be good soldiers. Even Corporal Howlett was good at his job, despite the young man's attitude issues. They had arrived about an hour ago, as everyone else was waiting to hear from Captain Fleming about their assignments for the upcoming assault. It was determined that a few elite teams would be able to take Nuremberg, instead of risking a pitched battle and thousands of Allied lives. Allied forces were stretched thin as it was, so this was the group that was all that could be spared. Everyone knew it was a critical point in the war, and no one was willing to back down.
For some reason, Captain Fleming was doing the final briefings piecemeal. The first group to get briefed were the Canadians, shortly after they arrived. Their briefing lasted close to an hour, and almost immediately after they had been briefed, they headed out towards their objective. The next group to be briefed were the Howling Commandos and Bucky. The young boy had not been pleased to find out that he wasn't going to be working with his hero on this mission, but had acceded to Fleming's insistence in this matter. They had gone into the briefing tent almost two hours ago and were still in there. Deciding that he had better uses for his time, Steve sat down by his tent and started prepping his gear. While he was checking his M-1, he heard someone approach.
"So, they are taking quite the time in there, aren't they?" the voice of Charlus Potter sounded from Steve's right. The man sat down beside him and started cleaning his own gear.
"Yeah, the Canadians only took an hour. I wonder what Fleming has them going after."
"Can't say mate," Potter replied as he field stripped his Enfield, "But I can tell you are worried."
"We've been partners for most of the war. He's like a kid brother to me"
"I know that mate. I feel the same way about the lad. We've been through the fire, the three of us. Dorea wants to meet both of you. She insists on the two of you coming to our 'proper' wedding. She says it will do you muggles good to get some culture," Potter laughs.
"Proper wedding?"
"Err, about that. You see when I went back home on convalescent leave, the two of us decided to go ahead and tie the knot. Her family is not happy about this, but once matters on the Continent are resolved, they insist on a full wedding with all the appropriate pomp and circumstance. I could care less, mate. If It makes my precious Dorea happy, then I am all for it."
"You really love her, don't you?"
"With every beat of my heart, mate, with every beat."
"I'll tell you what. Once we beat these Nazis, Bucky and I will come to England and gladly watch you get married to your wife."
"Thanks mate! Uhm, on a serious note I do have a favor to ask you."
"What is that?"
"Should …. should something happen to me , would you take my Dorea with you to the States? Look, I hate to ask this but her family isn't exactly full of the nicest of folks. If we hadn't, you know, when we did her family would have had her marry a rather unpleasant fellow."
"How unpleasant?"
"He would fit in quite nicely with the chaps we are about to go visit."
"Ah."
"She'd be protected in the States. I've already taken care of her financially, so all you would have to do is get my sweet angel into the US. She's already agreed to go. Please?"
"If it makes you feel better, then yes I will make sure she gets to the US if you happen to not make it home. It is a moot point though, as I'm not letting you die."
Charlus smiles and claps his American friend on the shoulder.
.
"Thanks mate! It's a load off of my mind."
With that behind them, the two friends finish cleaning their gear. Soon enough after, the Howling Commandos exit the tent with Fury and Bucky being the last two out.
"I still don't like it," Bucky complained to Fury as the two exited the tend, "I still think that I should be with Cap on this mission."
"There is a reason for it kid. It was all explained in the briefing," Fury counters.
"Is everything ok?" Steve asks as he walks up, being followed by Charlus.
"Everything is fine. The kid is just upset because he's having to hang out with us old soldiers and not the Captain." Fury says, covering the boy's mouth with his hand.
"Bucky?" Steve asks the boy, totally ignoring Fury.
With a look from Fury, Bucky's shoulders sag and he nods once. Fury removes his hand and allows the boy to answer.
"It's nothing Cap. Fury is right, I'm just upset because I'm not getting to go with you. We're partners after all! It's always been you and me, and in this case I'm told to go with Fury and his Commandos."
"Bucky, I am sure there is a good reason for that," Steve says.
"You're right there. He's essential for our part of the mission," Fury replies.
"What is your mission," Steve asks.
"No can tell. Everyone has a different mission, and to prevent compromise, we are all going without knowing with any of the other teams are doing. That way, we can be sure that if one team fails, the other two teams will be able to complete their missions. We do have a meet up point though. Fleming will tell you all about it Cap, " Fury says.
"Speaking of, it is about time for you blokes to head on out and for the good Captain and Leftenant Potter to join me in the tent for their briefing," comes the voice of Captain Fleming from just inside the briefing tent.
"You hear the man, Commandos. Grab your gear and get your asses in gear!," bellows Sgt. Fury as he strides off. Bucky, with a reluctant look back at Steve, follows.
Walking into the briefing tent, Steve took in the layout of the tent. Inside of the small tent, was a draft board that had a layout of Nuremberg on it. A cork board also hangs between two of the support posts. Currently the cork board is empty, but Steve knows that it will be filled up as soon as the briefing begins. Placed within the tent are 10 chairs awaiting the individuals who would be coming into the briefing.
Sitting down, Steve waits for the rest of the group he would be working with. Charlus sits down right beside him and smiles. Soon, the rest of the group of wizards join them in the tent.
"Of course Albus! I am sure they will listen to your plan for this," Doge says as he circles Dumbledore like a small dog around a much larger dog.
"Of course they will Elphias. I do have the experience to make sure that this battle goes for the Greater Good, after all.," Albus says sagely.
"Greater Good Albus? This is a war and you know those Reichmagi will not be throwing Stunners," Lugh says as he walks in, "We need to make sure that these people, this IDEOLOGY ends and that it ends today! I do not want my children with Minerva to have to worry about pure blooded iidealists."
"Lugh, my boy, everyone deserves a second chance. What kind of people would we be if we didn't offer them a chance at forgiveness?" Albus replies.
"We would be the type of people who made sure that Death Camps never happen again," Longbottom replies instead, "We are under orders from His Majesty to ensure that this war is fought to the best of our ability. Grindelvald must be stopped. I know that I will be pulling no punches in this battle."
"Argus, you're going dark!" Albus gasps.
"No Albus, Sir Longbottom and I are Aurors. ," Robert Bones chime in as he sits. " As far as I can gather, Sir Longbottom and I are better versed in determining who is going dark than you are. How many Dark Wizards have you faced up to this point? None! I have faced 3 up to this point in my career. While you were discovering 12 uses for dragons blood I was out there, keeping Britian safe!"
"Ahem, Gentlemen. I am sure you all have quite wonderful tales to tell about your past battles, but now is neither the time nor the place for such reminiscences," interjects the voice of Captain Fleming as he walks into the tent. Making his way to the table, he looks all of the gathered men into their seats. Bones sits by Longbottom, Mcgonagall sits to the other side of Potter and Doge sits beside Dumbledore like a good lap dog.
Sure that everyone is at least seated, Fleming starts to put pictures up on the cork board. He places five pictures on the board before turning back around to face the men assembled.
"Gentlemen. Your objectives are on the board. Allow me to explain what your mission parameters are. We have solid intel that states that not only is the Reichmagus himself in residence at Nuremberg, but also the Red Skull. Your primary objective is to neutralize the Reichmagus, and to prevent Red Skull from enacting whatever it is he has based in Nuremberg. We believe that the Reichmagus is located within these rooms, " Fleming points to a series of rooms on the map, " You are to use whatever method is most efficient to accomplish this goal. Your secondary objective, located here," and he points to another set of rooms, off to the west of their primary objective." It is believed that whatever is in this room is how the Reichmagus is controlling those Demontions.."
"Dementors, Ian M'boy," Albus happily interjecs.
"Dementors. Right. Thank you Mr. Dumbledore." How Captain Fleming kept from rolling his eyes was causing Steve to wonder about the man's self control. Fleming continues," Those were the forces he sent after the Russians in November. Turned the tide on that front for a good bit they did. You need to secure the control device. If you can eliminate any of Dementors, do so. Once those two objectives are completed, you are to meet up with Fury and his team and apprehend Red Skull. The Reichmagus is our top priority. As long as he stands, Germany will have an advantage in magical might. That is why he is the top priority. It is believed that he will have a small cadre of Reichmagi with him. Our Intelligence says there shouldn't be more than ten. Any questions?"
Steve raises his hand and Fleming just nods at him.
"How are we getting in?"
"If everything goes according to plan, you will be transported in by one of the wizards in two hours. Any more questions?"
When no one else raises their hand, Fleming walks towards the exit. When he is standing right at the exit, he says without turning around, "Good luck and Godspeed gentlemen."