A/N I own nothing.

Harry withdrew from Selvig's mind, panting. He sat back on his heels, taking a moment to assess the situation. The city was screaming.

He stood slowly and scanned the destruction around him. Creatures were scuttling up the skyscrapers, chattering and breaking windows, eliciting screams from those inside. Sirens were wailing and untended flames wreaked their own destruction, licking around cars and lighting the petrol. The battle had obviously been waging for a while.

He looked at Selvig, the Eric that Hermione had been concerned about. He couldn't just abandon him.

"I'll watch him." He turned to see Death, sitting on a ventilator, his brown eyes tracing the scene for himself. He looked at Harry, "I'll tell you when he wakes up. You go kill things."

With a nod Harry apparated, appearing in the building that he'd just watch Chitauri overrun. He barely paused to take stock of the civilians cowering in the corner, being menaced by the aliens before he let loose another wave of fire. The aliens turned to the new threat only to be toasted a moment later.

He blew the remainder out of the window and looked at the terrified people. He realised that he didn't know what to say, or what advice to give them. Whether to stay put would be safer than to find somewhere to hide.

He settled on, "Stay safe," though he winced at the awkwardness before turning on the spot to appear on the roof.

He became aware of a chattering in his ear and found the S.H.E.I.L.D headset.

"We got him,"

Tony replied and Harry picked him out in the sky, a flash of red and flame, followed by what Harry could only liken to a giant millipede or blast ended skrewt, minus the stinger.

"Banner? "

Rodgers reply was approving, "Just like you said."

"You'd better tell him to suit up, I'm bringing the party to you."

Harry ran to the edge so he could keep Tony insight, watching as a tiny figure erupted into the green mass he recognised from the helicraft to meet the skrewt head on. It crumpled and Tony finished it off with a quick blast, resulting in a colourful explosion that set shrapnel flying. Was that thing a machine?

He apparated down to join them.

"I wondered when you were gonna re-join us." Tony quipped, his expression unreadable thanks to the mask.

"Potter!? What- How-?"

"Fury's a manipulative sod." Harry supplied by way of explanation to the shocked faces that were now staring at him. Even the Hulk appeared to be shocked.

"Wait does that mean Coulson-"

"Alive and out of surgery, "Harry cut across Barton, "It's nice to meet you now that, you know, you're not evil and I'm not 'dead'!"

"Tasha told me about you."

"Er, guys. Not to break up the reunion but-" They directed their gaze skywards and saw more skrewts, as Harry had decided to call them, escaping the portal.

"Captain, call it."

Rodgers took control, "Until we can close the portal our priority is containment. Barton I want you on that roof, eyes on everything. Call out patterns and strays. Stark, you got the perimeter, anything gets more than 3 blocks out, to turn it back or you turn it to ash."

Harry interceded, "I've seen to Selvig, and I'll know when he wakes up. Maybe he can tell us something about the portal."

Rodgers nodded in acknowledgement, waiting for Tony to fly off with Barton before continuing.

"Thor, you gotta try and bottle neck the portal. You've got the lightning to lay the bastards out. You and me," he continued as Thor was pulled into the sky, pointing at Romanov, "We're going to stay on the ground keeping the fighting here. Potter-" Harry looked at the man, "I don't know what you're capable of, so kill as many as you can."

Harry nodded, "I can get them off those blasted scooters for you as well."

Looking at the critters flying about wrecking destruction, he realised that he had a very effective method of killing them. With a small smirk he took out his earpiece and slipped it into his pocket as he triggered his animagus transformation.

He barely paused to hear the other exclaim in surprise or the Hulks bellow before soaring into the sky as a streak of flame. He figured, as the whole MoD magic didn't need a wand, he should be able to- he mentally shouted the Sanskrit word and opened his beak allowing billows of flame to erupt and torch the Chitauri.

He swooped amongst the buildings, repeating this feat, occasionally deciding merely to rip them from their scooter with his claws and throw them at their counterparts.

He saw a skrewt bearing down on him. He soared up to meet it, but his flames seemed to have little effect. So instead he landed atop it with a clatter of claw on metal and shifted back. He placed his hand on it and growled, "Ajambha."

Suddenly he was falling. One moment there had been a writhing, but at least solid mass beneath him the next he was poised to become more acquainted with the Manhattan pavement than he would like.

"Arresto Momentum!" he yelled, coming to a jarring halt half a metre from the stone. He released the spell and caught himself before he smashed his face. He puzzled for a moment on what had happened before he saw, spattered on the pavement next to him, the remains of what looked like a frog. He supposed it could have been a coincidence, but something was telling him…

"What?"

"You meant Askanda." a familiar voice commented wryly, "Not Ajambha. Two completely different things. You know, you might as well just say it in English, I know what you mean. Only the purists really stuck to the rules. Even then, you needn't both using it against these things. The Tesseract sure, but this guys aren't affiliated enough for a good reducto not to blast them to pieces."

Harry glared at the man's out of place cheerful tone, "Weren't you supposed to be watching Selvig?"

"Oh, he's a wake, I'm came just in to see you, well, fall."

Harry continued to glare before slipping in the earpiece he had retrieved from his pocket.

"Guys, Selvigs awake, I'm going to see if there's anything I can do about the portal."

"I'm already on my way," came the response from Romanov, "Just keep fighting."

"Gottit," Harry acknowledged, taking note of Deaths pointed look at his sleeve where he'd stashed his wand and slipped it into his hand. Truth be told, he was beginning to feel the strain of the unfamiliar magic and it was a good feeling to slip back into something more comfortable.

From there he entered into a familiar pattern, turning on his heel and shooting spells in all directions.

"Incendio Maxima!" he exclaimed, pointing his wand upwards. The cloud of flame exploded from its tip to engulf the first of a chain of Chitauri. Its fellows swerved to avoid the flaming mass but they too were incinerated. The intense heat was causing Harry to overheat so he wasted no time upon the death of the last alien in cancelling the spell.

"I can close the portal." Romanov's voice came over the comms and Harry paused after casting a silent Sectumsempra on a Chitauri that was chasing after a young couple.

"What are you waiting for?" he asked in over Rogers making a similar point, before basting several more attackers with an impetus. He watched them get knocked back into several vehicles and crumple to the floor.

"No, wait."

Harry looked up at Tony's statement in time to see the flying figure streaking across the sea towards the city. The silhouette was bulkier than it should be.

"Stark, these things are still coming." As if to support the Captains remark, a new wave of Chitauri came soaring towards him. He was so occupied with fighting them back that he nearly missed Tony's reply. It took him a moment longer to process it as he froze a couple of the blighters mid-attack. A nuke? It clicked. A nuclear weapon. Images he'd found when researching muggle history ran behind his eyes.

"I know just where to put it."

Harry looked up and found Tony in the sky. He could pick out the shape of the missile. He then saw where it was headed.

"Stark, you know that's a one way trip."

"Ignis Avis." Harry a flame erupted out of his wand and unfolded into a large bird which soared through the hoard. He turned and found himself atop a sky scraper, but Tony was still too far away. He couldn't spell the thing reliably and while he had stronger magic, a nuke wasn't something to be experimenting with. The secret of broom-less flight had died with Voldemort. He was about to get the firebolt out, but he realised that there was nothing he could feasibly do.

"Tony!" he yelled, just before his friend went into the portal.

Everything went eerily still as he waited with bated breath for Tony to appear again. Part of him was riling against his uselessness. What the hell was the point of being here if he could do bugger all? Suddenly a wave of death rolled from the portal. He felt it sweep the city and saw the Chitauri fall as it touched them. He turned back to the portal, his seekers eyes searching for that flash of red. He felt a presence next to him. Death was by his shoulder, holding the brim of his cap as he peered into the sky.

"This can't be it for him." Harry implored the older man who tilted his head to look at him.

"That's not for me to say." He replied diplomatically.

"Captain?" Romanov's question was implied.

"Wait." But Harry was ignored as Rodgers gave the order for the portal to be closed. Harry was about to protest but deaths quiet voice stopped him.

"You can keep it open yourself."

Harry spun on his companion, "How?"

Death gave him an incredulous look. He spread his arms then pointed his fingers at himself.

"Right." Harry turned to the portal, "What do I say?" His mid was churning, he couldn't for the life of him remember a suitable phrase form his skim through of Hermione's notes. The pillar of light was quickly vanishing, as if rushing back into the portal.

"We've covered this."

Harry cursed himself and threw his hand out into the direction of the portal.

"Commoror!"

He felt his power latch onto the opening just as the Tesseracts power dissipated. The opening tried to force its way closed but Harry strained to keep it open. He used his power as a wedge while at the time sending a tendril through to try and find Tony. There was some sort of screen in the opening, almost a denseness of air. Probably to stop all the air rushing into the vacuum he reasoned, without interfering with physical entities. Or his magic, he thought as he slipped past it to find Tony floating in the vacuum, just a flicker of life, separated from the Earth's gravity just as the vacuum was from Earth's air. He gripped at the man with magic and towed him towards the portal. As soon Tony had passed through the wedge he'd formed with his power he released the spell.

The portal rushed closed and Harry felt the relief spread through him as the strain vanished. He hadn't realised how much power he'd been using until he fell to his hands and knees panting.

"Commoror?" asked Death dryly, kneeling down next to him.

Harry twisted his head to meet Death's gaze. "I'm comfortable with Latin."

That was the moment that he realised that upon releasing the portal he'd also lost his grip on Tony.

"Dammit." The roof he was kneeling on had a low railing so his view of his friend falling was unimpeded.

"Sun of a gun!"

"He's not slowing down."

Harry raised his hand again, his muscles complaining as he drew on the power once more.

"Arresto Momentum!"

Tony's descent slowed and Harry let himself calm slightly, the flicker of life he could feel in Tony offsetting his worry at his friend's lack of movement.

Tony was past the edge of the building now, steadily lowering toward the ground. There was massive crash and a flash of green and Tony was barrelled out of the air by the Hulk. Harry grabbed the edge of the building and leant forward, to keep track of his friend. His pulse slowed once more when he realised that the Hulk meant him no harm and was getting him to the ground the only way he could. In fact, he mused as Death pulled him to his feet, it showed that Banner was in there somewhere. He grinned and saluted Death wearily who inclined his head.

"Have fun with the clean-up. Don't forget to deal with the Tesseract. I'll leave it up to your discretion how."

"Okay. Thanks. For everything."

Death vanished and Harry apparated to the group on the road. It was lucky he didn't splinch himself, he supposed, he was magically drained enough. He stumbled as he appeared near his fellows to find them crouching by Tony. Hulk had ripped his friends mask off and Tony's face was impassive. The light in his chest was flickering. Harry stepped forward in concern, life was still flickering in his fiend, but if the light went off, there would be problem with the shrapnel in his chest. He was no scientist, but perhaps the healers at Mungos would help? Then again the magic concentration there may just cause the device to react dangerously. Tony had practically destroyed his lab in creating the element that runs it. Harry had seen the room before it had been reconstructed.

Harry's thoughts were interrupted as the Hulk roared. Harry jumped, but more importantly, so did Tony, the e light in his chest flaring back into life.

"What the hell?" He exclaimed, "What just happened? Please tell me nobody kissed me?"

It was just so… Tony that Harry couldn't help but laugh.

"We won."

Clint was making his way slowly but surely down the stairs. He'd tried the elevator, sure but buildings like these have such annoying safety protocols. He'd bashed himself a fair bit when he'd swung down from the building, and at that point he could feel every bruised muscle, every scratch.

"We won."

The words came over his headset and something that had been tight in his chest loosened, just a notch. The guilt that had been bearing down on him since he woke up was alleviated slightly now that it was over. He came to a landing and saw through a glass window in the door that led to the rest of the floor a woman. Half of her was blocked by a desk, but he could see the blood pooling around her, matting her hair and staining in her suit. She was clearly dead, her lifeless eyes obvious from here. He turned away and continued his stiff trudge down the stairs. No matter what, he reminded himself, all the lives lost today, he had had a hand in. The pit was back in his stomach.

He heard footsteps coming up the stairs. He automatically went on guard only to see a head of scruffy black hair come around the corner. The owner of the hair he recognised as Potter, the reputed 'wizard'. Well he couldn't argue that now, he'd seen the guy fight with coloured lights and fire. He looked battered but happy and a smile broke onto his face.

"Ah, there you are. Figured you were somewhere in this building. The others are going to confront Loki. Coming?"

Clint nodded and commenced walking. He was surprised when Potter came up to meet him and offered him a hand.

"I'd use magic," the other man told him, but I'm saving it up to apparate up to Starks, where Loki is. It's easier with line of sight. Don't worry I won't splinch."

The last bit was said with a trace of humour that was lost on Clint.

"Splinch?"

"Leave something behind."

Clint hovered over the image conjured by this idea for a moment before asking.

"That happen often then?"

Harry smiled, "Not as often as we may think, but it is a risk. Don't worry, as long as we keep in mind the three 'D's we should be fine."

"And what are the three 'D's?" Clint asked in the same light hearted tone.

"Destination, determination and… I forget the other one."

"That's encouraging."

"Isn't it just."

Potter was quiet for a few moments before he drew in a breath and began to speak. "There's a spell, in the Wizarding World. The Imperious Curse. It's an Unforgivable. Casting it on another human being lands you a life sentence in Azkaban- that's the Wizard Prison. This spell gives the user the ability to control another's mind. The victim is aware of what they are doing, but it's like..." Potter paused, apparently searching for the words to describe what he meant, "like nothing matters. Nothing but obeying the voice, cause what else makes sense?"

Clint was silent, not entirely sure what to say in response to this stream of information. He wasn't entirely sure where this was going, but he had an inkling and he was uncertain as to whether he wanted to hear any more. It sounded like Potter was talking from experience.

"I was involved in a war a while back. It was vicious, lasted for years. Clean-up is still going on today. A fair number of Voldermort's army had been Imperioused. Forced into doing some truly horrendous acts, entirely against their will. I refused to harm anyone I knew was acting under the curse. Once the war was over and the spell broke, by our laws, the victim wasn't guilty of any of their crimes. Their family and friends loved them no less. If you have no control over your mind it's not your fault."

Potter looked across to Clint who didn't meet his gaze, "I'm not saying that it'll be easy, I know that there will be guilt. But it is important for you to know, on some level, that your team, and Romanov, Natasha, don't blame you."

They had come to the ground floor and the wreckage of the entrance hall lay before them. They began the obstacle course carefully, keeping an eye out for jagged shards of glass and twisted, makeshift dangers that were once chairs.

"You were under its influence once then?" Clint asked softly.

Potter paused in thought, "A long time ago." He supplied, "A couple of times because a crazy guy masquerading as our teacher decided to give us a taste of the Unforgivables. And once by Voldermort himself, who wanted me to bow." He trailed off obviously thinking back to those times.

"Bow?"

"Yes he was that puffed up."

Clint forced a smile, "What is it with evil that creates such arrogant bastards?"

Harry laughed as they came out into the street. They turned and saw Starks Tower at the far end of the street.

"Right, you might want to take a deep breath." Potter warned before turning sharply on the spot. Clint only just had time to obey for the weirdest sensation overtook him. It was like being forced down a tube. He was glad he'd taken a breath, but it soon felt like it wasn't going to be enough. He needed to breathe-

He took a deep breath as soon as the constriction around his chest faded. It was only Potter's grip on his arm that stopped him stumbling away.

"What the hell?" he gasped.

"And that is your introduction to Wizard Transport," Potter grinned cheerfully, "And neither of us is splinched. Brilliant!"

"Who would choose to travel that way?" Clint asked somewhat superfluously he realised, because obviously wizards had been doing so for years.

Potter didn't bother to dignify his spluttering with an answer and instead directed him with an outstretched arm off Stark's balcony. It was the long one, the one that removed Tony's suit as he landed, but now the machine was dormant. Either way, it meant more walking.

They entered what was once a nice room, the penthouse of Tony's building, to see the Avengers huddled near a figure lying in the floor. Not on the floor. Loki was lying in a full length crater, courtesy of the Hulk, Clint would have guessed. The creature did seem uncharacteristically smug.

"Ah, Robin Hood, you've decided to join us, you too Merlin. He's gonna wake up soon. Wanna make a show of it?"

Clint grinned, his eyes tracked on the one who'd caused all this misery. "I'd be glad to."

They were due to gather in the main control centre on the helicarrier which for now was settled somewhere in a 'top secret' location, just outside of Roswell for repairs. They'd cleaned up and Harry for one was feeling refreshed in a loose T-shirt and jeans. Even Thor's armour had a new shine. He walked up to the god in question, the only other Avenger to appear thus far.

"I know what you intend to ask." The god rumbled.

"The Tesseract is dangerous." Harry countered, "It's against nature."

"I'd disagree." Thor replied, "It is a part of nature. It was twisted to defy it through my brother's wishes. It belongs back on Asguard."

Harry was inclined to concede the point. He had a better idea, "You don't require the sceptre however?"

Thor looked down at him, "That you may have Warlock. You plan to do what I think you do?"

"Yup." Harry popped the 'p' as Steve came into the room. The room filled quickly after that, Tony being the last to arrive yet again. He took the seat next to Harry and struck up banter about the schwarma place they'd been to the night before until Fury called for quiet.

"We need to decide how to proceed." He told the room at large.

"What, no congrats?" Tony asked belligerently, "No Thank you?" Fury eyed the other man before continuing.

"Loki-"

"Will be coming home and suffer the punishment decided for him." Thor immediately supplied.

A couple of protests sprang up around the table.

"He committed the crime here, we deserve justice."

"It's his family, what's he expecting? A grounding?"

"Actually," Harry commented, breaking through the impending argument, "From what I've read about the Norse Gods, they could be more inventive than we could ever be. That said… I wouldn't mind seeing him pitched against a Dementor…"

"Dementor?"

Harry opened his mouth to explain but Thor cut across him.

"He is of Asguard. He has broken our laws as well. He will not be punished lightly." He glared around the table and no one spoke up, but several people looked disgruntled. "And I'll be taking the Tesseract."

Another uproar. Thor had to shout to make himself heard. "It belongs on Asgaurd!"

"It was stolen from there in the first place!"

"We were able to guard it for centuries. You held it for barely a year."

It wasn't long before Fury conceded. Harry was about to speak when Thor made his final point.

"The sceptre will go with Warlock Harry Potter."

Fury raised an eyebrow.

"I don't see why that should happen. If you do not want it on Asguard. It shall stay with us."

"No."

"The sceptre is actually one of the reasons I'm here in the first place." Harry decided to add, his Head Auror mask sliding into place. He met Fury's gaze. "You must have realised that something like this was the case."

The other Avengers were looking between Harry and Fury, obviously aware of the friction between them.

"You wizards have all the power you need," Fury said, a inflection that could be interpreted as a sneer entering his voice. "Why would you need the sceptre?"

"To destroy it." Harry said evenly. He rose his voice to cut through the protests before they started. "As long as the sceptre exists, there is a conduit to the Tesseract. You don't have the Tesseract, so all you'll have is a shiny beacon screaming 'steal me' to any passing megalomaniac who wants the power it offers. You might as well taunt people to try again. Just look at the destruction around you!"

He gestured at the dishevelled room.

"What gives you the right to make that decision?" Fury asked levelly.

Harry smiled grimly, seeing Death making silly gestures behind Fury's head.

"Trust me, I have a powerful backer."

"What do you suggest?" Harry asked Death as he looked at the sceptre on the floor in front of him. It had taken a healthy debate to get past Fury and even then, Harry had had to sneak the thing out before Fury could secrete it away and barricade him with tape, paperwork and excuses. He'd seen Thor and Loki off-world before apparating away with the sceptre to the roof of his apartment building. Death was lying on the cement next to him, looking up at the sky using his coat as a pillow.

"What do you think?"

Harry glared at the figure that'd closed his eyes and appeared to be dozing with a cat-who-got-the-cream grin.

"Well MoD powers are my only option aren't they? So what, to I just say for it to be destroyed?"

"You can't destroy energy." Death lectured him, with his most patronising voice. "You can only change it.

Harry grimaced, "What about magic? You can break wands."

"The wands are a conduit. Did you not learn anything at school?" Death peered incredulously at him from under one eyelid before closing it and settling back into his coat. "The energy comes from you- you form it into spells and send it off it does what it does, transforms back into some form of magical energy and joins the cycle once more. Very like Muggle energy, Light bulbs and all that jazz."

"So if I drain this of energy, then destroy the conduit…" Harry suggested slowly.

"Pretty much."

"So, wise one, how do I do that, and where will this energy go? Especially when it's spent the past week causing so much havoc."

"Nothing comes back from beyond the veil." Death answered pulling his cap down to cover his eyes.

Harry remembered the archway, the tattered veil and its podium. He'd been back a couple of times since his first encounter with it, but unless his duties had forced him to enter the department, which was a rare occurrence anyway, he gave the black door a wide berth.

"What's beyond the archway?" He contemplated, looking at death curiously.

Death lifted the peak of his cap. "What? Master of Death not enough for you? You ain't the master of Any-and-all-things-mysterious, you know." He grinned at Harry's glare, "Life needs some unanswerable questions don't you think?"

"You certainly seem to have an unending supply of them." Harry retorted.

Death merely chucked, "Where's the fun in sticking around forever if you can't cryptic every now and always. You'll learn."

Harry grumbled for a moment before standing and stretching.

"To London it is then, I can set up that meeting Kingsley wanted as well."

Death nodded before looking up with a sudden idea. "You couldn't get some jelly babies for me could you? The sweets. From one of those old sweet shops in the little paper bags? Nothing beats the classics and I have a bit of a sweet tooth." He sat up defensively when Harry raised an eyebrow in his direction, "It's not as if I can walk into a shop and buy them!"

Obviously the thought of just nicking them didn't occur to his companion, something which made Harry smile. Despite being Death, Death was just so…

"You can eat?" Harry asked dubiously, thinking of a ghost's method of 'eating'.

Death scoffed, "Course I can! It's not as if I need to, to exist mind you, but you don't eat candy floss for survival do you?"

It was with this odd request in mind that Harry bid a temporary farewell to Bruce, who'd taken up residence in Tony's labs, Pepper who was minding the reconstruction and finally Tony who threatened Harry with questions upon his return. An hour later he was stepping out of the chimney in Grimmauld place, ready to close the chapter on the Tesseract.

A/N
This is not the end, I just wanted to get the movie out of the way. The next chapter is already partly written and planned and I have solved the crux that was tripping me up. I apologise for the lack of an update schedule, or an ability to stick to one, but in return I promise longer chapters.
Credit for the 3 D's quip goes to Lunabell Marauder Knyte, as I can honestly say that if I hadn't read something similar in her HP/A Fic 'Trouble Finds Him' it would never have occurred to me to refer to them.