A/N This chapter ran away with me and I just hope that it meets expectations

I should say that I am loving all of the reviews and theories that you are coming up with. I have written the next set of chapters, and know where this is going, but I enjoy seeing what you think might happen.

Disclaimer: These are not my characters or worlds.

Bruce hadn't been unduly worried. When he'd gone up to the penthouse to find Tony and instead found the place deserted, he'd shrugged his shoulders and decided that he'd show his fellow scientist his equations later. He'd settled down in the lounge with a couple of slices of toast and decided to see what was on TV this time of day. He wasn't expecting anything thrilling or life changing, just something interesting to while away the time.

But when Tony strode into the room followed by two men pushing what looked like an occupied gurney into one of the spare rooms he was immediately put on edge. He pulled himself to his feet and followed them. He got the door just as Tony chivvied the men out, gurney and all to come face to face with his friend as he stood in the doorway.

"What's going on?" He asked warily, watching the men enter the elevator. He looked past Tony's shoulder and saw a very familiar form lying motionless on the bed.

"Harry!" He pushed Tony out of the way and crossed the room. The doctor part of his mind noted several things at once. He was too pale and too still, his chest wasn't rising and falling as he breathed and his abdomen was covered in a dark red-brown stain. Without thinking he checked for a pulse and felt his stomach drop when it wasn't there. The skin was cold under his fingers.

"It's not as bad as it looks, doc." Tony said from his place in the doorway.

"Not as bad-" He spluttered in disbelief, "There's no pulse, no sign of life, he-he's dead! And judging by the rigor mortis…" He trailed off, unable to continue. "What happened?"

"He was stabbed in the street by an unknown assailant. I have Jarvis checking security cameras."

The wrongness of this statement jarred in his gut. This whole thing was wrong. He'd seen a lot of death- too much. It was worse when it was someone he'd grown to like. Over the past few months when Bruce had been living in the tower, Harry had become somewhat of a permanent face. Especially when George was working with them. Oh, George. All of Harry's friends. To have already lost so much, to have got through the worst of it, to have built lives after the way… and to lose it now, to some stranger in the street. It was just so senseless.

Just as worrisome was Tony's apparent inability to accept the death. He realised that as sad as he, himself was, Harry had been one of Tony's best friends. One of his only friends.

"Tony…" He started, trying to figure out the best way to continue, pushing aside his grief so to best help the man who had become his friend.

"I know what you're going to say, and seriously, there is an explanation that fully makes sense." Tony was quick to assure him.

Bruce couldn't stop the concerned gaze he directed at the other man. Tony's face was carefully schooled. Bruce couldn't help but notice how Tony's gaze stayed directed away from Harry's body.

"It's not the first time he has died apparently." Tony commented dryly.

"Sorry what?"

Tony stepped into the room, "During the final battle, something happened. Lord Voodoo used some sort of weird magic on Harry. He stopped ageing. Maybe it did something else! Look at what his friends said, or didn't say. I don't think Harry can die."

"Tony-"

"Stay dead, even. Luna as good as said it."

"Luna?"

Tony waved a hand vaguely, "One of Harry's friends. She's probably on the balcony. Taking in the view."

Bruce looked at the man he now saw as a friend. He didn't know what to say. He'd dealt with loss before. He knew that Tony had. He'd read the S.H.E.I.L.D file on the man- His parents, the man in the cave, Yinsen… It was possible that cumulative loss and survivor's guilt was resulting in a delusion. A part of his mind muttered that maybe it was possible, especially looking at everything else that magic was capable of but this thread of thought was quickly rejected. Harry had said that magic wasn't capable of resurrection.

He needed to talk to this friend of Harry's. He looked at the unmoving body then at Tony. He wasn't equipped to deal with this. He shook his head.

"This isn't right, Tony."

"Trust me Bruce." Tony said with such conviction that Bruce really wanted to. But he shook his head again and left the room. Tony didn't follow him.

The weight of what had happened hit him as the left the stifling room. Harry…

"Jarvis, contact the others." he muttered, trusting the AI to hear hi.

"Of course, sir." the smooth British voice replied. Now it just reminded him of Harry.

He spotted a head of blonde hair being tousled by the breeze attached to a figure that was leaning on the rail on the balcony. Bruce took the educated guess that the aforementioned Luna had indeed gone outside and moved to confront her.

"It's concerning, but I hardly think that it's a matter for S.H.I.E.L.D." Clint complained as he took his first sip of the new coffee flask.

Natasha shrugged, examining the data that had been collected, covering the last few months.

"It's just a babysitting job."

She kept her face blank. It was true that they'd been assigned this fanatic research to ease her partner back into things after Loki, but she didn't have to know him as she did to read his frustration. She was amazed that it took him this long to start bitching.

"The rising numbers are worrying though. They all seem to be congregating-" She said in an attempt to appease him.

"Yeah, but any analyst can do this. It's a religious fad, it's nothing new."

She swivelled to look at him.

"It's just checking boxes. Deal with it."

The look of consternation directed at her was worth it. It was good to see him being him again. Even it did mean returning to his whining when it was just the two of him. He was sitting back with two feet on the table, he wasn't even looking at his monitor.

"This is more than just a fad. We are talking thousands. Coming from all over the world!"

"Yeah, yeah." He idly waved a hand. "I'm just looking forward to our next mission. Maybe in Budapest."

He flashed his grin at her and the in-joke had her returning it lightly.

"You want Budapest, finish the assessment reports."

"Fine. But you know, even the investigation of that Bio-tech facility break-in would be more interesting than this. As it is these Dooms-dayer's shall riot and the world will implode from sheer boredom of the fanatics repeated record."

She rolled her eyes.

Her earpiece buzzed at the same time as Clint's. They answered in unison.

"Agents."

The recognised Stark's AI on the joint call.

"Dr Banner has requested your presence at the tower."

"What's up?" Clint asked, removing his feet from the desk and sitting up. There was a pause, almost as if the machine was deciding what to tell them.

"I believe he want's your help with Master Stark."

Natasha realised that it was actually edging around an issue. Stark had given the AI too much of a personality. She didn't really mean that- she usually liked Jarvis' sardonic wit, but in that moment, something was off.

"Out with it." was her mature way of extracting the information.

If the machine could have sighed it would.

"Mr Evans was attacked and killed earlier today. Dr Banner is concerned with Master Stark' rather… unorthodox method of coping."

It took a moment for Jarvis' sentence to register fully. When it did it did like a tonne of bricks. In that moment she recognised, or rather accepted that she had begun to care for her ragtag group of teammates . Having one cut away hurt more than she'd expected it to.

She met Clint's eyes. The grey irises were hardened and flinty.

"On our way." he growled and the call cut out.

They had packed up their operation in minutes and were gone.

Steve had taken a tourist day. He had decided to look around the city in all it's 21st century glory. Fury had been making motions to include him in S.H.I.E.L.D missions, so he was making the most of his unemployment Truthfully he was looking forward to having something to do. He didn't like drifting.

He'd just purchased a pastry from a Magnolia's Bakery and was considering where to head next; just how touristy he wanted to play it.

"Hey, big man!"

Maybe not the Empire State building- all the adverts had pictures of couples and that honestly seemed a bit depressing. It wasn't a bad pastry actually.

"Big man! Steve."

He turned to see a grinning freckled face. It was familiar. It was a moment later that he made the connection with the young wizard helping Banner with his Big Green problem.

"Uh, hi-"

"George."

"-George. Sorry."

The man chuckled and waved it off.

"Not a problem. We haven't really interacted." Steve nodded, "probably cause you avoid the Tower. What's your problem?"

"Problem?"

"With the Tower, and the Avengers. Ooh, is that a stuffed croissant?"

"Uh-" he settled for the easier question, "I don't know… maybe?"

"I want one."

Somehow, despite his superior strength, he was herded back into the building.

It was nearly ten minutes later, after George had proudly paid for the miscellaneous pastry with dollars that he seemed to find very amusing-passed off as a Britishism- and they had begun to walk down the street that the wizard followed up on the question.

"So, Tower. Problems."

Steve looked over at a man yelling at a growing crowd in the park next door in lieu of answering. He'd come to a stop. George apparently got fed up of waiting and poked him in the side.

"Oi. Hey, you are really over muscled! Tower. Problems."

Steve looked down at the man as he continued stripping away at his pastry. He sighed.

"I was friends with Tony's father."

"Howard?"

"Yeah. He was a good man. A genius actually, and a brave one at that." He died, while I was in the ice."

George chewed his mouthful thoughtfully.

"And Tony reminds you of him."

"Something like that."

He didn't fell like elaborating with the shorter man. His feelings on the matter were really too complex to put into words. On one hand there was the similarity that George had noted, both physically and in attitude. He'd misjudged Tony when he'd first met him, comparing him to his father who fearlessly flew into enemy territory. He had felt almost… disappointed… on Howard's behalf. The younger Stark had proved him wrong of course and the terms between them had improved, but there was still tension there. Partly because of Tony's vocal dislike of his own father. Tony had begun to dissociate Steve from the figure that taken up most of his fathers time, but his disdain of the man that Steve had considered a close friend set him on edge.

There was nothing easy about the situation.

"That's gotta suck." The younger man put succinctly, looking up at Steve. "I can understand that. What are you going to do about it?"

Something in Steve's pocket buzzed. A tinny rendition of the national anthem started a moment later and Steve fumbled in his pocket.

"Original." George snorted.

"Not my choice." Steve retorted, taking the phone out of his pocket and flipping it open.

"Rogers."

George occupied himself with routing for crumbs in the pastry bag. Steve was surprised when the British voice of Jarvis came out of the speaker.

"Mr Rogers, Dr Banner has requested your presence at the tower."

"When?"

"As soon as possible I believe."

"On my way."

Steve snapped the phone shut.

"I've got to head to the tower, but it's been… nice talking."

George screwed up the packet and tossed it into the nearest trash can.

"I might as well head back myself. You have no idea how much trouble Harry can get into with out my very good self there to regulate him."

Steve sighed a wry grin, "Why do I doubt your ability as a regulator?"

The red head grinned, "'Cause you know better. Harry is always attracted to trouble, no one can change that."

Hermione was just putting the finishing touches to a report on some artefacts that gave the owner the ability to speak any language- without say on which language- when she got the message.

It was late in the evening and the kids were tucked away in bed, Ron as well. It had been a long week for him. There had been a rising number of muggle fanatics in the past couple of months, mostly out of the public eye, which were causing concern with some Government bodies.

Normally the Ministry wouldn't have anything to do with the muggle authorities, but Ronald had been pulled in when wizards had got involved. There had been a number of attacks on wizards who'd been disarmed and physically beaten by the muggles. They were physically helpless after their wands had been snapped. Hermione was thinking about putting a proposal in for some sort of physical education program at schools like Hogwarts, but that wouldn't help in the here and now.

Infuriated, Ron had thrown himself into the investigation but magical methods of investigation were surprisingly unhelpful in non-magic crimes and so found himself trying his best to navigate muggle police politics. He was convinced that there were wizards involved in the attacks- the muggles snapping the wands each time seemed too coincidental.

The message announced itself as a flash of silver by the window. It shone against the night's shadows and Hermione watched as it slipped like smoke into the room through the open window. It billowed against the floors and coalesced into the form of a rabbit. She knew it was Luna's before it began to speak.

"Harry's got himself into trouble again. Too many witnesses. A friendly face to help explain would be good."

The rabbit dispersed, leaving Hermione sat with a forgotten report and a forming plan.

If it was what she thought, the sooner she pitched up the better; she'd need the full story from Luna. She scribbled a note for Ron and left it on his bedside table, leaving him with a kiss on the forehead. He grumbled in his sleep and she smiled. She stopped to kiss Rose and Hugo before finding the floo and preparing for international travel.

"Luna, I take it." Bruce commented, his forced good-natured tone belying his contained anger. He was good at that.

The woman looked over her shoulder at him. He noticed that she was twisting a wand between her fingers.

"That's me."

There was a lazy smile on her face.

"What's wrong with you!" He demanded, cutting to the chase.

"Depends who you ask."

Her reply was light and airy but there was an icy undercurrent beneath her words that in other circumstances would have given him pause for thought.

"Tony lost a good friend-"

"He is my friend too." She said, cutting across him with a sharper tone that he would have expected from her.

He scoffed, "Why are you playing these mind games then! To screw with someone suffering from loss with such a twisted-"

"It's not a game."

Bruce halted his tirade. There was a sharpness in the pale blue eyes behind the wind-twisted strands of blonde hair.

"Harry considers Tony a friend, it would have come up eventually. I wouldn't have said anything but death has such a final way of ending friendships. Not to mention, I doubt it waking up in the morgue is a pleasant experience."

That was when Bruce realised that this woman believed every word she'd told Tony. And maybe it was possible.

But…

"Harry said magic is incapable of resurrection."

"It is."

"You are making no sense."

A small smile that could be described as wry crossed her face.

"I do. People just don't see it."

Bruce pointed a finger at her, "You are being deliberately cryptic."

There was a faint crack from inside the tower and Bruce turned in surprise to see a familiar figure standing with her back to them in the middle of the lounge.

"Hermione."

He'd closed the door after him when he'd come outside, so she didn't hear his vocal recognition as she glanced around the room. She looked around when Jarvis opened the door for Bruce, who had stepped towards the frame. He caught the tail end of the AI's greeting to the witch as he crossed the threshold.

"Hermione?"

"Bruce." she acknowledged before looking over his shoulder. "Luna. What happened?"

"It's nice to see you too," Luna replied dryly.

"Well that goes without saying!" Hermione exclaimed, "You need to tell me about your travels! But later. What about Harry?"

Bruce got the impression that Luna had summoned the other woman without breaking the news. He remembered hearing that Hermione was one of Harry's oldest friends and wondered if he should make himself scarce.

"Some coward stabbed him. The muggle aurors were involved. It was all rather public."

That was blunt. Bruce stared in disbelief at the blonde woman, shocked by her callous delivery of the news. He looked at Hermione who had dropped her head into a hand. He opened his mouth to offer words of comfort.

"Well that's all he needs."

Hermione's groan startled Bruce. It wasn't sad, more exasperated. Almost as if-

The brunette looked at Bruce.

"Sorry for dropping this all on you like this. It's not the easiest pill to swallow at the best of times."

Bruce was warring between hopeful relief and reality.

"I'm sorry-"

"The agents have arrived." Jarvis' cool tone cut across him as the elevator doors slid open.

Barton and Romanov stepped into the room.

"Nice to have you join the party." Tony's commented sardonically from his position in the entrance to the room.

"Stark." Barton growled at the same time as Bruce cautioned the man.

"Tony."

"Seriously, you need to lighten up!" Tony responded and Bruce noticed, probably because he had been living in such close proximity to the man for several months now, how thin the veneer of his humour was. Beneath the snarky quips and outward confidence, Tony really needed what Luna had said to be true.

Tony nodded at Hermione. "Good to see you again."

"Likewise." Hermione replied automatically."

"Circumstances could be better."

"That they could be. Can I see him?"

Tony nodded and stepped aside, "Third door on your right."

Hermione left the room swiftly, the carpet muffling her hurried steps.

Clint broke the silence.

"What the fuck is going on. Jarvis said-"

"I doubt Jarvis told you the whole story." Tony said, looking at the ceiling with a glare clearly intended for the AI. "He likes Bruce too much."

"Sometimes he's the only one with sense in the building." Jarvis quipped, "Mr Rogers and Mr Weasley have arrived."

The elevator opened again and the Agents stepped aside to allow the new arrivals, still on guard.

"What's going on?" Rogers asked, assessing the assembled group. The tension was palpable.

"You could cut the air with a spoon." George commented, looking around at everyone . "Who died?"

He could have phrased it better. Even Tony reacted, his stance stiffening. The shift didn't go unnoticed and Rogers paled.

"Harry." Luna supplied, training her eyes on her fellow wizard. "Someone attacked him in the street, possibly a muggle. Hermione's here."

Bruce shouldn't have been surprised by her cavalier stating of facts. He seemed to be the only one who didn't appear shocked by it, most likely because he'd been there when Hermione had been informed. And like Hermione, George didn't react as expected.

"Seriously!" George exclaimed loudly. Rogers moved to place a comforting hand on the small mans shoulder.

"Now he's just getting careless!"

The indignation was clear in his voice. Roger's hand froze mid air and the others reacted with expressions of disbelief with hints of confusion. Except Tony, Bruce noticed, who was wearing a small smirk. He was taking the wizards handling of the news as corroboration of Luna's story.

"I don't think he can be blamed for this one. He wasn't even trying to save anyone."

"It was a coffee run." Tony added.

"Wait, so someone just attacked him?"

"Anonymously from the crowd." Tony supplied. "Stabbed."

"The cowardly bugger!" George exclaimed, outraged.

Bryce had begun to give serious consideration to the possibility of Harry waking up. It was that or a mass inability to accept loss. The others were looking confused and angry, Bruce half expected them to start shouting over each other but none of them interrupted as the two wizards continued.

"How long has it been?"

"Several hours."

For the first time a flicker of uncertainty crossed George's face.

"That's longer than normal."

Luna shrugged.

George strode across the room and ducked past Tony who in turn narrowed his eyes at Luna.

"You didn't mention that." He accused.

"Nothing's changed." She replied, "There are no hard and fast rules."

Tony digested this for a moment before turning and following George.

"What is going on?" Steve asked looking at Bruce. His expression was one of resignation.

"Harry's dead." Bruce clarified, in case it wasn't obvious, bringing his practiced calm as a Doctor to the fore, "Tony, Luna and by the looks of it Hermione and George are convinced this is temporary."

Three battle-tempered faces hardened. Bruce knew that they were all thinking the same thing as he had earlier. That Tony wasn't mentally prepared to deal with the loss of such a close friend and that possibly the wizards, after their many losses in the war, were in the same place.

"This isn't healthy." Rogers muttered and was the first to go after Tony, Bruce and the others on his heels.

It was a good thing Tony had a thing about spacious rooms, Bruce found himself thinking, otherwise this would be claustrophobic.

Hermione was sat on the bed, holding Harry's hand while George leant against the bedside table on the body's other side. Tony was behind Hermione, by the tall window while the remaining five were arranged around the end of the bed.

"Tony." Steve started, a low, ,sympathetic quality entering his voice that Bruce hadn't heard before.

"Don't." Tony cut across him warningly. "You were saying."

"It's hard to explain." Hermione said, repeating her statement from when they had entered the room. "Ever since Harry came out of the forest…he'd been different. We knew in broad strokes what had happened, because Voldemort was lording his body in front of us, gloating over his victory. But, Harry woke up." A small smile graced her lips. "We thought it was over, it was the last surge of the battle, spurred by Neville's defiance and killing of that bloody snake. We started overwhelming them until it was just Voldemort and Bellatrix left. Most of us were watching the two battles. Then Molly killed Bellatrix and Voldemort retaliated. We were too slow to react. But the spell was deflected and then Harry appeared in the middle of the hall. He always had a flair for the dramatics. He fought Voldemort and he won."

For a moment she paused, seemingly lost in the memory. The other two wizards were wearing harder expressions than he had seen before. He recognised the look from times that Rogers had worn it, on the rare times he talked about his time before the ice. The expression looked especially out of place on George who was staring away from Hermione and the rest of the group,instead training his gaze on a mirror by the door. Bruce found himself intrigued to be offered an insight into the Wizarding War which remained an abstract concept he'd never felt comfortable delving into.

"At first we thought it was a complex part of Horcrux magic. It's a long story but it basically meant that Voldemort couldn't kill Harry." Hermione looked down at Harry's pale face and brushed his hair off his forehead and not for the first time, Bruce saw the lightning bolt scar, usually obscured by his fringe. "That may have been part of it, but since then, Harry hasn't stayed dead. We… we know why. But it's another, really long, story, with some complex magic and mythology."

Tony, who had stayed quiet during the explanation found Luna.

"You said Death would never lead away his master."

Hermione sent Luna an aggrieved look, but the woman just nodded.

"What did you mean?"

"Exactly what I said."

"But that-"

Tony stopped short. They all froze. They had all seen the same thing. With all the tension in the room, a pin dropping wouldn't have evaded their notice. As it was, none of them missed it when Harry's chest rose.

And then fell.

And then rose once more.

A/N Running on sugar and energy drinks is not conducive for motivation.