Disclaimer: Don't own.

Chapter 13

Bruce eyed the man, thinking he was odd for what felt like the millionth time. The dark haired young looking male, who called himself Harry Potter, was absently using a leather shoe to play tug of war with a wolf pup, a horse standing placidly at his side while Potter rubbed its flank with his free hand.

"So you're a scientist, Doctor Banner?" Potter asked.

There was nothing normal about this situation. At least, nothing that matched Bruce's definition of normal, and considering what he was, his definition was more than a little messed up. "Uh, yes. I'm a physicist."

The green eyed man smiled. "I've never been too good with science and technology, but I suppose you like it, then?" He grinned down at the wolf cub, just before letting go of the shoe, sending the pup tumbling head over tail across the table.

The guy seemed completely at ease here, sitting barefoot and cross legged in the frankly uncomfortable metal chair, playing with one pet and petting the other, and Bruce wondered if maybe he had fallen asleep in the lab and was having some sort of bizarre dream.

He continued to answer Potter's curious, but non-invasive questions on autopilot while he considered the odd man.

He wasn't flinching back from Bruce, like Natasha Romanoff, Nick Fury, every agent aboard the helicarrier, and even Captain America had on occasion. He acted like he had no idea what Bruce's story was, when the scientist knew for a fact that everyone here had to.

Potter grabbed his end of the shoe again, when it was offered by the pup, and kept firing questions. "Physicist... what exactly does a physicist do?"

"Well, we study physics, mostly, but my area of expertise is gamma radiation." He said slowly, wondering if this would be what clued the man into what he was. Maybe he was just bad with names, and Bruce Banner alone meant nothing to him, maybe that name in connotation would send him running off like everyone else did.

"That sounds like a difficult field, Doctor, do you find it rewarding?"

What was with this guy? How could he just not know? There was no doubt in Bruce's mind now that he had no idea. The only other option was that he knew and didn't care, but that wasn't even considered. Everyone cared about the Other Guy.

Harry hid a grin behind his hand as the expression on the good doctor's face grew more and more incredulous. He was probably baffled as to why he wasn't reacting to him like the agents around them, who had been taking pains to keep the pair in the peripherals the entire time the pair was talking.

Harry had seen very few interactions like this over his life. If someone was treated with such outright suspicion like this, that usually meant they were an enemy of some sort. But Fury would not let an enemy wander relatively freely around his precious Helicarrier.

He was about to ask the man another question about his work (leading him slowly, but eventually into why he was treated like a leper) when Fury called his name from across the control room.

"POTTER! CAN I SPEAK TO YOU FOR A MOMENT?"

The wizard raised an eyebrow. That was phrased like a question but... Didn't feel like one. He let go of the shoe Fenrir was tugging on again, this time the wolf grew smart and let go at the same time so it just fell with a plop on to the table. He put his chin in his hand and smiled at Banner. "What do you think? I don't think that was very polite of him." He told the man.

Banner looked resigned, though, as if he knew what the dark skinned director wanted, and it wasn't going to be good. Harry frowned. That wasn't a good expression. So he called back, "ONLY IF YOU SAY PLEASE!"

That got Banner, the man couldn't help but snort in a mix of incredulity and amusement. He still looked sad, but at least Harry had made him laugh a little even while Fury was spluttering.

Fury stomped over, and ground out, "Can I speak to you, please."

"Hm... Sure. What's up?"

Fury sighed. "Alone, if you don't mind." He gestured to Banner. Harry smiled.

"I do mind. Anything you have to say to me, I'm sure you can say in front of the good doctor here." He replied, knowing that he was tap dancing on the director's last nerve, and having a grand old time doing so.

Banner just sighed. "It's alright, Director. I was just going back to my lab anyway." He said in a put upon manner, and made to get up.

Before he could do so, though, Fenrir calmed on to his sleeve and growled cutely, tugging at it like he had the shoe minutes before. "Um... Mr. Potter, your... wolf..."

Harry winked at Fenrir. "Good boy. We weren't done talking, Doctor. In fact, it was rather rude of Director Fury here to try to interrupter. And please, call me Harry."

Banner just shook his arm gently to disengage to small, sharp teeth, bid them both good bye, and walked back out of the room. Harry crossed his arms, and Fenrir turned his attention to Fury with a snarl. "That poor guy. Did you really have to run him off, Fury?"

The man just frowned at him. "I know you don't know much about our world, Harry, but-"

"You can call me Mr. Potter, or just Potter, Director."

The other man did not even skip a beat, "There are some things about Doctor Banner that you have to know."

Harry stood, unfolding himself from his cross legged position. He slipped Fenrir into his pack, and grabbed Sleipnir's reigns. "The he can tell me himself, Director." He said coldly, and followed the doctor's path from the room, undoubtedly leaving a fuming Fury behind.

It didn't take long for the trio to find their company working in some sort of glass room (the lab, no doubt) with a down trodden expression on his face. Harry led Sleipnir in, and Fenrir jumped from the pouch to wonder around the room. "That's one thing I don't like about politicians. No manners at all." He grumbled, making Banner jump.

"Mr. Potter?"

"Harry."

"I thought he would- that he was going to-"

"Tell me some deep dark not-so-secret of yours? He tried, but I figured that if the secret was yours, then it was yours to spread or keep to yourself as you pleased, and walked out."

Banner sighed. "You have to be one of the oddest people I've ever met, Mr. Potter."

"Harry."

"Harry... then you'll have to call me Bruce."

"So... you unwillingly turn into a giant, destructive, monster when upset?" Harry asked, mainly to confirm it. Bruce nodded sadly, half thinking that he was already going to lose the friendship of this weird man. Before Harry once again surprised him. "That's about on par with every female I've ever met."

The doctor couldn't help but snort.

"-And so I told them that I couldn't rule their world because-" Harry paused in his story, just as a group of men passed by the window surrounding one man. Bruce turned to look at what had caught the other man's attention, and frowned when the prisoner, Loki (it had to be him) smirked at him.

And then Loki caught sight of the animals also in the room, and stopped in his tracks, causing the guards to prod him in his lower back with their weapon.

Harry crossed his arms. "I don't see the resemblance." He muttered.

I'm not sure whether I was happy about this chapter or not. I don't think the interaction between Bruce and Harry went quite as I was hoping. Oh well, ladies and gents, LOKI ODINSSON! Much more with him next chapter! See y'all Friday!

Lionna