Not My Magical World

Chapter 26

Luna Pandora Lovegood leaned against the town walls of New York Memorial Hospital, nerves roiling in her stomach and her foot tapping impatiently on the white linoleum floor as she waited for Harry Potter to arrive.

She had seen what had to happen next, but the thought made her stomach churn and bile rise in her throat. Shaking her head, strands of her pale blonde hair fell into her face, obscuring her sky-blue eyes.

Sweeping her hair out of her face, her gaze locked on a spot farther down the hallway as a pale purple portal appeared.

Harry Potter strode from the portal, his dark hair slicked back, his hands tucked in the pocket of his dark blazer. He strode down the hallway, his polished shoes clicking as he stopped a foot from her, "Miss Lovegood," he bowed his head, his chin barely brushing his dark purple button-down.

Raising his head, his Emerald eyes stared into Luna's sky-blue, "It's not often I have people try to contact me directly," his lips pressed into a thin line, "and never have they contacted me through a secret phone; most people don't know to exist, so who are you?"

Pressure filled the hallway at his question, and pale purple power lit his eyes.

Luna stiffened, a tinge of fear running down her spine.

"I," she started, only to stop and swallow, "I am Luna Pandora Lovegood."

Harry jerked at her middle name, and she paused, but he waved for her to continue.

"Daughter of Pandora Lovegood and Xenophilius Lovegood, the adopted daughter of Tony Stark."

Harry stared at her, his pupils filling with pale purple energy. His sight shifted, showing him the energy that flowed through Luna's body, and shock jolted his body as he recognized it.

Keeping his face clear of emotions, Harry allowed the pale purple energy to fade from his eyes, "You said your mother was Pandora Lovegood. Was she the start and matriarch of the Lovegood family?"

Luna's eyes widened at his question, and she slowly shook her head, "No, that was almost 300 years ago, but my mother was named after the matriarch."

Harry's hand blurred, moving strands of hair away from Luna's ear and taking note of the slight point to them before returning to his side before she could react, causing Luna to flinch.

"Are you a blood member, Mystic mutant, or mutant?"

Luna stared at him, her eyes wide, before slowly shaking her head, "This is not how I saw our introduction, but anything self-aware is hard to predict." Straightening her back, she stared into his eyes, "I am a mystic mutant with the power of precognition and retrocognition."

"Meaning you can see the past and the future," Harry inclined his head, "So, you are from my home universe, or at least one similar."

Luna nodded, "I am from the island of Avalon."

Despite his suspicions, Harry relaxed in the presence of someone from his home island, "How is the island? Have you heard anything about my parents?"

Luna flinched at his questions, and dread settled in Harry's stomach like rotten food.

The platinum blonde looked from side to side, "If we're going to talk about this, do you mind if I take you to the room that holds the reason you are here before I explain."

Closing his eyes, Harry sent a pulse of power through his feet. As his power swept through the building, a three-dimensional model of it formed in his mind. Taking note of each person, their positions, and their intent, Harry found nothing aimed at him and no malicious intent.

Most of the people here were staff and patients. From what he could tell, there was nothing out of the ordinary going on. Except for a single room from his mind, but even warded, he could sense the person within did not have any malicious intent; a frown slipped onto his features. Come to think of it, he didn't have any thoughts.

However, he did sense that Luna was hiding something, but disregarded it for the moment in favor of finding out what happened to his people.

Opening his eyes, he nodded at Luna, "Lead on."

Luna turned and led the way down the hallway.

"So," Harry began as their footsteps echoed off the linoleum floor, "If you are from Avalon, how did you end up in this universe?"

"I will tell you the whole story when we reach our destination."

Turning the corner, Harry found himself standing before a white door. A man in a black suit stood in front of the door, his body tense, his eyes scanning back and forth before locking on the two of them.

The man leaned forward with a gentle smile as he stared at Luna, "Miss Lovegood."

"I am here to see Tony, Happy."

The man, Happy, glanced at Harry, and Harry stared back, a faint purple glow filling his pupils.

Harold Joseph Hogan, known to others as Happy, stood 5'11" tall. The cut of his suit showed off a lean muscular frame. His brown hair was combed to one side, and his Brown eyes raked Harry up and down, searching for any possible threat.

Happy Hogan was a former boxer who got tired of his time in the ring. He worked various jobs until one day while playing security at a race track, he saved Tony Stark when his experimental car crashed. Grateful, Tony Stark offered him a monetary reward, but Happy turned it down in favor of a job, so Stark hired him as his chauffeur and bodyguard.

Happy's strong jaw twitched before he turned back to Luna, "Do you trust him, Miss Lovegood?"

Luna glanced at Harry, staring into his eyes as the purple glow faded from them, "He has no intention of hurting us, Mr. Hogan." She turned back to Happy, "As a matter of fact, I called him here to help with Tony."

Happy's eyes widened before he leaned forward, "Is he like you, Miss Lovegood?"

"Something like that," Luna answered as she approached the door.

Reaching over, Happy opened the door and motioned them inside.

"I'll be watching you, bud," Happy said to Harry as they crossed the threshold.

"You do that, Joseph."

Happy stiffened as his middle name came from Harry's mouth but turned to stare forward once more.

XX –

"Having fun?" Luna asked as the door closed behind him, a pale eyebrow arched.

Harry raised his shoulders in a shrug, "Maybe a little." Relaxing, Harry looked around the room.

It was your typical hospital room, large enough for the adjustable bed with the plastic railings in the various monitors and equipment needed to care for an inhabitant.

Luna moved forward; her footsteps drowned out by the rhythmic beating of the heart monitor.

Harry moved behind her; his eyes focused on the person on the bed.

Tony Stark's 6'1" frame lay stretched out on the bed. His dark hair grayed at the temples and had grown out since his hospitalization, becoming a shaggy mane.

Moving around Luna, Harry reached over the beige-colored railing and squeezed Tony Stark's arm before moving down to his legs. Walking around the bed, he pressed his other arm and leg like he had the other, his lips forming a thin line at what he found.

Harry locked eyes with Luna as she gazed sadly at Tony's unconscious form, "You have magic. Why is his body not in better condition? The least you could've done for him was put him in stasis."

"You're right," Luna choked, tears pooling at the corner of her eyes, "I could've put him in stasis, but that would've drawn attention, and it wouldn't have got you here. Besides, his mind is lost; that is what you must find."

Raising his hand, Harry curled his fingers.

A chair behind him slid forward, and Harry sat down, crossing one leg over the other.

"Explain!"

Luna sat beside the bed, clasping a slender hand around Tony's as she turned the chair to face Harry, "To do that, I would need to start from the beginning."

Reaching out, Harry brushed against her mind with his powers. Wincing, he instantly drew back as visions of countless conversations flashed through his mind like staring into a broken mirror.

Glancing away from Luna, Harry rubbed his brow. 'Damn precogs.' As the pain receded, he waved, "You better get started then."

Luna sighed, "I was born on Avalon Island in 1980."

"1980, it hasn't been that long since I left."

"Time moves differently between worlds."

"For 15 years, there was peace, though we had to stop our forays into Otherworld."

"Why, what about the mutants that were born there?"

Luna shook her head, "After your family disappeared, Otherworld became more militant as Merlin tightened his grip on it. Humanoid machines made of a black metal called Furies began patrolling the streets. Somehow, they were able to detect anyone with the X gene."

Harry's knuckles whitened as he gripped the arms of the chair. Everything his parents worked for gone in an instant.

He stared forward, not seeing the room around him as he remembered the incident that led to him coming to this world. Screams filled his ears, along with the sound of clashing metal, the heat of the fire, and the scent of blood.

"What happened to the mutants left behind in Otherworld?" He asked, his voice quiet.

Luna looked away, "The last report we heard, they were being merged with the furies to hunt superpowered individuals."

Harry leaned forward, "You sure Merlin's behind this, Merlin may hate mutants, but he understands the need for certain superpowered individuals to protect the earth, or at least the British Isles."

Luna's pale blue eyes became ice, "It is his magic that makes the merger possible."

Harry inclined his head, "Continue your story."

"As I was saying, for my first 15 years, I lived in peace, then Merlin attacked the island," Luna's gaze became distant, "the energy released during the attack ripped holes in reality."

Harry's fingers twitched, he wanted so badly to see her memories, but after his last attempt, he hesitated.

She turned her gaze to Harry, "I had just seen my parents die when I fell through a tear in reality."

Her eyes went distant as she stared at him, "I don't know how long I floated in that void of darkness, but after what seemed like an eternity, I saw a face," she turned to smile at the sleeping Tony.

"Tony Stark was working with Reed Richards to Pierce the veil between realities, and they found me. Whether it was because of my age, curiosity about how I got there, or just plain heroism, they opened a portal, and Tony came to get me."

"As Tony entered the dimensional pocket, energies started dancing around him and burned away at his protective suit," her grip tightened on his hand, "despite the danger to himself, he pulled me out of the portal and into the lab he was sharing with Reed, forever changed in the process."

She turned to stare at Harry, "Because of his exposure to the energies, Tony Stark gained the ability to travel between alternate realities and converse with his alternate selves."

Harry nodded, "That explains how you got to this world, but not what I'm doing here."

Releasing Tony's hand, Luna rose to her feet and stared out the room's loan window, her arms folded behind her back, "It took a while, but Tony finally managed to get my history out of me. Whether it was curiosity about our civilization or empathy for what happened to our people, he wanted to see our world. Something happened when he tried to connect with his alternate self. He is now stuck between realities."

She turned to look at Harry, the overcast light of the day framing her features in partial shadow, "I need you to use your abilities to pull him back to his body."

Harry's brows pinched together, "There are other telepaths in this world, maybe stronger, more experienced. Why come to me?"

Luna's eyes lit with an inner glow, "Despite Tony's actions; I am no fool. I know there are elements of this world who would use what they gather from ours for their own ends." She moved toward Harry, "I have seen the blood on your hands. Despite that, you strive to help those born different than others. I have seen this is the path that will save our people and give rise to something greater."

Harry glanced at Tony.

This was the second Precog to tell him his actions would give rise to something greater. He glanced back at Luna; he didn't trust the woman. Despite not being able to use his telepathy, he knew she was hiding something.

At the same time, he wanted to see what had become of his home and if he could get a hint of what had happened to his parents.

Standing to his feet, Harry groaned as he stretched his back.

Straightening, he turned to stare at Luna, "I don't trust you. I know you're hiding something," Luna wilted at his words, "however, I want to see what has become of our home for myself."

Luna shook her head, "Tony may not be in our world; he could be at a nexus point between realities. You may learn nothing."

Harry approached Tony, "I'm hoping Mr. Stark can merge with his counterpart after I free him and give me some information."

"You would ask him to try this again?"

"Yes, I need to get something out of this, and besides, Mr. Stark may want to try again after what happened to him."

Stopping beside the bed, Harry placed a hand on Tony's forehead. Purple power flared from within his eyes as a faint aura surrounded his body. Slowly, the aura flowed from Harry's body to cover Stark.

XX –

Harry descended through the darkness, a pale blue light shining below him.

Focusing on the light, he found a large spiderweb pattern spread out before him, made of luminescent pale blue energy, and in the web's center, wrapped in spectral gray chains, was Tony Stark.

Stretched out along the web threads were what looked like panes of broken glass, each showing a different world, and Tony's pale blue eyes flicked from shard to shard, never staying on one for more than a second.

Harry stopped a foot above Tony, his eyes constantly searching for threats.

"Mr. Stark! Luna asked me to help you. Would you like to leave?"

Stark's head snapped up, "You know Luna?"

"We come from the same world."

Stark rose to his feet, the clanging of his chains echoing through the void, "Prove it!"

Harry's eyes narrowed as he crossed his arms over his chest, "How am I supposed to do that?"

"Tell me about Avalon; if your information matches Luna's, I'll know you're telling the truth."

Harry turned to look into the darkness; something was coming. "I can tell you some things, but it's been a few hundred years since I've been on the island."

"Do that then."

Spreading out his senses to track the approaching presence, Harry turned his attention to Stark. Over the next few minutes, he told him about how Avalon was founded, how Mordred led an Exodus of mutants from Otherworld, the gathering up of the blood, the formation of the houses, Salazar's discovery of the Phoenix's rebirth potion, and the events that led him to arrive in this world.

Stark nodded, "What you said matches Luna's, with a bit more information."

Harry snorted, "True history is lost. The victors always write history."

Stark inclined his head, "True," he looked at Harry, "All right, I'll go with you."

Harry drifted lower, making sure not to touch the floor as he reached out, and grabbed the chains binding Tony. With a flick of his wrist, the chains shattered into motes of light.

The moment the chains shattered, a weight so heavy it was tangible began pressing down on them.

Harry's teeth ground together at the force pressing on his body.

Tony's eyes widened, "He's here!"

"Who's here?"

"Merlin," Tony breathed.

At the name of the man that attacked his family, sent him to this world, and killed countless mutants and magicals that refused to serve him.

Pale purple power exploded from Harry's body and pushed against the force that tried to make them kneel. Harry's hand slammed into Tony's chest in a blur flinging him out of the web of energy, "Go! Return to your body; I'll be right behind you."

As Tony disappeared into the darkness, Harry turned in the direction the force was coming from, the pale purple energy billowing around his body, forming into a sword.

A speck of silver moved toward him, slowly forming into a figure he'd only seen from a distance.

Merlin was 6 foot even and thin with wiry muscles. Long black hair flowed down his back, and a neat goatee draped off his chin. Blue eyes glowed, and angular Golden runes burned like the sun around his pupil.

"I thought I sensed a power here," he looked around, the images in the dimensional shards changing to show Merlin's actions on various worlds.

Screams echoed through the void, and the metallic scent of blood flowed from the portals, hanging in the air so thickly that it became physical, transforming into a red fog.

Despite the dangerous individual before him, Harry couldn't help but glance into the shards, watching Merlin attack world after world, killing his counterparts and taking their magical knowledge.

Slowly Harry turned back to Merlin as the void around him stretched. A piece broke away and formed into a staff that absorbed the light. Purple power filled Harry's pupils as he stared at Merlin.

He involuntarily stepped back as what looked like tortured spirits writhed around Merlin, their eyes filled with pain and their mouths open in a soundless scream. "What are you?"

Merlin's red robes danced as he raised his staff, "I am Merlin the wild, the man who will bring the world back to its true state, where only the strong survive."

Harry glanced at the burning worlds, "It doesn't seem like your way is conducive to life."

Merlin glanced at the shards before shrugging, "The fires of those worlds will fade, and those who survive will be stronger for it."

Harry shifted his sword before him; he could not let Merlin find the shard of his current world. Innocence would die, and the home he had created would burn, "Then come, show me your strength."

A wide smile stretched across Merlin's face, showing off perfect white teeth, "That's the spirit."

Air exploded from the balls of Merlin's feet, slinging him forward.

With a roar, Harry leaped to meet him.

Their weapons clashed, and ripples from the impact spread throughout the void, shattering shards.

XX –

Luna turned as Tony opened his eyes, watching the purple energy fade from his body as his muscles swelled back to health.

He jerked from beneath Harry's hand, looking around wildly. The scent of antiseptic filled his nose, and the rapid beep of a heart monitor echoed in his ears.

Luna glided forward, and Tony's eyes locked onto her, "Luna, what's going on? Why am I in the hospital?"

Luna placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, her fingers curling as she applied pressure, "You fell into a coma while using your abilities."

He stilled, his gaze going distant, "I was," he started, "looking at other worlds trying to contact my counterparts to share knowledge when I was imprisoned. Someone calling himself Merlin the Wild wanted to use my abilities to find worlds to conquer," his gaze snapped to Harry, "We have to help him! He's fighting that monster."

With a gentle touch, Luna turns Tony's face and stares into his eyes, "We can't; what happens next must happen for Harry to rise stronger than ever."

Tony stared into her calm gaze, "You've seen something."

"I have."

"You're sure this has to happen?"

"It's the best outcome for everyone."

"So, what do we do?"

Luna glanced at the room's window, "We need to leave now!"

Tony threw back the sheets and climbed out of bed, "Will there be any casualties?"

Luna glanced at Harry, "Only one."

Tony's hand curled into a fist, he was a man of science, but after gaining his abilities and meeting Luna, he learned there were mysterious things in this world that science couldn't yet explain. He didn't understand her visions but trusted Luna, "You're sure this is the right path?"

"I am," moving around the bed, she grabbed Tony's arm. His hospital gown transformed into a T-shirt and jeans in a flash of light. Without turning back, she began pulling him toward the door.

Happy turned as the door opened, his eyes widening at the site of Tony awake and standing there, "Tony!"

"No time, Happy; we need to move."

The trio jogged down the hallway. As they passed a fire alarm, Tony pulled it.

Lights began to flash as bells rang throughout the hospital.

Happy looked at him.

"I'll explain later."

XX –

On a roof across from the hospital, Ariana Dumbledore knelt, a red cloak draped over her body. With sure movements, she raised her right hand, splaying her fingers. Purple bolts of electricity danced down her fingers and gathered at a point in her palm. As the energy gathered, it changed to black and began swirling.

"I'm sorry," Ariana whispered, a lone tear trailing down her cheek as she fired the ball of destruction.

Allowing her hand to drop, Ariana pressed her palms into the roof as the ball of destruction closed the distance between the window. Just before the orb impacted the glass, a fire alarm began to echo through the building.

Like a heartbeat, the ball of destructive energy pulsed, condensing until a ball of Ebony-colored energy rested against her palm, dark purple bolts of electricity dancing around it.

The ball of destruction impacted the window, expanding to consume everything in the room in a moment.

Ariana watched as the ball of destruction cut a smooth circle the size of a hospital room into the building.

People screamed as the orb hit, stopping to watch as it neatly cut the room out of the building.

The orb faded.

Concrete dust and bits of tile rained on the streets below.

People scattered as Ariana turned to leave, her heart heavy.

XX –

Merlin and Harry separated, and Harry waved his hand, deflecting a blade of air into another dimensional shard. By this point, millions of fragments floated around them.

Harry's arms burned with exhaustion, and his form flickered. Without his body, his form was made up of psychic energy, and he used much of it to fight this portion of Merlin's soul.

He learned throughout their exchanges that this was just a portion of Merlin's soul sent into this nexus point to convince Tony Stark to help him. Given the chains wrapped around Stark's form, it was apparent he wouldn't do it the nice way.

Merlin's chest heaved, and rivulets of sweat ran down his face. Gripping his staff with both hands, he brought it before him. Blue balls of fire burst around him in a circle.

Clenching his hand into a fist, Harry brought the shards together. Keeping one eye on Merlin, he reached out with his mind scanning the bits to see what he could do with them.

Thinking back to what happened to Tony, an idea began to form in his mind. Splitting his consciousness, he started carving runes onto the shards.

With a shout, the blue fireballs around Merlin shot toward Harry.

Holding his sword in his left hand, Harry began swinging it as fast as possible, his Emerald eyes tracking each fireball.

Each time the blade impacted a fireball, it winked out of existence, and a wave of heat washed over Harry's body. He grunted as the last fireball slammed into his chest, throwing him backward.

Pain shot through his body as he righted himself, and his form flickered.

Reaching out with his mind, he tried to reconnect with his body and find out what was happening outside, only to come in contact with the void.

Cold chills ran down his spine, and dread settled in his stomach.

The astral form always had a connection to the body. If he couldn't find his body, that meant there wasn't a body to find, what happened out there, what was going to happen to his people.

Merlin shot forward, his dark staff transforming into a spear.

Knocking the tip of Merlin's spear away with his sword, Harry slammed his right fist into Merlin's face.

As Merlin flew backward, Harry sent the shards he had been working on flying forward with a force of will. He opened his hand, and they spread out to surround Merlin in a messy ring. Pushing the image he had been constructing toward the shards, he watched as they flashed, slowly coming together to form a cube around Merlin.

Merlin screamed as the cube formed around him, releasing a blast of energy from his staff that the cube absorbed. Within moments Merlin was encased, complicated runes glowing at the four corners of the cube.

Frozen like a bug trapped in Amber, Merlin floated in the void.

With a force of will, Harry pushed the prison into the distance.

It wouldn't hold him for long, but hopefully, it would give them time to prepare.

As the cube floated away. Movement behind him caught Harry's attention. He spun, his eyes widening as the remaining dimensional shards around him formed a giant golden arch. Familiar crimson energy burned within the arch.

He felt the tug in his chest and moved forward, barely registering the action. He reached out to touch the portal. Just before he touched it, he stopped, his brow drawn together in confusion as he floated backward.

Before he could escape, bronze-colored chains shot out of the portal, wrapping around his wrist and ankles. With a scream, Harry was pulled into the arch.

The moment he crossed its threshold, the arch dispersed back into shards, showing visions from other dimensions.