On Punching Gods and Absentee Dads

Enigmaris

Chapter 3: The Main Event

Summary:

Yes finally. We all get to read what we came here for. It's time for...the punch!

Notes:

Thanks everyone for the great comments on this story! I hope you all enjoy this chapter even more!

Chapter Text

Harry stared at the tower for a little bit longer, plans circulating in his head. There was so much to do, so many things to plan out. As flippant as Ron had been even he had understood that it wasn't as easy as knocking on the door and then punching Loki in the jaw. No this had to be done correctly. Elegantly, even. Harry wasn't much of a Slytherin no matter what the hat thought but he would have to be cunning if he was going to get close enough to Loki to punch him, without then immediately being locked up forever.

Eventually Harry went back inside and ordered a pizza using the phone in his room. He figured he deserved that much. He ordered an extra large pizza, he'd found that his appetite had increased so much after the spells Loki had placed on him fell. He was almost always hungry. Another reason to be mad at Loki Harry supposed. Thanks to him now Harry always wanted to eat. If he went back to the Dursleys he might literally die.

Wait if? What was he thinking, of course he was going to go back. There were the blood wards to consider. He couldn't be without that protection. Why not? You're a demigod aren't you? What Death Eater is going to give you a problem? Plenty actually. Harry might be way more powerful but that didn't mean he had the knowledge. He needed the blood wards. Do you? Why not just go live in Grimmauld Place? It's not like the blood wards protected you this year. Voldemort was still able to get into your mind, still able to possess you. He has your blood in him now.

Harry had to admit that the voice in his head had a point. It was something to consider. After he confronted his dad, what would he do next? Could he really go back to the Dursleys? Was he willing to risk his safety completely by going without the blood wards? After thinking about it for a long time Harry decided that was yet another decision that could be made post-punching.

When the pizza showed up Harry happily distracted himself by consuming all of it at a rapid enough pace to make Ron look polite. He threw the empty box in the trash can, only one corner of it really fit, so he was forced to bend the cardboard, not at all a difficult task. With his stomach full of food and his mind of thoughts, Harry went to sleep.

That night, like most nights, Harry was plagued by dreams. Sirius falling through the veil, a bright green light engulfing Cedric's chest. They danced across his mind and kept him tossing and turning. By the time the morning broke Harry was covered in sweat and he had a headache. Which was really not the proper way to start his first day in New York.

Harry stumbled into the overly large bathroom and took a long hot shower. When he stepped out of the shower his skin was pinked from the heat and steam. Carefully he wrapped a towel around his waist and stopped in front of the mirror. Staring back at him with bags under his eyes was a boy covered in scars. There was the one on his face, the large puncture wound from the basilisk, plenty of scars from Vernon and Dudley that he'd acquired over the years, some of the scars he'd gotten from the Tri-wizard tournament, and not to mention the one on the back of his hand.

Harry didn't normally think about it. He didn't like to. Normally when someone thought about a person being covered in scars it was a solider or maybe a criminal. Someone who'd lived a tough life. No one thought about a kid. Because that's all he was really at the end of the day. A kid with too many scars and too many memories. Harry sighed, his head hitting the mirror. It was okay. Or maybe, it was going to be.

He glanced down at the tattoo on his wrist and felt better. His friends didn't care that his skin was made up of more red lines than pale white. He rubbed the mark and left the bathroom to go get dressed. As he dressed he reminded himself of the plan that he and his friends concocted. The plan was to spy on Avengers tower and find a way to break in and out. He needed to determine if there were magical wards on the building, or muggle cameras.

Once he knew, he'd come up with a plan, and then he'd punch Loki. After Harry was dressed he started prepping for the day. He put a glamor on that made him a blonde, tanned his skin, and covered his scars. Once he was sure that most people wouldn't recognize him, he packed his backpack and started the first day of surveillance.

For the next three days Harry spent his time under different disguises trying to figure out the best way to get into the tower. He couldn't find any magical protection but it wasn't like the tower needed it. There were cameras everywhere, electronic locks on the doors, and Harry was pretty sure there were muggle weapons hidden in the walls. He couldn't think of a way to sneak in other than going under the invisibility cloak and hoping for the best. Or totally wrecking the place.

When he called his friends on the hotel phone, they both told him that he'd figure something out. He hadn't come all this way for nothing. Which Harry agreed with. There was no way he was going to leave New York without confronting his dad. But that didn't help with the fact that his dad was making that almost impossible. Was it on purpose? Harry couldn't say. He didn't want to believe that his dad knew he was alive and was actively avoiding him. But a part of him feared it.

The days passed and the longer Harry went without an idea the more frustrated he grew. Who knew revenge was so hard to get? By the time the first week had ended Harry kept tugging at his hair in agitation as he glared at the tower. He knew he wasn't much of a planner. Harry preferred to move on instinct, go head first into trouble and work with what he had in that moment. It got him hurt (and others too) but trying it this way didn't seem to be working either.

The sun was starting to set over the city, combined with the skyline it made a beautiful sight. Not that Harry really cared about that right then. The first day he might have appreciated the sight, now it represented everything wrong in the world. Things that he couldn't overcome or figure out.

"It's like if Draco Malfoy got transfigured into a building." Harry decided.

Before he could ruminate further on the description part of the tower blew up. Harry flinched and covered his head as debris flew up and right towards the various buildings surrounding the tower. When the debris had finished falling Harry looked back at the tower. There was a woman she was wearing green leather and a black cape. From the distance Harry could see that she was blonde but not much else.

The important thing about this scene was that she was dragging Thor, the god of thunder, the Asgardian, the powerhouse, by the hair. The man was trying to grab at something and struggle but something about his movement seemed sluggish. Harry didn't even hesitate. He rushed into his room and pulled his broom right out of his trunk. There wasn't time to waste putting on a glamor or doing anything else. He had to get down there now.

He sprinted to the balcony and jumped off the edge, broom in hand. He immediately used the broom to control his descent. He flew towards the street that was right below Avengers tower. Below him hundreds of New Yorkers were rushing towards buildings, seeking shelter. In the time he'd taken to get his broom the other Avengers had gotten out into the street too. Thor was bound behind the fighting, looking pretty beat up. Harry's eyes scanned around and saw that his dad was dueling with the blonde woman, both of them using magic.

He stopped his descent for a moment watching, almost enchanted at the sheer skill his dad had. He was teleporting and using illusions and spells Harry had never even dreamed of. Harry wandlessly cast a powerful notice-me-not charm on himself and flew until he was as close to the Avengers and the fighting as he dared. He hovered behind them as the muggles discussed the villain.

"How long do we wait before we jump her?" Iron Man asked.

"Loki told us to be careful." Captain America said. "We don't have any protection against Amora's mind control magic."

So that was her name. Amora. Why was she attacking New York? For that matter why did everyone attack New York? There were other cities in the world!

"I don't like this." Hawkeye said, his hands flexing on a black complicated looking bow.

There was a huge explosion of green magic, Harry looked over to see that his dad had been thrown back and was now being tied up with ropes of bright red fire. He looked like he was in pain, his jaw clenched and his body jerking.

"You know." Amora said, stepping towards his dad. "Finding out about your heritage made this almost too easy."

The Avengers all moved to defend Loki but Amora waved her glove covered hand. The asphalt on the street transfigured into fingers of stone that reached up and trapped all of the Avengers. Some of them even reached up and covered weapons, keeping them from being trapped against the Avengers' bodies.

"Don't interrupt your betters, mortals." Amora spat. "This is between me and the princes."

The Avengers all struggled. Harry could see that stone was cracking under Captain America's strength and the Iron Man suit. But every time a bit of stone broke off more grew over it, strengthening the trap. This was bad. Really bad. He watched as Black Widow managed to get a knife free and throw it. Only for Amora to bat it out of the way like it was nothing. Amora stood in front of his writhing father, a smirk on her pretty face.

"Do you like the spell work? I stole it from an old Vanir man, right before I slit his throat." She said. "Never thought I'd need it, but it looks like it's my lucky day."

His dad jerked, testing the fire burning into his armor and skin.

"Don't be silly, it'll take you much longer than that to break through, this was designed to cage monsters like you after all. It's plenty of time for me to take what's mine and get away from this pitiful planet."

She looked over at Thor with something dark in her eyes. Thor looked terrified even though he couldn't seem to move his limbs. Maybe he was under some sort of super powered perfectus totalis? Harry looked around for the famous hammer, and saw it sitting innocently on its side a few feet from Amora and Loki. It must have fallen off of Thor's belt.

Amora turned back and glared down at Loki.

"This is your fault you know. If you'd just let me have Thor when I wanted all those centuries ago I wouldn't be here now, ready to destroy everything you know. I'd be queen and you'd be a loyal servant. Wouldn't that have been better?"

"As if I'd ever be loyal to someone so similar to a hag."

The woman snarled at the insult, her hands glowing with deadly green fire.

"You know for that I think I'll kill you. I was going to let you live, perhaps as a slave, but I think death might be more appropriate for a creature like you. Who knows the mortals might even thank me."

The magic glowed brighter and Harry was moving before he could even stop himself. Harry landed with a thud right in front of his dad and threw his hands up. Calling on every bit of his magic he could grab at he cast a wordless protego. A translucent blue shield appeared right in front of him a moment before green fire engulfed his vision. The flames licked at the sides of the shield but none of them touched him or his dad. When the spell ended, Harry dropped his shield and used his hands to shoot a bombarda at the woman. She flew back and crashed into the asphalt a few meters away. Harry's chest heaved as he focused on the woman.

He knew that if he tried to duel this woman he would lose. Just shielding against one of her spells had made him shake with effort. She knew way more magic than him. He might have been a demi-god but he didn't have the training to take on a fully realized god. The longer the fight went on the more likely he'd die. Which would suck, to say the least.

Amora jumped up with a snarl, her hands dripping with malicious magic.

"Who would dare interrupt me?"

"Literally anyone who had ears would want to interrupt you. Your voice is very shrill."

Had Harry, ever once, in his short sad life, filtered what came out of his mouth? Had there ever been a time where he'd stopped himself and thought, maybe I shouldn't say this right now? If the current situation was any proof. Probably not.

"You ugly little magic user." She snarled stepping forward.

"Hey. That's no way to talk about yourself."

A wave of flame rolled right towards him. Harry threw up another shield, this time an ice based one that he'd learnt while studying for DA meetings. The ice sizzled but held strong. Once the flame died, Harry started to walk to the left, towards the hammer and away from his still tied up dad. He didn't want his dad or the Avengers to get hit by a stray spell.

"I mean really." Harry continued. "You might be an awful woman whose body is really only a husk housing a hole where your heart used to be but that's no reason to resort to calling yourself ugly. You are a lady after all."

No, Harry really didn't have a brain to mouth filter, did he? Had Dudley hit him too hard in the head when they were smaller? Was that why he was like this? Amora was focused entirely on him. Which was good, really good actually. If he could keep distracting her then her focus on the spells holding the Avengers and her dad would waver. Harry could be a distraction for a few minutes, couldn't he?

Amora fired another spell at him, this time it was a magically conjured metal spike, Harry knew that if he tried to block it, he'd fail. It was too bright, too much. A memory of Professor McGonagall explaining the power of transfiguration for problem solving echoed through his head.

Remember students. Sometimes we are not powerful enough to stop something, but we can always change it.

Harry spread out his hands and focused on the incoming projectile and twisted it. The bright silver spike began to wiggle and transform, Harry reached out as it neared him and snatched a silver rose out of the air like a snitch.

"Aw. Look, it's prettier than you'll ever be," Harry said waving the flower at her.

And so it started. Amora fired everything she had at him and Harry transfigured it as quickly as he could and dodged what he couldn't change. A spell designed to blind him was turned into a spray of glitter. A wave of water made to drown was turned into bubbles. Ropes sent to tie up were turned into snakes that listened when he hissed at them to go away. Rocks that were lifted up from the earth and thrown with great force were transfigured into pillows.

The more Harry defended himself, the angrier Amora got. With her anger her magic turned sharper, and became harder to change. Harry's feet were becoming unsteady as sweat dripped down his face and neck. The woman flung a spell that looked like it was made of air, Harry moved to dodge and ended up tripping. He landed on his side with a painful thud. He looked over and saw that he'd tripped on his uncle's hammer.

He rolled over and grabbed the hammer. He tucked himself up and jumped into the air. The hammer hummed like static in his hand. It felt like he'd put his hand inside an electrical socket. Amora actually paused in her relentless attack.

"Impossible. A mere mortal couldn't…"

Harry didn't let her finish. Instead he flung the hammer as hard as he could right towards her. Harry might have not had a lot of experience throwing hammers, or really throwing anything, that didn't stop the hammer's aim from being true. Harry was pretty sure it was because it was magic. The hammer hit her dead in the chest, an awful crunching sound echoing down the street. The breath was knocked out of her and she landed on the ground, her head and back slamming into the street with a slap. Harry waited for her to get up, but she didn't.

Slowly Harry edged forward, he saw that she was breathing but based on the sounds he heard and the fact that she wasn't moving he was pretty sure she was unconscious. His limbs suddenly felt like noodles, he'd won. How in Merlin's name had he won? Harry could remember losing duels to fourth years during DA lessons. It didn't make sense. Nothing made sense. He blinked rapidly trying to make the world stop spinning. His body swayed back and forth and his head felt too light.

"Hey kid!" Iron Man yelled, the face plate on his suit removed so that his voice was clearer. "You okay?"

"I should be dead. She should've killed me." Harry said, loud enough for the other humans to hear. "How am I not dead?"

"Think about that after you've helped us!" Hawkeye yelled.

"Hawkeye." Captain America chastised. "Not appropriate. He's just a kid."

Harry lifted a hand over to his mouth to stifle the practically hysteric giggles that were trying to escape. He took in a deep breath and tried to clear his mind. Right. Helping the Avengers.

"Just…Just a minute." He said.

Harry bent down and picked up the hammer. If the lady woke up he'd need it so he could throw it at her again. Harry felt like he was maybe forgetting something about the hammer that was still sending pleasant tingles down his arm. He looked around and decided to go help Thor first, if he could. After all it was the man's hammer that meant he was alive at all right then. He stumbled over to the man, still feeling dizzy and weird.

"Thank you, brave warrior." Thor rumbled.

"What'd she do to you?" Harry asked, ignoring that really weird greeting.

"The bands on my wrists. They've taken my strength."

Sure enough there were golden bands digging tightly into the god's skin. Harry knelt down and tried to tug them off. When that didn't work he looked over at the hammer, and then at Thor. The question obvious. Thor looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking.

"It should work. Just don't hit too hard. I don't need broken wrists."

"You sure you're not the god of not-at-all comforting words?"

"I could be that too."

Harry snorted as he moved the hammer right above one of the bands. Carefully as he could he swung down, pleased to see that it caused the band to crack. Harry quickly used his fingers to tear and rip the metal apart. Apparently, this super strength was good for something after all. He did it for the other band. Once he was free Thor sat up, looking more unsteady than Harry did. Thor kept looking at Harry like he recognized him from somewhere. Apparently, his resemblance to Loki was more than skin deep.

"Here." Harry said standing up and holding out his hand.

"I don't know…" Thor clearly thought he was as weak and scrawny as he looked.

"Just take my hand."

Thor did, and Harry then pulled him up. Harry used his second hand to stabilize the man. Once Thor looked like he wasn't going to fall, Harry let go. He walked slowly, right past Loki, and towards the other Avengers. He heard Thor follow him after a moment. The humans were already working at getting out. Now that Amora was unconscious her spellwork on them was failing. It was also failing for Loki as he heard the man slowly getting up on his own.

"Kid you look like you're about to throw up."

"I'm fine." Harry said in a voice that wasn't at all convincing.

"Of course, he's fine." Loki said. "Any magic user with power like that can handle anything."

"Like you handled it?" Harry asked before he could stop himself. Not that he had tried all that hard.

"Oh snap." Hawkeye said. "You tell him."

"I hadn't expected her to have spells like that." Loki defended, tense and annoyed at being called out. "But we all know that your win was down more to luck than any actual skill."

A muscle in his face twitched violently from his position facing the Avengers. He still hadn't looked his dad full in the face. He knew that the moment he turned to face Loki the man would know. He turned on his heel and glared at the man.

"You know I wonder whose fault that is."

A gasp tore its way out of Loki's lips. His eyes widened as he took in his features.

"Harry?" The voice was quiet almost hushed.

"So glad to know you recognize me."

"No…You're…You can't be…"

"Obviously I can. Shows what you know." Harry folded his arms over his chest, hammer held carelessly in one hand.

"Harry."

Loki looked like he was about to cry. For some reason it made Harry irrationally angry. What right did this man have to cry? He wasn't the one who'd been orphaned and abused. He wasn't the one who'd had to fight Voldemort, the one who had a prophecy over his head. Before he quite realized what he was doing, he was walking forward. His fist formed the shape Ginny had carefully taught him, with the thumb out.

BAM!

Loki's back arched back as the force of Harry's punch sent him tumbling to the ground. Harry's hand smarted from the pain, and there was some blood on his hand from Loki's now broken nose. Behind him he heard Thor and the others make noises of shock.

"That's for…everything!" Harry said.

Loki started to sit up, a hand covering his bleeding nose. His blue eyes were wide with shock. Harry didn't let him say anything.

"I'm…I'm done."

He turned on his heel. Carefully he lifted up his hand and wandlessly summoned his broom. He looked over at the Avengers who looked like they were trying to decide what to do. Harry looked down at the hammer in his hand. He threw it at Thor who caught it easily. Harry wondered if Loki would even tell them who he was. He decided in that moment not to give him a choice. He reached into his pocket and fingered the card to his hotel room. If he pressed the top in a certain spot it would portkey him home.

"By the way, nice hammer, Uncle Thor."

He pressed the key and disappeared without even a crack to announce he was leaving. A moment later Harry found himself back in his hotel room. His stomach rolled and he threw himself off the bed. He rushed towards the bathroom and planted himself firmly in front of the toilet. It took a few minutes of dry and not so dry heaving until he let himself fall onto his side. The cool of the tile felt like ice on his sweaty skin. Wasn't punching Loki supposed to make him feel better?