Disclaimer – It has come to my attention recently that I unfortunately do not own any part of Harry Potter or the Marvel Cinematic Universe or the characters that belong to those entities. One can dream I suppose. Although I did buy a ticket to Disney World one time.

Anyone who is looking to provide support and get access to early chapters for my stories or see my original content, please visit Pa t-reon / FavoriteAuthor

On that note, a big thanks to my newest patrons – David D., John J., GentleGiant, Devon K., Henrique S., Eric S., Sean K., and Taplon! I do not know if I would be as motivated without the support.

This story is dedicated to Stephen Bartley, for his support.

Chapter 11: Whose There

But eventually it got to the point where Harry doubted even a case of Pepper-Up potions would have kept him going and he decided that even he needed at least a couple hours of sleep before he did harm to himself or accidentally made a mistake with his magic. So he headed back to his hotel room, stopping at a shawarma restaurant that he had been surprised to find had been almost entirely undamaged. After picking up the meal to go he made his way the remaining blocks to his room, no longer confident he could maintain the concentration necessary to safely apparate.

Arriving in the room, he settled into the bed, realizing that despite his intentions, was going to fall asleep without eating.

That belief was of course until he heard a sound at the door …

Knock Knock

Knock Knock

Knock Knock

Harry's eyes, which had been on the verge of closing as he prepared to drift off, snapped open abruptly as he cast a glance across the room toward the door. A rhythmic knocking resonated again, prompting him to shift his attention. With a sense of great reluctance, Harry extracted himself from the comfort of his bed and cautiously approached the door, his bewilderment growing at the unexpected interruption.

Upon peering through the peekhole, Harry's eyes widened in astonishment, causing him to take a step back in sheer surprise. Compelled by disbelief, he glanced once more through the tiny opening, determined to confirm the identity of the person outside. Convinced that it wasn't fatigue merely playing tricks on his senses, he broke into a smile as he proceeded to unlock the door and swing it open.

"Well … I can admit that I didn't expect to see you here. How on earth did you manage to find me?"

Natasha beamed at him, her eyes glinting with a subtle amusement. "Well, I happen to possess a rather unique set of skills that I've developed since my youth and I work for ... well, let's not get into that just yet. But more importantly, is that you weren't exactly making a concerted effort to stay under the radar … if that's what you were actually trying to do." She paused, locking eyes with him, eyebrows raised questioningly. "Throughout the day, we've been flooded with reports of individuals popping up all across the city and … performing extraordinary feats to aid those in need. The organization I work for is eager to track down these people. One report I came across described a guy who kept popping up all over town with nothing more than a resounding crack signaling his arrival and departure. He seemed capable of effortlessly moving debris, obliterating obstacles, and rescuing people from dangerous situations without any apparent effort. And then, poof, … he vanished without accepting any praise or thanks."

Natasha let the revelation linger, a sly smile playing on her lips, as Harry, somewhat sheepishly, averted his gaze to the ground. "I thought it sounded oddly familiar, so I decided to investigate this specific case. And, of course, you made it rather convenient by stopping by the same shawarma restaurant we had just exited a little while earlier."

Harry's surprise was palpable as he looked up and questioned, "We?"

Which prompted Natasha to nod in confirmation, a smile on her face. "Yes, the Avengers."

His gaze remained fixed on her as he processed what she said. "The Avengers?"

Natasha glanced around, her eyes sweeping past Harry into his hotel room and then scanning up and down the hallway. "Probably shouldn't be discussing this in the open hallway of a random hotel … want to invite me in?"

Harry, realizing the lack of privacy, stepped back from the doorway, gesturing for her to enter. "Oh … my bad. Please come in. Sorry about the mess." He motioned towards a bag of food still perched on the table where he had left it. "I picked that up with the plan of actually having a meal once I got back into the room, but … I found myself completely exhausted. So I decided to lay down for a nap … I suppose everything finally caught up with me. I've been on the go since ... well … since the fight started."

Harry watched Natasha's entrance into the room, her purposeful stride leading her to the chairs positioned by the window. In the center of the room, she casually dropped a small black metallic sphere onto the floor. Looking back and catching Harry's eye, she pointed at it. "Just try to ignore that; it will prevent anyone from overhearing our conversation."

Seeing his slow nod of acknowledgment, Natasha proceeded to the table, pulling out a chair and settling into it. She motioned for Harry to join her, a silent invitation to continue their conversation in a more secure setting. Eyeing the enigmatic metal ball with suspicion, Harry complied, taking a seat across from her.

As he settled into the chair, his gaze shifted back to Natasha. "So ... the Avengers? Are those the people you work for?"

Natasha chuckled, shaking her head. "Tony wishes. But no … not exactly. The folks I work for ... well … perhaps we can delve into that later. The Avengers were the team of people I fought alongside during the attack."

Harry's eyes widened with realization. "Oh, so Clint, Tony Stark, and ... the Hulk?"

Natasha affirmed his inquiry with a nod. "Yup, and Thor and Captain America. We sort of came together because of Loki ... and I don't think we're going to part ways anytime soon. At the very least, I believe we'll stay in contact, just in case there's another Loki coming down the line."

Harry, still processing the information, looked at her in surprise. "Another Loki?"

She smiled and shook her head. "Well, the chances of him escaping or there being another Loki are almost zero. I meant more in the sense of facing another threat on the same level as Loki."

Harry nodded in understanding, turning his gaze back to her. "So, there's really someone on the team named Captain America? When I was in the midst of the fight, Clint had made a comment and I thought he was just throwing words together."

Natasha chuckled, "No … he's a real person. It's a long story, but he's the same Captain America from World War II. He thwarted an attack and as a reward he got frozen in the ice in the Arctic when the plane he was on went down. Miraculously, whatever was done to him helped keep him alive."

Harry stared at her in shock, anticipating a punchline, but her expression remained serious. "You ... aren't joking?" he asked incredulously.

She shook her head, maintaining her seriousness. "No, I'm not. I would have thought even someone from England would have heard of Captain America. You might not have action figures or trading cards, but he was a pretty big part of the war."

Harry looked down before meeting her gaze again. "I … was never really good at history ... might need to brush up on it, apparently. So, how exactly did you find me? It's not that I was hiding; I was just trying to keep a low profile."

Natasha studied him for several seconds with suspicion, clearly detecting his attempt to divert the conversation. After a brief moment, she shrugged her shoulders. "As I had said, the organization I work for has been trying to make contact or identify all these individuals appearing throughout the city, since the battle. I happened to notice that one of the files sounded … oddly familiar, so I started trying to find a pattern and predict where you might appear next. But honestly, despite all the technology at our disposal, even with the extra stuff Tony was letting us use, we couldn't come up with anything solid. You seemed to pop up randomly, do your thing, and then vanish to another random location somewhere in the city. We couldn't even trace it back to where you were staying. In the end, it turned out to be mostly luck. We, the Avengers, had just been to the shawarma restaurant ..." She paused, nodding towards the bag on the table, before continuing, "... earlier in the day. When we got back to Stark Tower, or what is left of it anyways, Tony started complaining about forgetting his wallet." She chuckled, pulling a small wallet from a pocket. "How someone so smart can be so forgetful, I'll never understand. Anyway, I ended up going back since it was on the way to where I'm staying, and just as I was about half a block away ... who should walk out, takeout order bag in hand."

Harry raised an eyebrow, prompting Natasha to nod in acknowledgment before continuing. "No jokes. From there, it was pretty straightforward. I dashed inside and grabbed the wallet, accidentally dropping a few hundred dollars into the tip jar." She paused, offering a mischievous smile to Harry. "Don't tell Tony." Resuming her narrative, she added, "Then I sprinted out and managed to catch up with you before you reached the end of the block. Luckily, you didn't pull off any more of that teleporting thing you had been doing, so I just followed you all the way here. By the time I made it to the hotel lobby, you had already disappeared into the elevator. I simply asked which room Harry Potter was staying in, although apparently, there was no record of that name. So, I went with Plan B and inquired about the good-looking guy with green eyes who just went up to his room."

Harry's surprise was met with laughter. "Well, that's not exactly what I said, but I did manage to get your room number and the name it was registered under. For what it's worth … you don't really strike me as a Ronald Weasley."

This revelation prompted a laugh from Harry, recalling his decision to provide the concierge with a false name when he booked the room.

Natasha continued, "So, which is it, Ron Weasley or Harry Potter?"

Harry smiled and extended his hand. "My actual name is Harry Potter. It's nice to officially meet you, this being a little calmer than our first meeting."

Natasha nodded, and they shook hands. "Nice to meet you, Harry. I'm Natasha Romanov. For what its worth, if you're looking for a more imposing fake name to protect your identity, I'm sure you can do better than Ron Weasley." She paused and continued with a laugh, "What was the name you used in the letter, the one that yelled at us and then burnt up? Tony is still studying the ashes of the letter, trying to figure out how you did that by the way. 'The Master of Death'? Not bad, although I guess maybe a bit much for a room reservation."

Harry chuckled, feeling at ease in her presence. "I'll consider it. So, why were you looking for me or the other people who were helping out around the city?"

Natasha looked at him, a more serious look on her face, "The people I work for … they are looking to bring together a group of remarkable individuals … or at least have a way to contact them … so that when they are needed they can fight the battles that otherwise wouldn't be able to be fought."

Harry studied her across the table for a moment and then laughed. "That sure sounds like a well-practiced marketing line."

"Well … I've heard it delivered a few times before," she admitted with a smile.

"And how often does it actually work?" Harry inquired, chuckling.

"At least six times so far ..." She paused, her gaze shifting to look out the window, her expression growing serious again. "And for the sake of New York, it's been a good thing."

Harry's smile faded as he met Natasha's gaze and nodded in understanding. "So, what exactly is it that you want from me? To sign up for this team, work for some mysterious organization or individual, fighting evil ... I've already done that once, and … well, it didn't really work out too well for me." Harry shook his head, ignoring the questioning look on her face. "That's a long story for another time. But I'm serious, what do you want from me? I just got here."

"From Britain?" Natasha probed.

Harry slowly shook his head. "Sort of ... I guess. But that's part of the story."

Natasha stared at Harry for a couple of seconds, but sensing he wasn't ready to continue, she reached into the sling bag on her back and pulled out a folder, placing it on the table between them. "Well, you don't need to answer this now. But obviously, you are … very capable of dealing with trouble, even if I'm not sure how you were doing whatever it is that you were doing. And for what it's worth, neither do the people I work for … or Tony, a fact which he's apparently quite frustrated with at the moment."

Harry couldn't help but smile as he looked up from the folder, meeting Natasha's eyes.

"But it probably wouldn't hurt to have you on hand just in case some big threat popped up again and we needed your help. Even despite his complaints Clint admitted that your ability to pop from place to place was incredibly beneficial in the fight."

Harry disregarded her earlier remark and shifted his attention back to the table, focusing on the folder. "So, what exactly is this?"

"This is a goodwill gesture … an enticement, if you will. It contains information about who the Avengers are and information on some of the threats out there. While there's a lot of information in there … it doesn't cover everything. So, if you decide to join, it's not like you need to share all your secrets … I'll be the first in line to admit there are things I don't need or want known about me. But it's just nice for us to know that we have someone else there to help if things get bad and we need it."

Harry examined the top of the folder and its insignia curiously for several seconds before pushing it back towards her. "I appreciate the offer, but I'm not exactly a superhero."

"Well … you could have fooled everyone in the city. You certainly managed to hold your own against the Chitauri yesterday, and then you've apparently spent every moment since then trying to help the people of New York. I'm not exactly sure what people of Britain call that, but it sounds slightly heroic to me."

Harry opened his mouth to respond, but Natasha raised her hand. "You don't need to answer now. Heavens know you've earned a chance to rest and think this over. Just know that we are the good guys, and you don't need to be in the fight against bad guys yourself. Sometimes having help … well … helps."

He stared across the table for several seconds, replaying her words in his mind before slowly nodding and reaching out to grab the folder. "I'll ... think about it, but that's all I promise," he said after a moment, causing her to smile.

"That's all I can ask," Natasha said, reaching into her pocket. She retrieved a sleek phone and extended it to him. "Here. Keep this. If you make up your mind and decide to join the team, give me a call. I programmed my number in there under Black Widow. And for whatever it's worth, even if you don't want to join the team, but you ever need help with something, don't hesitate to reach out. As long as I'm not busy with the whole saving the world thing … I'd enjoy the chance to work with you again."

As Harry focused on the phone in his hand, studying it suspiciously, he heard Natasha stand up. "And don't worry, I made sure when I took the phone from the people I work with, that I removed all tracking and eavesdropping capabilities from the phone ..."

Harry heard her laugh as his eyes swung back to the phone with renewed suspicion and concern.

"I'm being serious, though. Reach out if you need some help, some problems are too big for one person to handle on their own. I'm only a call away."

With that, Natasha turned and headed towards the door, waving as she exited the room. Harry sat for several minutes, staring at the folder and the phone on the table. He decided that he would look through the folder in the coming days and decided that he would definitely keep the phone, just in case something came up. It had been enjoyable enough teaming up with Clint and Natasha, and maybe he would run into a problem that just needed to be smashed.

However, as he felt his eyes start to close against his will, Harry decided that, for now, he needed sleep. Standing and releasing a long yawn, he moved the shawarma into the small room fridge. Content with his decision, Harry headed towards the bed realizing that everything could be dealt with in the morning, and beyond what he had chatted about with Natasha, there was still work to do in the city once he woke up.

Harry was asleep before his head even hit the pillow.

- HP - Marvel - HP - Marvel - HP - Marvel - HP - Marvel - HP -

The next day, as he sat up in bed, feeling significantly more refreshed than he had expected to after being up for a couple days, Harry's eyes landed on the folder that Natasha had left on the small table. Realizing he needed to eat a bit before heading out, he retrieved the leftovers from the room fridge. Intrigued by the folder, he reached for it and opened it as he sat down, revealing a collection of files and documents neatly arranged within.

True to Natasha's description, the folder contained brief profiles and histories of the Avengers. However, the section that captured his attention was an overview of incidents that had unfolded over the past several decades. The documents detailed the extensive damage done to civilian areas and estimated the number of innocent lives lost. As Harry examined this section, he found himself genuinely shocked at just how perilous this world appeared to be and how many supervillains there were that posed a serious threat … some at least as dangerous as Voldemort had been.

Intrigued by the material within the folder, Harry found himself getting lost in the info as he flipped through its contents while enjoying his leftovers, absorbing the gravity of the incidents described and the analyses on why the previous responses had been insufficient. Amidst the papers were documents, detailing other individuals with incredible powers and abilities – from individuals capable of rapid healing of extreme degrees to those possessing strength levels that would intimidate giants, and even individuals with the ability to shrink to the size of insects or read minds – however among those documents, Harry noticed a conspicuous absence. No one in these records seemed to possess magical abilities.

This realization prompted Harry to pause and wonder whether there were no magical societies on this world or if, despite the presence of numerous superpowered individuals, magical communities managed to remain unnoticed. Recalling his visit with the Ancient One, he was inclined towards believing the latter possibility. Even though he was pretty sure there was a distinction in what they had been doing, Harry was fairly certain that what she was doing involved some form of magic.

Completing his breakfast, he realized that his mind had continually circled back to Natasha's offer from the previous night … about joining the team. He decided that once he completed his training in Kamar-Taj and gained a better understanding of both the magic of this world and how his own magic functioned here, he would look into joining the Avengers. However, as he stood up and tossed the food wrappers into the garbage, a lingering sense of premonition settled within him. He couldn't shake the feeling that he would inevitably cross paths with numerous superheroes and, unfortunately, probably even supervillains as he delved into the mysteries of magic. All of this before he even made it to Kamar-Taj.

Kind Regards,

FavoriteAuthor

Up Next: A Familiar Face

Guest - Well guess it wasn't SHIELD ... not technically.

Armiture - Thanks! Haha looks like there was more to shawarma than simply the one off reference.

Makimass - Haha at the start there will be several cameos but wanted to introduce all the characters I eventually have a plan for

diggerboy - Totally fair, the cameos will start slowing down but wanted to introduce all the characters that will at some point pop by. Plus in the hectic-ness of the Battle it was a convenient way to just mention someone without having to develop a significant amount of convo just yet.

oneoddtodd - Thanks for the review. May your days be pleasant and your nights be filled with reading.

Callum Runchman - Want to have two chapters dealing with aftermath and then will be a string of longer chapters dealing with arcs (each arc will be about 4-7 chapters (depending on which one) and all the arcs will be working Harry towards Kamar-Taj)

cameron1812 - I know poor Harry, boy must be exhausted!

nealrm - Thanks for reviewing!

pacardic - Clean up will end up being pretty quick, will have a couple chapters and then start on the story arcs and the cameos will decrease and the characters that were introduced will start popping back up.

Thanks to those of you out to those of you who enjoy my stories, I promise to keep updating the stories as long as you enjoy them, and a special thanks to those of you who have taken the time to leave feedback or reach out to me directly. All feedback is welcome (hopefully constructive!) Looking forward to hearing what you think!

Story Note – I know that this chapter is a little more dialogue focused than usual but needed to set things up going forward and wanted to give Harry time to think about joining the Avengers rather than it just being a rash, immediate decision. As this story will be about magical Harry he is still going to head off to do his training before joining, finding out more about why his magic works the way it does here. And as everyone knows the journey is the destination.

Disclaimer 2 – This story will be inspired by the Earth 199999 (AKA – the Earth from the MCU movies, shows, … ) but not exactly the same, specific changes being highlighted in story notes when they appear. Think of it more as Earth 199999.1.

I hope you all liked the start to the new story, and I look forward to hearing your feedback. This is a story I have been looking forward to writing for a very long time.

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