LAST TIME
Harry turned to the three unconscious men, his eyes hardening.
'I need to clear this mess up,' Harry rose to his feet. 'Make sure they don't remember me and turn themselves in.'
Harry glanced at the blonde girl.
'I'll make her think she caught them.' Harry decided. 'She overpowered them but got knocked out in the fight too. When she wakes up, these three will still be unconscious. Perfect.'
Harry glanced around the alley, to see if someone was around, before waving his hand.
The girl's eyes shot open for a moment, immediately glazing over before she slumped back.
Harry walked forward and repeated the same for the three men. With a frown, he struck the unconscious men with the punching jinx a few times.
'Perfect,' Harry covered his head with the hood of his cloak, disappearing from view. 'Now, the final step.'
A bubble of magic rose, killing all noise in the alley.
'Rennervate,' the girl's eyes shot open and she blinked groggily, getting back to her feet unsteadily.
Her eyes widened as she looked at the three downed men and she whipped out her phone.
"Hello," She breathed. "This is Agent Thirteen. The mission was a success. I caught Glasgowski's men. I need men to take them in."
With a smile, Harry apparated away silently, the girl none the wiser.
Ch.10 The Photo on the Wall
26th December 2005
The Triskelion, Washington DC
The light of the setting sun shone through the huge glass windows, bathing the room in an orange glow. A bald man sat behind a desk, glaring at a computer screen covered with multiple images and digital files. He scowled at the screen before picking up the telephone and dialing a number.
"Hill, I need you over the Budapest operation." He barked into the receiver. "This is a motherfucking mess and I need it to go away quietly. And Barton has a new recruit. Evaluate her and report back to me."
He listened to the other end before cutting the call. Barely a second later, the intercom buzzed, and his scowl deepened.
"Yes?" He pressed a button on the device.
"Sir, I have Agent Coulson here." A female voice rang. "He is insisting on seeing you urgently."
"Send him in then." he picked the receiver and put it back in place, cutting the call.
Turning to the computer, he clicked his mouse twice and the files on the screen disappeared, showing a black screen with a SHIELD logo in its center.
A second later, a brisk knock echoed through the room, and the door swung open. A man dressed in a sleek, gray suit walked in followed by a young, blonde girl in SHIELD uniform.
"Good evening, Director Fury." Coulson gave him a small smile.
"Agent Coulson. Agent Thirteen." Fury's single black eye searched them. "What is it?"
Agent Thirteen began to speak, but Coulson preempted her. "Sir, I would request you to secure the office before we discuss things further."
Fury raised an eyebrow and pressed a button on the side of his desk.
"Secure office." He ordered.
The windows darkened and the binds came down. The office's door swung shut on its own, its lock clicking in place. Agent Thirteen looked around wide-eyed as things moved automatically.
"Office secured," An automated female voice rang, making her jump.
Fury leaned back in his chair, his hands clasping on his leg. "What is this about, Coulson?"
"Sharon?" Coulson glanced at the young girl.
"Yeah." She shifted on her feet. "Director, I was on my first mission yesterday— well, the day before yesterday. I mean the night! It—"
"Agent Thirteen," Fury's single eye bore into her. "Continue with the details that are important."
Sharon bobbed her head rapidly in response. "Yes, sir. Sir, I was tracking down a gang of smugglers in New York. My cover got blown, and three men started chasing me. I... I fought them and managed to knock them out."
"And, what's the problem?" Fury raised an eyebrow.
"Her events of the story deviate at several points." Coulson stepped forward. "She reported being injured by a knife wound earlier during the mission. Her body-cam confirmed her injury. But now she doesn't remember being injured nor is there a single mark on her."
Fury leaned forward, his eye trained on Sharon who met his gaze, her throat quivering.
"And that's not all, sir." Coulson cast a sideway glance at Sharon. "Her body-camera was also found blown, its last footage being about fifteen minutes before Agent Thirteen called for cleanup."
"Blown?" Fury shifted his gaze to Coulson.
"Yes, sir. Blown." Coulson nodded. "Like the types blown by an EMP."
"That's not possible." Fury frowned. "Those cameras are shielded against EMPs. Have someone from tech analyze it."
"I have already sent it, sir." Coulson said. "But there is more. The camera did pick one last thing before getting blown."
He removed a pen-drive from his coat jacket and slid it across the desk. Fury examined it for a moment before plugging it into his computer, opening the one single file in it.
The scene opened to an alley bathed in green light. The scene moved fast, grunts punctuating the movement of hands and legs. The camera shook all over the place, showing kicks and punches being exchanged.
"Three hostiles." Fury leaned forward.
"Yes, sir," Sharon blurted. "I remember three."
Fury nodded, his eye trained on the screen. A moment later, the camera visual distorted, the screen turning an eye-burning green.
"Bright light," Fury murmured as the scene slowly cleared, the night vision turning back to normal view.
The scene showed an elbow digging into a chest, sending a man stumbling. A leg appeared on the screen followed by a great crashing sound as the scene broadened.
"He kicked you," Fury's eye flicked toward Sharon. "But you did well, Agent."
Sharon's eyes lit up and she stood straighter.
"Stop!" A loud voice rang from the computer. "Leave her alone!"
The camera twisted, to show a man standing at the entrance of the alley. A ball of light shone in the palm of his hand.
"Oh, and what are you gonna do, brave boy?"
A boot came down, covering a substantial part of the screen. It was followed by a loud, feminine scream that made Sharon wince. The boot receded back until a pair of knees were visible. The next moment, the screen turned a brilliant orange, swirling with colors on the edges before turning to gray static.
"That's the camera getting blown." Coulson commented. "But she doesn't remember any of this. Not even the man or the light. She says she took them down in the dark, but got knocked out in the process. The men that were captured reported the same story. Word to word."
Fury raised an eyebrow, his eye moving from Coulson and Sharon.
"Miss Carter, would you give us a moment?" Fury declared.
Sharon looked at Coulson for a moment before hastily nodding. Turning on her heel, she walked to the door, only to stop as she futilely tugged at it. Fury pressed a button and the door clicked open.
Once she walked out, the door locked itself automatically and he shifted his attention to Coulson.
"What do you think, Coulson?" Fury asked. "Enhanced?"
"Either enhanced or he has some pretty advanced technology." Coulson ran a hand through his receding hairline as he moved around the seat and sat down across Fury. "There is another thing we picked up from satellite imagery. It is grainy but we can see flashes of multi-colored light, mainly orange and red. Their purpose is unclear but the orange one seems to fling people back."
"Like her?" Fury's hand moved to his hip.
"Not exactly, but we cannot be sure." Coulson breathed. "Are you still in touch with her?"
"I can be at a moment's notice." Fury's fingers drummed on the desk. "Have you identified this person?"
"He is Harry Potter." Coulson said. "We got a seventy-three percent match from the image on Sharon's body camera. He is well, rather normal. Has his records here since birth. He comes from an old British family."
"So he's probably not from space." Fury's jaw twitched. "And he either has the technology or the powers to alter memories and fire off energy beams."
"And, he can heal people." Coulson added. "Agent Thirteen reported no pain when she was picked up. And there wasn't a single bruise on her body."
Fury leaned back in his chair. "Do you think he could be an ally?"
"In my opinion, likely." Coulson said. "He healed Agent Thirteen and saved her life even though he didn't know her. He saw she was in trouble and stepped in to help. Also, the men who were captured were injured, not killed."
"Look further into this Harry Potter." Fury stroked his beard. "This doesn't go out of this room and is completely off the books. You report only to myself and Agent Hill."
"Sir, are you thinking what I am thinking?" Coulson's eyebrows drew into a deep vee. "The project was scrapped the moment we had proposed it."
"It might be an old-fashioned notion, Coulson." Fury smirked, removing a single white file from his desk. "But it is one I believe in."
Fury slid the file across the desk to Coulson. Under the symbol of SHIELD, its title glinted in bold letters.
THE AVENGERS INITIATIVE
27th December 2005
Harry's Home, Bleecker Street
"Oh, come on!" Harry slammed his fist into the desk with a ringing thud. "Work!"
Golden sparks splattered across his desk and Harry cursed under his breath. With a huff, he picked up his pen and crossed another set of words scribbled on the last page of his book.
'Why wouldn't it work?' Harry pushed himself away from the desk.
The back of his chair banging into the wall behind him. Harry scowled and rose from his seat, storming to the window.
White condensation fogged the glass, the snow piled on the windowsill barely visible through it. Harry swept his hand over the cold glass wiping away the condensation.
Snow drifted down the night sky, piling on the sidewalks below. All around, bright lights shone through windows of apartments, a few Christmas trees visible. A short distance away, the symbol of the Sanctum Sanctorum shone atop the New York Sanctum.
'Death told me I was close to summoning the Stone's power at will.' Harry watched his reflection stare back at him from the window. 'But I still haven't figured it out. It has been almost two months now. Nothing works.'
Harry turned away from the window, his eyes drifting toward the single photo in the room. Hermione and Ron grinned and waved at him from the photo while Harry gave him a smile.
'I wish they were here.' A longing burned through Harry's heart. 'They would've helped me figure something out. Hermione would've come up with something by now.'
The amulet on his chest thrummed.
'They wouldn't want me to give up.' Harry stared at the photo as he took a deep breath.
The amulet grew warm against his chest and heat bubbled through his bones. Bright orange sparks erupted from his fingertips, curling like embers of a campfire.
"I—" Harry stepped back. "I did it."
The orange sparks dissolved into a warm breeze, smelling strongly of a mixture of broom polish, the Ancient One's tea and treacle tart.
'That's interesting.' Harry's eyebrows drew into a deep vee. 'I didn't smell this at the Tower of London. Or when I forayed into the Astral plane.'
Harry held his hands up again but paused. The image of the Ancient One creating a huge runic shield flashed in front of his eyes.
'If I can somehow control the stone, I shouldn't be doing it here.' Harry turned to stare at the glowing symbol of the Sanctum Santorum in the distance. 'It is not safe to operate an infinity stone in the open,' His fingers ran over the edge of the amulet. 'It will attract unnecessary attention. I should probably go to the Sanctum to do this.'
Harry's green eyes shone back at him from the window.
'Or— I can ward this room and surprise the Ancient One for once. She might already know, but at least I would prove myself to her.'
Harry waved his hand and a leather bound book leaped off his book shelf, floating into his hand. Harry flipped through its pages, turning to the section of advanced runic shielding.
'This should do nicely with the protections I already have.' Harry studied the intricate diagram drawn on the pages. 'And it is meant to protect anything within four walls and even absorb additional power in the surroundings to strengthen itself. Perfect for handling this.'
The book rose from Harry's hand, floating in front of him. With a careful look at the first page, Harry crossed his forearms before drawing them apart. Golden lines stretched between his fingers, and they began to expand rapidly, crisscrossing and multiplying in front of Harry.
Within minutes, scores of runes shone over the cream-colored walls, casting a golden glow in Harry's study. Harry stood facing the wall with the window, as an intricate runic matrix wove itself in front of him.
Harry squinted at the book before looking at the floating matrix in front of him. Holding out his hands, he drew a thin golden line and added it to the construct.
'That seems to match.' Stepping back, he threw out his arms and the matrix slowly expanded, the runes growing in proportion. Sparks fluttered to the ground as it grew to the size of the wall, its edges hitting the ceiling. With another gesture, the matrix floated back to the wall, glowing against the cream paint.
Harry shielded his eyes as the runes around the room glowed brighter and a thrum rose. The hair on Harry's skin prickled and a smile tugged at his lips as the golden glow faded into the wall and the lights flickered on.
'Perfect.' With a wave of his hand, the book flipped close and flew back to its place on the shelf. 'Now I can use the stone in this room without worrying about causing an incident.'
He dragged his chair around his table and pulled his notebook toward him.
'Moment of truth,' Harry took a deep breath. 'I somehow controlled the stone. Now, I just have to replicate it. If I can do it, I can cast spells and control the stone.'
His fingers ran over the metal edge of the amulet, feeling the thrum of power. Taking a deep breath, Harry threw his hands out.
Nothing happened. No sparks erupted from his fingers.
'Was that just a fluke?' Harry felt his heart drop. 'No, I must have done something right. If I can do it once, I can do it again.'
Harry held his hands in front of him, concentrating on the thrum of the soul stone against his chest. He let himself sink in the thrum of power and remembered the warmth that had rushed through him. He flicked his fingers and golden sparks burst from his fingertips.
'That's not the Stone,' Harry watched the golden sparks crash against the tabletop and extinguish. 'The Stone's magic was orange. This is golden— dimensional energy.'
Anxiety gnawed in his chest.
'What am I doing wrong here? What did I do before that I am not doing now?'
Harry stood from his seat and walked to the window, peering outside for a moment. A moment later, he slowly turned, his eyes running around the room.
'What am I missing?'
Hermione waved at him from the photo while Ron winked.
'I was remembering them.' The Harry from the photo pointed at Ron and Hermione. 'Maybe it is like the Patronus charm. It needs emotions rather than technique!'
Hermione's giggles and Ron's roaring laughter rang in his ears. Everything around him faded except the picture on the wall.
The Amulet on his chest warmed up and heat raced down his bones. Orange sparks burst from his fingers.
"YES!" Harry pumped his fist in the air.
Hermione and Ron clapped while Harry in the photo shot him a thumbs up.
'It's no longer a fluke.' A triumphant flame burned in Harry's chest as he grinned back at his friends. 'I am controlling the Stone.'
The aroma of tea, treacle tart and broomstick polish wafted up his nose, making his smile widen. Harry raised the amulet from his chest waving it toward the photo on the wall.
'They would be proud.'
2nd January 2006
Kamar Taj, Kathmandu
Harry peered at the huge tome that laid open on the table in front of him. The eye of power dangled from his neck, casting a shadow over the yellowed pages. A soft thrum rang through the room as fiery runic circles floated in front of him.
"Another circle here." Harry remembered the hut's door banging open and Hagrid entering the small shack. Heat rose in his bones and a runic circle rapidly formed in front of his crossed forearms.
As he moved the circle to join the bigger formation, the hairs on his neck tingled.
'Yao, The daughter of Aodh.' A whisper rose in his ears.
"How may I help you, Ancient One?" Harry asked loudly.
A chuckle sounded from behind him as the Ancient One emerged from the shelves.
"Impressive, Mr. Potter." her eyes gleamed in the light of Harry's spell. "Both the spell, and you picking up on my approach. And I see you've already begun casting spells with the Stone. Thankfully, you're practicing it here."
Harry smiled at her, moving another circle into place.
"The Stone is proving to have a lot more capabilities than I thought." Harry drew fiery orange lines in the air, connecting two runic circles. "And I am still only exploring it."
"It is an Infinity Stone, Mr. Potter." the Ancient One took a seat on the wooden chair across from him. "If you read the Book of Cagliostro well, you would know that controlling the flow of time is just one of many things the Time Stone can do."
"I did more than just read the book." Harry spun the matrix in front of him. "I compared temporal spells and rituals to the spells for the Eye of Agamotto. To my surprise, some runic circles were the same."
A smile tugged at the Ancient One's lips as she nodded in agreement.
"So, I picked a couple of spells and studied them further." Harry continued. "The meaning of each symbol, each line, each connection."
"And you found that the components to summon temporal energy have been removed." a triumphant glint hoovered in the Ancient One's eyes. "The Time Stone provides the temporal energy needed for the spell to work. Good work, Mr. Potter."
Harry frowned. "You already knew?"
"I have worked with temporal magic for more decades than years you've lived, Mr. Potter." a grin tugged at her lips. "And I have served as the Sorcerer Supreme for just as long. I have performed almost every spell in the book of Cagliostro and more."
"So, you knew I could've done the same with the Soul Stone?" Harry muttered. "Nice of you to tell me."
"Sometimes, it serves us better to find answers for ourselves, Mr. Potter." A smile tugged at her lips. "If I had given you the answer, you would've never learned what you did. By exploring it yourself, you learned to manipulate spells. You dug deeper into learning the very nature of Sorcery. And you even learned temporal magic."
"Well, it was useful." Harry allowed. "But I haven't figured out how to heal people— or do things like I did at the Tower. Casting spells is one thing but healing someone or… just controlling the Stone is another."
The Ancient One hummed in response.
"Is there something you know and you're not telling me again?" Harry asked.
"Not quite." She said. "But I have a good guess."
"That's the same thing." Harry snorted. "Your good guesses usually come true."
"Sometimes, Mr. Potter, if I say something out loud, it won't come true just on principle." She gave him an expectant look.
"The Time Stone." Harry winced. "You looked through the future— its multiple possibilities anyway."
The Ancient One smiled. "Temporal divination, is the correct term. What you're performing right now— Astral Scrying, is a part of Spirit divination. These are deeper branches of the study of divination— reading the past and present, and predicting the future." She tilted her head. "You have had some experience with the field, if I remember correctly."
"It was a load of crap." Trelawney's magnified, misty eyes hovered in Harry's mind. "The professor was a fraud even if she gave two prophecies regarding me."
"Concerning you and Lord Voldemort." The Ancient One nodded. "From the stories you've told me and what I've seen, it seems that fate has a strange interest in you."
"Well, it has certainly been more peaceful here." Harry smiled. "Except for the Grote Slang incident, nothing much has happened since I came here."
The Ancient One's smile faded away. "It would still be in your best interest to keep learning as much as you can, Mr. Potter. Learning to control the Stone without opening the eye was impressive. But it is just a stepping stone in your journey ahead."
Harry felt cold fingers curl around his heart. "Is something going to happen?"
The Ancient One gave him an expectant look and his heart dropped.
"You have foreseen it, of course." Harry felt his heart hammer against his chest. "And if you tell me—"
"—it will not happen." She looked away. "I am sorry, Mr. Potter. But this is the best course of events plausible. If I tamper with them, there is no telling of the consequences to come."
"It's okay." Harry waved his hand. "It is not your fault."
"Sometimes, things are a boon as much as a curse." She said sadly. "Someday, you might understand my pain. The position I hold is not for the weak of heart. Many have fallen to its burdens in the past."
Harry's heart dropped in his stomach. "What can you tell me today?"
"All I will tell you is that Earth, as a planet in this vast universe, is just emerging out of its cocoon." The Ancient One rose from her seat. "Earth is a nexus for all planes, Mr. Potter. It is where the mortal and divine meet. The very center of the nine-realms. Eyes will be on us, Mr. Potter. As we progress, we will attract attention: both divine and alien. It doesn't help that we have three infinity stones on this planet."
"Wait." Harry looked at her sharply. "Three Stones?"
"The Space Stone too, is here, on Earth." The Ancient One said. "The Norse God, Odin, left it on Earth around the time of the Great Agamotto in care of a special line of mortals that helped him in the battle against the Frost Giants."
"Where's it now?" Harry asked.
"Where it should be, Mr. Potter." The Ancient One smiled. "Exactly where it should be."
"You do realize that half of the six most powerful objects in the Universe are here, on Earth?" Harry said dryly.
"I do, Mr. Potter." she replied. "There is a lot coming and worrying about it isn't going to stop it." She smiled slyly. "And if it makes you feel any better, we aren't the only ones that will be standing on the front lines to protect the planet."
"Who else will be there?" Harry raised an eyebrow.
The Ancient One rose from her seat and placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Earth is going to attract a lot of attention, Mr. Potter. But not all of it will be bad. Earth is evolving, Mr. Potter. And in my centuries of experience, there are none more adaptable than humans when it comes to change. It is our greatest quality."
'She is saying something without saying it.' Harry met her eyes. 'But what?'
"Keep learning, Mr. Potter." She removed her hand from his shoulder. "Every bit will help."
She swept out of the room, her yellow robe fluttering behind her, leaving Harry alone in the room.
AND… DONE! Hope you all liked the chapter.
Yes, the Soul Stone works much like the patronus charm, based on emotions on love rather than happiness. My reasoning for this was simple. In the MCU, in order to obtain the Soul Stone from Vormir, the price required was the soul of a loved one instead of just any soul. Thanos sacrificed Gamora and Clint (Hawkeye) in a way, sacrificed Natasha (Black Widow) for it.
So, to use the stone, you have to feed it love in a sense. Even the smells that emerge as the power fades, if you recognize them, are the smells Harry gets from Amortentia in the Half Blood Prince. With the tea added in the mix.
Also, I am now near the end of the 'Introduction Arc' of this fic. Harry is now settled into a new universe and has gotten the stone under his control in a way. He has also learned a lot of Sorcery.
The next chapter will officially be the LAST chapter of the Introduction arc and mark the beginning of the Marvel arc.
The Marvel Arc will be Harry getting into the wider Marvel verse and will cover the start of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. i.e. the movies before The Avengers(2012).
The Marvel Arc will obviously be followed by the Avengers arc.
.
Isharioth666: Honestly, we don't exactly know how much Harry had in his account. Him being ultra rich is more of fanon and fanfic tropes than anything else. But he cannot be richer than Stark.
If you take the average weight of a galleon to be even 10 grams, the price for one galleon will be around 200 dollars(USD) in 2007… something which most definitely isn't canon. Assuming he has 100,000 galleons in his account(enough to form several piles), his wealth in USD will come to 20 million.
So, even if he has a million or TEN million galleons, it won't touch Tony's wealth considering Tony Stark is a multi-billionaire.
HowlnMadHowie: The reality stone is not on Earth. Jane Foster stepped through a convergence leading her to the reality stone. There are three, as I mentioned in the chapter.
Erozoth: You might want to reread that chapter. Harry didn't get injured or ran. He landed blows on the creature and trapped it. But the Ancient One finished it off with a more powerful spell. Also, these are not mental issues. They are emotions and this is called characterization.
AnimeFan13579: Doctor Strange is far away lol.
WhiteElfElder: Umm… Corvus didn't have telekinesis. That was Ebony Maw(yeah, they look somewhat similar but they're different characters). Corvus Glaive was the one who attacked Vision and Wanda alongside his wife, Proxima Midnight in Infinity War. He was the one with the huge blade which stopped Vision from phasing.
TurtlesTale: Haha, yes, you're correct. Sharon Carter AKA Agent Thirteen.
Citan: This is about the introduction Arc. Honestly, I made it longer to give a good character grounding to Harry.
.
That's all! Thank you for your reviews!
A huge thanks to Adrien and Percy Pedagron for helping me with a few elements in this chapter.
A huge thanks to Mughil for betaing this chapter.
.
Please try out my other stories. They're all on my profile and I hope you all will enjoy those too.
I have also created a discord server with the help of my two very good friends. I really hope to see you all there and have fun with you all. There, you can communicate with me, ask me questions regarding my fics, look at the character images, get sneak peeks, give your own theories! Come over and check it all out yourself!
Discord Server Invite Link: discord . gg / 4qfP3fxdQ4 [Remove the spaces please]
.
Stay Happy! Stay Safe! Keep Smiling! Keep Reading!
HPfanfictioner66