"So, what exactly are you doing here?" Stark asked.
"Er, what?" Harry hadn't expected Stark to approach him, but then again, his file was included in the packet, he had to be curious.
"I mean, I get it. Gotta have someone who knows about mythology when dealing with Loki, but now that Thor's here…" The opened his hands to symbolize the reason for his presence disappearing.
He did have a point, but he didn't have to be an arse about it.
Natasha once again rose to Harry's defense "If you read the file, you'd know that Harry doesn't just know magic and mythology in an academic sense."
"So he can make light. You know what else can do that? A flashlight." Harry had experience with people making assumptions about him. It had been a near constant in his life, so yeah, it may have touched a nerve.
"Don't assume you know everything about me, Mr. Stark." He said with forced politeness.
To Harry's surprise, Stark reacted with glee. "I knew it. You're holding out." Harry blinked, recalibrating. "Look, why don't you visit my lab when all this is over. I'd love to take a look-"
"Magic and technology don't tend to mix well." Harry forestalled him.
Harry had hoped to discourage him, but it failed miserably. "Oh yeah, I heard. EMP. Could be very useful, situationally. Don't worry, most of my lab is shielded, and everything else can be replaced."
"We'll see." Harry replied enigmatically, his annoyance fading as he realized Stark's game- keep him off balance to see if he slipped "We've got more pressing issues."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Don't tell me that you aren't itching to figure out the Tesseract, or Loki's glowstick."
Natasha cast an inquisitive look at Harry, curious as to how he'd respond. "You know… you aren't wrong."
Stark grinned, and Natasha took the opportunity to intervene "Playtime can come later, boys."
He mostly sat back during the following debrief, letting the others verbally spar with each other while he felt them out. This seemed to be the tactic that Natasha and Hill took as well, meanwhile Fury… He'd never actually met Nick Fury in person, so that in itself was… interesting. The most obvious parallel would be Alastor Moody- what with the eye, but Fury actually reminded him more of Scrimgeour.
But his reticence didn't mean he wasn't paying attention, or that he wasn't incredibly interested in their new prisoner, or the staff. They were the first actual magic he'd seen from this world. He couldn't help but wonder, would these Asgardians know of wizards, of why this world was different from his own? He couldn't exactly just ask Thor, since he (and Shield) wasn't exactly keen on letting it out that Harry was from another universe, but he could try to fish for information.
The meeting just happened to be a perfect time to grab Thor. Harry had been intensely interested in talking with the apparent god ever since he'd learned about his appearance in New Mexico. He didn't seem nearly so untouchable in person, though. In fact, he was quite the fish out of water. He was trying to play the role of a god-prince, but he'd slipped up at a few points. When Banner had said Loki's brain was a 'bag full of cats', Thor had attempted to come to his brother's defense, only to back down almost immediately with a meek 'he was adopted'. Harry had to suppress a snort.
As they disbanded, Harry made his move "Thor Odinson, I wanted to speak with you."
"Harry Potter!" Thor grinned "Well met! Frankly, I didn't realize that Earth had wizards now."
"Ah." Harry said, somewhat disappointed. "I take it that magic using humans is a new development? You've never heard of anyone… like me, in history?"
Thor actually looked sheepish as he answered "Well, to be honest, I wouldn't be the right person to ask. I haven't exactly studied the histories."
Of course, Harry bemoaned internally. "Let me guess. Loki was the bookworm between you two."
"Well, yes." Thor admitted, his expression brightening. "Never fear, I can have someone look into it right away when I return home." Which meant no answers anytime soon. "We will find out if there are others like you, Harry Potter."
"There's something else." Harry pulled out a sheaf of Nordic runes "What can you tell me about these?" Thor's expression turned sheepish again "Let me guess, Loki."
Of course, it couldn't be easy.
-----
"Ah, so Fury's pet wizard decides to pay a visit."
"It's not much of a visit, if anything you're our visitor." Harry sparred. The team had caught up to Loki in Munich, where Steve and Tony engaged and captured him. Though Loki hadn't put up much of a fight, to the point where it seemed like he wanted to get captured. It was unnerving.
Loki shrugged "In all fairness, you aren't much of a wizard, either."
Harry hated him immediately. He was the personification of a Slytherin, and every bit as arrogant and greasy as any Slytherin he'd met. "Oh, hit a sore spot, did I?" Loki jabbed victoriously. He had, and Harry realized that exchanging insults with Loki wasn't going to do him much good. He reconsidered his plan of attack while Loki continued "How does it feel, to be alone in the world, Harry Potter? To be surrounded by people who could never hope to understand you- I can relate."
Harry tossed aside Loki's olive branch- he'd heard it all before. You're not so different, you and I. What tripe. "Wait. How do you know about me?"
"Do you really think Shield would keep your secrets? A traveler from another universe, of course they would tell their resident astrophysicist." Ah, Eric Selvig, then. Shield had recruited them after his role in Thor's first appearance on Earth. He'd gone on to work with the Tesseract, only to have been taken over by Loki. It grated him that this person Harry didn't even know was privy to that private information… Shield. "They are not your friends. No one on this wretched rock is."
Harry snorted "And you are? You're trying to conquer my-"
"But this isn't your world, is it? You just live here." Loki pressed "When I heard about you, I confess I was confused. But I did my research. I know how your people were created."
For a moment, Loki had him hook, line, and sinker. All sense was briefly set aside by the need to know. "How?"
Loki just grinned, it was then that Harry realized that he was just toying with him. Perhaps Loki did know how to recreate magic users, but he had no intention of just telling him. Not when there was nothing to gain.
There was no point to this, he realized. Harry bitterly turned and left without a word, quite a bit more irate than when he entered, and spotted Natasha standing at the threshold, waiting for him to finish. "He's all yours." He told her.
He did linger, though, to see her interrogation of Loki. His reasons were doing so weren't clear even to himself- maybe he wanted to see if she could crack Loki, maybe he wanted so see how she interreacted with another 'mark', maybe he just wanted to see her. Either way, he found it viscerally satisfying watching her outfox the trickster god, using her 'vulnerability' to draw information from him, even if that information was… concerning.
She didn't bat an eye when she saw him. "Come on, we need to get to Banner." She told him. Harry fell into step behind her.
"What are we doing to do?" He asked.
"We need to convince him that Loki's trying to manipulate him. He and I have a rapport so I'll try to persuade him to self-isolate."
"Oh." Harry said. He knew it wasn't his business, but he couldn't help but wonder if she'd…
"Not like that." She quickly corrected.
Harry didn't know what to say to that. Good? Thanks? "Oh."
After about a minute of awkward silence Harry gave in "Err, when all of this is over, can we talk?" Natasha cocked an eyebrow at him "We left off on a bad note, I just want to… clear things up between us."
"That sounds good." She said, and it might have been wishful thinking, but he detected relief in her voice.
They made it to the lab, to find a rapidly deteriorating situation. Shield had been making Hydra weapons. Fury and Natasha had leapt to the defense versus Steve and Tony- who despite not agreeing on anything did agree that this was unacceptable.
Harry, frankly, didn't trust Shield as far as he could throw them, even though he was Shield. "You know, isn't it odd that despite supposedly being your 'expert' on magic, I didn't even know you had the Tesseract, let alone that you were weaponizing it?" His voice was lost in the din, everyone was shouting now. Something about this room seemed to be affecting him, all of them.
The scepter.
Wordlessly, he walked up to it. He could feel it. The staff wasn't a magical focus- to call it that would be like comparing a wand to Hogwarts itself. It wasn't just magical, it was magic. Pure, living magic. A source.
The feeling stirred something deep in him… a memory that wasn't a memory. And along with it came dread. "ENOUGH!"
It took him a moment to realize that he had said- no, bellowed that out loud. The room had gone silent, everyone staring at him. It was then that he realized that he was holding the scepter.
He didn't like that this thing could influence him like this. It reminded him of how horcruxes effected people.
"Harry." Natasha said "What's wrong?"
"We need to get the hell off this ship."
It was then that all hell broke loose.
-----
It was absolute chaos. An explosion had knocked out an engine, and they were in danger of falling from the sky. Banner had transformed into the Hulk, and was wreaking havoc. Loki's allies, including the imperioused Agent Barton, had boarded the ship and were mounting an attack.
It had all gone according to Loki's plan.
Loki… any plan had to involve breaking him out. Perhaps he should pay him a visit?
Harry gripped the scepter tightly. Even now, he was acutely aware of the vast, terrifying power that it represented. He was certain that what Loki had demonstrated was only scratching the surface. For the first time since he'd gotten here, he felt powerful.
If he were thinking more rationally, Harry might have realized that he didn't truly know how to control the staff, and that the best play might be to make sure it was safe. But something, perhaps his ego, perhaps the influence of the staff itself, urged him onward.
Loki was waiting expectantly in his cells, perhaps not for him, but if so he didn't show his surprise "So, the wizard returns, had a change of heart?" He asked.
"Not exactly." Harry said, turning to the controls.
"Murder?" Loki asked "That seems a bit out of character for you, doesn't it?"
Harry sneered. He had killed before. He had even used the cruciatus curse, once. If we didn't toss Loki out of this ship, it was likely he'd get away. Lives, possibly the entire world was at stake. "Guess you know less about me than you thought."
Loki smirked, the only tell that Harry had before he felt the arrow's impact, which was followed by the paralyzing pain of electricity coursing through his body. He fell to the ground, groaning as Clint Barton stepped forward. "All according to plan, boss." He said, taking the control panel for himself and opening Loki's cell "What should we do with him?"
"Leave him to me." Loki said, stepping out of the cell and taking back his scepter. "Go back to the assault, take this ship down."
"You really are pathetic." He sneered "But perhaps, I can make some use for you. Let's see how your friends will take to fighting you."
Harry sucked in a terrified breath as the staff touched his chest. It was both like and unlike the imperius. The magic poured into him, like ice water flowing through his chest, up to his brain, seeping through and subsuming the cracks in his mental defenses. He could feel Loki's will in the magic, trying to twist him, mold him to his whim.
Serve me. It commanded.
And Harry said No.
Harry's vision cleared, and he saw his opportunity. He lunged for the scepter, Loki's utter shock at him throwing off the staff giving him a brief advantage, but Loki was simply far stronger and quickly got the upper hand, pushing him against the railing and attempting to pry the scepter from his grip. In desperation, Harry lashed out with his magic. The scepter's jewel lit up and fired a bolt of blue energy erratically across the room, striking the cell that Loki had been occupying.
The explosion obliterated the structural integrity of the platform they were standing on, and Harry was falling. He could only watch as Loki's expression of surprise slowly turned to satisfaction as he fell away.
Harry loved flying. He felt at home on a broomstick in the air as he did anywhere, but there was no broomstick. There was no Dumbledore to slow his decent. There was nothing but the falling debris and the crumpled remains of the prison cell that quickly plummeted away from him.
So, this was how he'd, finally, die. He'd survive the killing curse as a baby, fighting a Basilisk, a horde of dementors, the Tri-wizard tournament, a wizarding war culminating with him willingly walking to his own death. He'd survived it all, only to die here.
It was then that Harry realized… he didn't want to die.
He'd put himself into this situation knowing the risk, so cavalier with his own life, but when given the time to stare death in the face and contemplate it, he balked. He didn't want to die.
His eyes stung with tears that were wiped away by the rushing air. He missed them so much. All he had of them were his memories and the pictures he'd drawn of them. Sometimes he'd dream of them, only to wake up and have to realize all over again he'd never see them again.
They wouldn't want him to die. His parents, Remus and Sirius and Tonks, none of them would have wanted him to follow them to the grave. Especially not for nothing.
Ginny wouldn't want him to die alone. As much as he bittersweetly hoped that she survived and found love, he knew she'd feel the same for him if she knew he was out there somewhere unreachable to her.
And Ron and Hermione…
His two closest friends, ever since they fought that Troll together. Harry recklessly leaping on the beasts' back, and Ron with his wand, miraculously levitating the club in the air. He held on to that moment, the fear and exhilaration, how he'd known as they walked away, that he they'd be best friends.
Harry's eyes flew open. Wait, was that… magic?
Sure enough, he felt it stirring, familiar and warm in his chest. Was it really that simple?
With every scrap of focus, he held onto that moment, Ron casting the spell, how he felt- fear, determination, desperation, courage, comradery, and he felt the magic grow within him, blooming in his chest and then rushing through his extremities, flowering in his fingers. "WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA!"