~ Chapter Five ~

The Avengers had insisted on moving to another location as soon as Harry and Fenrir had arrived in the field. They didn't want to spend any time loitering around in a field when they could be enjoying the comforts of their home. The whining tone within their voices only caused Harry annoyance. Yet, they agreed if nothing else but to keep the Avengers quiet.

It took but a few moments for them to mobilize and separate into vehicles, though some were angered with the seating arrangements. Fenrir and Harry chose to travel with Clint Barton and Natasha Romanov purely to avoid those they knew. Sirius wanted to join their group but with Fenrir's size, sitting three in the backseat of the car was impossible. The separation, however, didn't make their journey easy.

Travelling by car unsettled both Harry and Fenrir. Given Fenrir's size, the inconspicuous black cars didn't offer much room, leaving the werewolf hunched in the backseat beside Harry, golden eyes murderously trained upon the man driving. Harry, though familiar with the vehicles, hadn't any positive memories associated with them, always prodded and kicked by his cousin.

Harry didn't pay any attention to the scenery as they drove towards the destination, too busy thinking on other matters. The decision to make this journey with the Dark Lord and his followers had always been a difficult one to make and not everyone had supported his choice. It had been their only option at the time however, even knowing the Dark Lord would eventually find a way to deceive them.

Arriving in another universe, Harry had been certain he'd have no support except those that disagreed with the Dark Lord. Even then, there weren't many people amongst the thirteen that disagreed with the destruction of another world. The plan had mostly revolved around subtly destroying the Dark Lord's support until Harry could take control and return them to their original world.

Yet, being discovered by the people here hadn't been part of that plan at all. Harry had hoped to avoid any contact and slowly diminish the Dark Lord's power. Being held captive rapidly changed his plans; Harry would need to rely on Severus to keep him well informed of the Dark Lord's movements so he could be one step ahead.

Of course, there was still the problem of these Avengers. They hadn't been much help so far. Certainly, they might be this world's mightiest heroes, but could they defeat the monsters of Harry's world? Harry wasn't sure they would do much damage against the Death Eaters or the Dark Lord.

As the car pulled to a stop outside a giant building, Fenrir nudged Harry out of his thoughts. It wouldn't do them any good to be lost within their minds during this first meeting. They needed to have as much information as possible about these people which meant staying sharp despite the exhaustion slowly creeping up on Harry.

Stepping out of the car, Harry held himself back from sighing in relief. Being couped up in such a small space wasn't something he wished to ever repeat. From now on, no matter what these people instructed, Harry would be apparating.

Fenrir held no such concern. Once out of the car, he stretched, his joints popping and cracking in a way that had the Avengers wincing, but Thor laughed in delight at the sight. Fenrir moved to stand behind Harry, ignoring Thor, and waited for the Avengers to guide them.

"Here we are!" Tony exclaimed, gesturing towards the building before them.

If he expected Harry and Fenrir to be impressed by the building, he was sorely mistaken. After the magic of their world, nothing could compare to the intricacies of Hogwarts and its many different and ever-changing rooms. Nor could it compare to the locations hidden around the muggle world.

The Avengers building was located far from any other settlement. Surrounded by trees and nestled along the bank of a river, the Avengers Compound was a giant white building with many glass windows. Harry was certain, with all Tony Stark's boasting, that the facility would contain everything these people would need to live a comfortable and luxurious life.

"Charming, shall we go inside?" Harry suggested.

Stark's face crumpled at Harry's description of the building but before he could complain Rogers stepped forward and began to move inside, allowing Harry and Fenrir to follow. The remaining Avengers moved into step behind the pair.

As they entered the lounge room of the compound, there were already people gathered waiting for their arrival. Steve stepped forward, a proud smile on his face, and introduced Fenrir and Harry to those gathered; Wanda, Vision, Sam, Bucky, and a costumed hero named Spider-Man weren't thrilled by their presence.

Harry gave them a curt nod but ultimately ignored their presence; instead choosing to settle down on a loveseat with Fenrir to avoid being near anyone else. The others moved into the room settling into positions around them.

The exits were blocked strategically; though if Harry chose, they could easily leave. Loki smirked at Harry, as he noticed the placement of the Avengers, knowing magic could easily escape their formation. Yet, Loki said nothing. Instead, the man offered a small nod to Harry and leaned against the far wall.

The trust shown by the God was subtle and allowed them the potential for an ally they sorely needed. Fenrir probably wouldn't be happy working with Loki but from the way they watched each other, Harry could tell they both still held hope for the others love and affection. It would be a lot of work, but Harry would make sure Fenrir had someone else to rely on.

"I suppose we should begin this inquisition, yes?"

The Avengers shifted uncomfortably at Harry's words.

"You took the Dark Mark sullying your parent's sacrifice." Sirius snapped before anyone else could speak.

The anger within Sirius had finally boiled over. He'd tried so hard to wait for Harry's explanation but the fact that his godson had worked with the likes of the Lestrange family incensed Sirius. These people were pure evil and yet, Harry had no problems standing by their side. How could the people surrounding Harry allow his godson to fall into this category of people? Sirius needed to fix this but if he couldn't save Harry, then it was better to be rid of him.

Fenrir snarled, causing those gathered to flinch, only calming when Harry placed a hand on his arm. The accusation, however, confused the Avengers.

"What's the Dark Mark?" Spider-Man questioned, realizing no one else was going to ask.

Agent Black continued glaring at Harry, unwilling to risk answering and taking his eyes of his traitor of a godson.

Harry twitched, irritation rising at Black's childish insistence of his supposed evil ways, however, he chose to reply if nothing else to keep the questions flowing.

"The Dark Mark is a living tattoo that ties the magic of the user to the Dark Lord. He can always find you, no matter where you are, and can strip you of your magic, killing you from a distance should you betray him."

Fenrir huffed, adding, "It's an ugly design of a snake slithering out of a skull."

"Why would anyone willingly accept something that ugly?" Tony scoffed.

Harry watched as Stark shifted, uncomfortable with speaking about magic. There must have been a valid reason the man was so uncomfortable around magic especially because a few of the Avengers were magic capable. It was a weakness within their structure that they couldn't afford when facing Death Eaters. For now, however, Harry would need to wait and watch.

"It's not a matter of willing, Stark," Harry replied, "The Dark Lord doesn't trust any of his followers. The Dark Mark is his way of making sure they can't escape him or betray his trust."

"You are here."

Harry turned back towards Sirius, "Yes, Black, I am here, your point?"

"I believe Agent Black is attempting to point out you have betrayed this Dark Lord and yet are alive." Vision explained.

Without saying a word, Harry slowly reached for his left sleeve and rolled it up towards his elbow. The bare forearm was displayed for the Avengers to see and left Sirius pale and distraught. He'd spent so much energy being angry at Harry for joining the Dark Lord and it drained rapidly at this evidence. Beside Harry, Fenrir followed his example, baring his bare forearm as well.

"How…" Sirius whimpered.

"Fenrir is regarded highly as a werewolf, he bargained that if he took the mark, others wouldn't follow him. In return, Fenrir allied himself with the Dark Lord. As for myself, the Dark Lord marked me when he killed my parents. He didn't need to mark me further." Harry explained.

Rogers stood up and beckoned the other Avengers to follow him some distance away, the group breaking out into a muttered disagreement. The original group that had first met the Thirteen appeared to have turned against Sirius in anger.

Harry traded disbelieving glances with Fenrir. Could it have been possible that they based their opinion on all of them purely on Sirius' knowledge? If so, they had a lot of work to do before these people could trust any of their information. It wasn't a good place to begin.

"We shouldn't have bothered cooperating with these people. We would have been better on our own." Fenrir insisted.

"Alone we will achieve nothing."

Fenrir growled, leaning in towards Harry and startling the group. Both Harry and Fenrir ignored their wary gazes and slowly they went back to their discussion as Fenrir snarled, "They will always be questioning our allegiance. It doesn't matter what we do or what we say, they will always question or loyalty."

"Fenrir, they can't even trust one another. If we could even ally a handful, we will be better off."

Suddenly, a pressure hammered against Harry's mind, the force knocking Harry's attention away from Fenrir. Green eyes narrowed upon Wanda, wisps of red fading from her hands.

Harry stood, glaring. "Do you enjoy attacking people's minds?"

The Avengers tensed at the fury laced within Harry's voice, getting into a defensive position around the girl.

Wanda glanced nervously around the group but seeing that they wouldn't answer for her, spoke, "I… I was only… Steve asked me to make sure you were speaking the truth."

Turning towards Rogers, Harry watched as the man stood taller, refusing to back down from his actions. The others within the room had varying reactions to this intrusion; some chose a steely look of acceptance, while others were uncertain, however it was Stark's reaction that caused Harry to sit back down.

Tony Stark was deeply disturbed with the display of Wanda's magic. His body was turned from her as if to shield himself from the red wisps, eyes darting around the room for escape. This was the reaction, not of a man that had witnessed her abilities, but had been subject to them in a horrendous manner.

There was little wonder in Harry's mind now, why Stark didn't feel comfortable in the presence of magic. Stark had no idea what Fenrir and Harry were capable of; he had no idea what they were willing to sacrifice, and he wasn't about to trust them because past experiences told him magic only brought pain. Stark needed to be convinced they could be trusted. It would take time, Harry mused, but it would be worth it to see Stark lean towards them instead of the Scarlet Witch.

"The next time you use your ability to intrusively look into my mind or that of those I choose to protect, you will get a taste of your gift in return." Harry warned.

With that said, Harry turned away from Wanda, dismissing her presence. She was far from the great power Rogers seemed ready to hail her as. Certainly, she could accomplish a great many feats, but she was young and untrained. In addition, her emotions drove her forward and blinded her in a way that was quite often dangerous for everyone around her; Harry would know, given his past, that if she continued down this path she would self-destruct beneath the weight of her emotions and do something utterly foolish.

"Well that was fun," Stark beamed, tension radiating from his body, "Who would like something to eat? I'm starving; Jekyll and Hyde over there don't look like they've eaten in a month."

Harry tilted his head smirking in the man's direction. Stark seemed to enjoy giving nicknames to people whether friend or foe. Most would think his attitude to be flippant, but Harry could see it was a defence, a way to shield himself when feeling stressed and uncomfortable.

It was certainly also brave, purely because Stark couldn't have known how Fenrir would take the quip especially knowing the temperament of two other Asgardians. Harry welcomed the man's humour in this situation.

"We would appreciate a warm meal, though Fenrir requires a great amount of food."

Stark lit up, having a task to do. "FRIDAY, order us some food please and double the amount."

"On it, Boss."

The voice spoke from the ceiling with a warm Irish tone, and startled Fenrir. Harry, however, couldn't help but be intrigued.

"The voice, FRIDAY, is she an artificial intelligence?" he queried, looking around the room.

There were no visible cameras or speakers to be seen which was rather impressive. Every little detail within the building, even those that were hidden within the walls, worked like magic to impress the people within. Stark had his own style and while it wasn't magic, Harry was learning to appreciate it.

"FRIDAY is one of a kind." Stark boasted, proud of his AI.

"She is certainly exceptional." Harry agreed. "In our world, there was nothing even close to her design. AI's were something very basic and didn't have the same human touch as FRIDAY."

Spider-man settled down with Stark near Harry and Fenrir, eager to speak about the topic of artificial intelligence. His excitable nature was charming and made it easy to tell that Spider-man was relatively young. Harry wasn't sure why the young man continued to wear the suit when he obviously trusted Stark's assessment of their character for now. Perhaps, they were concerned with others within the room…

"How do you know anything about AI technology? What was the technology like in your world?"

The questions flowed out Spider-man's mouth at a fast pace, curious about their world. Harry smiled, ready to speak about something other than the horror.

"My best friend, despite the fact she had magic, often continued to stay in touch with her parents. They had no magic and worked as dentists. She constantly spoke about the advances in technology to her father-in-law who was fascinated with anything magicless people could create."

As the food arrived, the Avengers sat down with them again. It was rather quiet. People started to eat as Spider-man continued to question Harry about elements of their world. Fenrir and Thor inhaled their food, attempting to outdo one another on who could eat more, while everyone else took their time unnerved by the conversation.

Yet, every now and then Fenrir would lean over and nudge Harry into eating more than the few bites he ingested. The subtle gesture kept a permanent glare on Sirius' face, constantly directed at the pair of them that they chose to ignore.

After their meal had been finished, and Spider-man appeared content with the few answers Harry had provided, it was Loki who first offered another question.

"What does this Dark Lord desire to achieve?"

Harry turned towards the Norse God and father of Fenrir, he sounded honestly curious and prepared to start planning to ensure the safety of his son. If nothing else, Harry knew that Loki would do anything to ensure Fenrir would survive, which meant he could be trusted for now.

"This world is just another land where he can spread his influence, conquer the countries here and rule until he grows bored."

Clint sneered, "What, your world wasn't enough for him to rule?"

Harry frowned, but it was Fenrir who first answered.

"In the beginning, the Dark Lord desired to take over our government. He wanted to introduce laws that segregated the wizards and witches of our world from the mundane. The opposite was desired by Order of the Phoenix, a group who wanted witches and wizards to slowly accept the changes mundane people were making whilst remaining hidden. Yet, the war between the two factions only revealed the world to our society."

"After the death of Albus Dumbledore, Leader of the Order of the Phoenix, everything fell apart." Harry continued. "The Order didn't know which direction to take and with Death Eaters running the Ministry those openly opposing him could only hide."

"With the Order mostly out of his way, the Dark Lord started his campaign to eradicate the mundane. What he didn't anticipate was their reaction to our world. Mundane governments determined we were too great a threat and decided to eradicate us. They started with guns, but we could easily block their bullets. They tried a variety of different ways to be rid of us but eventually their fear caused them to deploy nuclear weapons."

The Avengers cringed. Nuclear weapons were never the way to deal with a foreign entity, they should know. After all, New York might have been obliterated with the deployment of nuclear weapons on the alien army. Thankfully, Iron Man had dealt with the attack, but they wouldn't always be so lucky.

"They attacked several key magical locations and the world began to die. The nonmagical people succumbed first and the Dark Lord thought he'd finally achieved his goal. Witches and wizards settled in peace; it was tense, but everyone was glad the war was over. Then magic began to warp at an alarming rate."

Harry sighed, eyes closed, reliving the horror in his mind.

"Our magic began to attack us; breaking us down from the inside. Those with a weaker connection to magic were affected first; their magic began to lash out. It would shatter nearby objects in the beginning, the projectiles often harming others first. Then, when they were finally isolated, it would start to splinter skin. Hogwarts was more of a hospital than a haven."

As Harry trailed of unable to continue speaking, Fenrir continued, wrapping an arm around Harry in comfort and pulling him close.

"The numbers unaffected were dwindling. Only those with a strong connection to magic were managing to survive. We were desperate to uncover a solution and none more so than the Dark Lord with his desperation to live forever."

Bruce sat forward. "So, you decided another world was going to be where you tried again?"

Fenrir snarled, "We didn't want to try anything!"

Harry placed a calming hand in Fenrir's arm before he could stand and start arguing. They didn't need to alienate these people because they didn't understand what Harry and Fenrir had been through.

"At the time," Harry began, "the Dark Lord didn't want to leave our world. He tried so many ways but eventually we needed to devise a plan and that brought us to travelling to your world. The magic needed was immense and even then, we didn't get it right."

The discussion on magic confused most of the people within the room, Loki, however, appeared contemplative. Harry didn't expect the Avengers to know much about magic but with two gods on their team, one would hope they would be at least a little curious. Not that it mattered if they knew the theory; many of them wouldn't be able to help.

Harry wasn't sure he wanted help from these people, however, there would be no defeating the Dark Lord with only the combined power of Harry and Fenrir. Of course, their help wasn't going to come easy especially with Sirius glaring and throwing accusations everywhere.

"Saving yourself," Sirius sneered, "such a Slytherin mentality. I never thought you would join the man that killed your parents, but then I suppose I didn't know you well at all. James would be horrified."

Harry clenched his fists attempting to not get up and attack Sirius.

"Then it's a wonderful thing I never knew the man." Harry hissed.

It was almost unbelievable how badly Sirius needed to grow up. His attacks were childish and immature and yet they always targeted the weaknesses Harry attempted to hide. Sirius knew very well that Harry would never know what James thought, but in the same breath, James was no longer alive to say what he would approve of or whether he could change his mind.

Yet, before Harry could speak further and defend his choices, Tony sat forward, suddenly remembering a discussion.

"While you were speaking to old snake face you mentioned that he broke his promise."

The remainder of the Avengers were shocked, they hadn't been paying too much attention to the words between the group. They were clearly the enemy and so their little dispute hadn't meant anything at the time. At least Tony had been paying attention so they could explore the full extent of the relationship between all Thirteen. Any information they could find would aid them in understanding and sending them back to their home.

"When the world began to die, rivalries were put aside. The Dark Lord may have killed my parents and many of my friends, but I would do anything to save those that remained. We needed the support more than we wanted to destroy each other. Not many people were happy with this decision, but we didn't have another choice."

Sirius sneered, muttering under his breath with words Harry couldn't hear. Yet, Harry couldn't care. He was tired; all the effort made to save his people wasted with a betrayal and now he needed to convince these people to aid them in destroying the Dark Lord. It didn't seem to matter to Sirius, however, and Harry wasn't going to continue putting effort in changing his mind.

"The agreement was, no matter what was decided, everyone would be saved. When the decision was finally made and we needed to leave, everyone gathered around the Thirteen. We were the only ones left that could still use our magic and so we started the ritual."

Harry leant into Fenrir's side, taking comfort in the warmth the werewolf radiated, tugging the arm around him closer.

"During the ritual, however, I could feel something wasn't right. The magic the Dark Lord had summoned wasn't strong enough to transport everyone. He hadn't upheld his end of the bargain, but I couldn't do anything about it. If I broke the ritual, we would die, and everyone left behind would face a long and painful death."

"But," Fenrir continued, wrapping an arm around Harry, "if we travelled with the ritual it wouldn't be too difficult to use the active magic to pull the rest of the people with us when we finally arrived."

"That didn't happen though," Rogers pointed out.

The exasperation could be felt within the room. Many of those gathered wanted to respond with a quip or a sarcastic comment but watching as Harry began to fall asleep at Fenrir's side quietened the urges.

"Perhaps we should take a break. It's late, we can continue this in the morning." Tony suggested. "There is plenty of room here if you want to get comfortable."

Fenrir nodded, "Harry will be staying with me."

It wasn't a suggestion, and as Fenrir gently picked Harry up and prepared to carry him to get better comfort, Loki stepped forward. Everyone grew guarded, watching as the Asgardians sized each other up.

"That Dark Lord of yours, he wrote the ritual so you would sleep upon arrival." Loki noted.

Fenrir sniffed in agitation but nodded. He could tell his father was attempting to understand why the ritual would be designed in such a manner. And while there were several reasons, only one truly mattered to the Dark Lord.

"Why?"

Glancing down to make sure Harry was sleeping, Fenrir replied in soft voice, careful not to disturb Harry as he rested.

"It wasn't about making sure his enemies were left behind," Fenrir admitted, "He wanted to make sure Harry couldn't leave."

Loki stepped aside, allowing Tony to direct the pair to a room for them to rest. Once they were out of sight, the group shuffled around the room uncertainly. Every time they were certain about their direction, an answer literally blew them off course. Never was their current situation as straight forward as it seemed and it only became worse.

What was it about Harry Potter that the Dark Lord craved to keep close, they couldn't help but silently contemplate, and depending on the answer, should they protect the pair or turn them away? Agent Black had appeared to have already made up his mind. Yet, the Avengers hadn't been formed to idly take the opinions of others. They weren't a tool for the Government or SHIELD to wield as they liked. And right now, they wanted nothing more than to defend the pair that had lost everything.

Not a lot happened this chapter... just information.

~MidnightEmber