Archive of Our Own ^beta

The Avengers rushed to Tony's penthouse apartment, expecting to see an unconscious Loki, only to find a man had propped the Asgardian up against the overturned couch and was kneeling over Loki’s outstretched knees. Tony, of course, was about to say something rude and suggestive at the positioning of the two men but the stranger spoke before he could.

 

“Can one of you hand me an empty bottle and keep hold of the lid?” The black haired, green eyed man kneeling over Loki asked as he stared into Loki's eyes in intense concentration, one hand over Loki's heart and the other his forehead. Loki's hands were gripping the strangers but while he was pale and sweating, it didn't seem like he wanted the stranger to move.

 

“You going to tell us why you need a bottle? Or maybe just your name?” Tony said as he shrugged and went to the liquor cabinet. He got out enough glasses for everyone, including the stranger and Loki, and filled them with scotch, emptying the bottle.

 

“Ask Romanoff and Barton. They know who I am, they tried to recruit me for the Avengers project and, as for the bottle, how do you think genies get into bottles in the first place?”

 

“You will not put my brother into a bottle! He is a Prince of Asgard and as such will be returning to Asgard to be sentenced for his crimes!” Thor asserted in his booming voice.

 

“First off your Highness, has anyone ever explained the concept of an Inside Voice to you? Second; I'm not putting Loki in the bottle. He is being possessed by a being he calls the Other. That, coupled with the sceptre, has seriously warped your brother's mind. Loki and I are currently fighting it. When I have a new home for it, I'll stuff the Other into it.”

 

“Are you saying that Loki isn't to blame for… all of this?” Clint Barton asked, gesturing to the destruction inside and outside the tower.

 

“No more than you are Barton,” The man replied easily.

 

“So, who is this guy,” Tony asked the SHIELD agents as he handed the empty Scotch bottle to the man who grabbed it with the hand that had previously been over Loki's heart.

 

“Sir Harry James Potter-Black, Duke of Blackmoor. Was Knighted, personally, by Her Majesty the Queen, two months before his eighteenth birthday. George Cross recipient and the most powerful magic user our world has to offer,” Came the voice of Nick Fury from the door to the stairs. His transport had landed on the roof. “He rejected my offer of joining the Avengers, two months ago.”

 

“Offer? Seriously? It's not like being an Avenger is a regular paying job or anything. Not to mention you said nothing about aliens falling from a dimensional rift in the sky. When I realised what was happening I came as soon as I could. Unfortunately, I did not arrive until it was all over except the cleanup. Everyone shut up. This next bit is very complicated and it could go very badly for everyone in this tower if you screw up my concentration,” Harry bit out as he began to strain.

 

They all fell silent as a gold mist began to seep out of Loki. The mist seemed to be pulling rather than being pulled out of Loki and why was soon clear as a blue mist began to be dragged out. The blue mist seemed to be fighting to get back into Loki but was being pushed out by an emerald green mist and corralled by the gold one. Eventually, the blue mist was enveloped by a globe of gold mist threaded with green. 

 

The gold and green globe began to twist into a rope before threading itself into the alcohol bottle. The blue was pushed to the bottom as the green and gold wafted out of the top. Harry shoved the cork back in before any of the blue could escape and collapsed against Loki before rolling to the side and propping himself against the same couch as Loki. The gold mist then seeped into Harry as the emerald green seeped back into Loki, though there seemed to be considerably less of both colours left.

 

Nobody spoke, wary of Harry's earlier warning Tony stuck his hand in the air and waved it about. 

 

Harry snorted. “Dangers over. Ask,” He replied tiredly.  

 

“The colours of the mist were different magic colours, right? Blue is the bad guy. Merlin is gold and Reindeer Games is green?”

 

“Merlin? Reindeer Games?” Harry asked warily.

 

“I've had less than ten minutes. I'll find something better. Well? Am I right?” Tony huffed.

 

“Yes,” Loki spoke for the first time since they entered the room.

 

“There was only a little bit of green. Does that mean Earth's Magic Man beats the Asgardian god?” Tony asked eagerly.

 

“First off, I would like to see how much energy you have after fighting possession for months. And second, we only call them gods. They aren't. They are a different species of Human. Like Homo Sapiens v Homo Asgard. I'm Homo Magus. Biologically, Homo Sapiens and Homo Asgard cannot produce viable offspring but Homo Magus can with both,” The newly identified Magus replied tired from corralling the Other into the bottle.

 

“I've never heard of those classifications before,” Offered Bruce Banner hesitantly.

 

“Asgard hasn't been down to Earth in almost five hundred years. Magi, otherwise known as witches and wizards, have been in hiding since 1692, ever since the persecution got so bad Sapiens began killing their own, thinking they were us. The classifications aren't used very widely. Most Magi actively shun the non magical world. Luckily for me the smartest witch of our generation is my best friend and she has recently begun an internship with the Unspeakables,” Harry smirked and continued at their confused expressions. “Unspeakables study everything. And I mean everything, from life, death, time, prophecies, our reason for existence. There is even a room dedicated to the power of love.”

 

“What is she going to study?” Tony asked eagerly.

 

“She wants to prove that Muggleborns, Homo Magi born to two Homo Sapiens, are the product of their ancestors' genetics combining and activating. Basically she is tracing the ancestry of 1000 volunteers. She started with herself and has already discovered that her Great Grandmother was my Godfather's Great Aunt.”

 

“Interesting and ambitious but… why did she choose that as a research project,” Bruce asked, curious.

 

“The whole knighting and medal thing? It was for fighting and winning a war against a magical Hitler. His side were spouting about how they were the only worthy ones to learn magic because they had magic on both sides for generations. They considerd anyone without magic to be literal mud on their boots. Our side fought for the right for everyone, regardless of ancestry to be able to learn magic. This is her way of saying ‘see, see right here, this proves all your arguments are stupid.’ She is hoping that by eliminating genetics as a factor for bigotry, then we won't have to go to war over it again.”

 

“You were fighting at seventeen?” Steve Rodgers asked respectfully.

 

“No. I've been fighting since I was eleven. It's why when Fury wanted me to fight again I said no. I wanted to enjoy peace for a bit,” Harry sighed, resigned to more questions.

 

“You were a Child Soldier,” Natasha Romanoff said understandably. “How did you transition into civilian life?”

 

“For the most part… I didn't. After the war I went back and completed my last year of school surrounded by my friends, peers and comrades who had fought alongside me. Fury caught me just after graduation, convinced the rest of my life wasn't going to involve war and death. That was two months ago. I'm already bored.”

 

“Wait… how old are you?” Tony asked, incredulous.

 

“About to turn nineteen. Why?” Harry replied confused.

 

“How is it possible that someone not even able to drink legally, is the strongest Magi on the planet?” Tony demanded, sceptical. Everyone else looked eager for the answer also.

 

“I can answer that one,” Loki offered to everyone's shock. “As he said, his friend is researching how a Homo Sapiens pairing could produce a Homo Magi. Well, it is possible to go one step further. Two Homo Magi producing an Asgardian. Unless he eats one of the Golden Apples, he won't live as long as one of us or be as physically durable but he is what Thor would be if he hadn't eaten an Apple.”

 

“What about you, Reindeer Games? Don't think I didn't realise you left yourself out of the Asgardian physiology lesson,” Tony snarked.

 

“He isn't Asgardian. Not purely any way,” Harry explained. “All histories and myths report Loki to be either half or fully Jotun. Another human race, on a different planet than Asgard,” Harry explained then looked confused at Loki and Thor's shock. “What? It's common knowledge!”

 

“No it isn't! I didn't even know I wasn't wholly Asgardian until a year ago!” Loki got out in a strangled voice.

 

“Huh. There were only records of a couple of handfuls of Asgardians on Earth, then you all left for centuries. Maybe you used to know and someone erased the memory of those who had come to Earth?” Harry guessed.

 

Loki and Thor were speechless. Both knew the only one with the power to do that would be the All Father.

 

Tony clapped his hands together. “Does anyone want a drink? I know I need one after the day I've had.”

 

Everyone, including Harry, put their hand up. “Youre underage,” Tony admonished Harry playfully.

 

“Im British,” Harry replied cheekily. Tony huffed and handed him a glass that had significantly less in it than everyone else's.

 

“So, our magic user says Loki was possessed. We are not blaming Legolas for him going rogue due to the Glowstick of Destiny, so, that means we are not blaming Reindeer Games. Is he still going to be in trouble on Asgard?” Tony asked Thor.

 

“No-” 

 

Thor's reply was cut off by Loki's snort of derision. “Of course he is going to punish me! This whole mess gives him a reason to lock me away and throw away the key. My memories are still being repaired but that doesn't stop me from remembering all the times I was punished for doing exactly what you did, while you got a slap on the wrist.”

 

“He is our Father-” Thor tried to reason.

 

“No. He is your father. He never saw me as anything more than a stolen relic. Mother, she loved me. But father… no. I will likely be sentenced to life in the catacombs,” Loki replied stiffly, trying to hide his hurt.

 

“Does Asgard still consider the Magi to be Allies?” Harry replied hesitantly.

 

“Yes but only because neither side has called an end to the Alliance. Why?” Loki asked Harry.

 

“Simple. I, Harry Potter, Lord of the Wizengamot, hereby declare that Loki will repay Earth, known as Midgard, for the actions he committed under Possession by the Entity known as the Other. He will spend as long as it takes here on Earth repairing the damage he caused. So Mote It Be… There. When our magic is back up to par, we can go out and Magic the City back into the state it was before the attack and any other place you destroyed. We can figure out a way to pay wergild to the families of the dead then, hey presto. No reason for the Allfather to punish you, when you have already completed your sentence.”

 

Harry smirked at Loki and Thor's dumbfounded expressions. “What? Community Service is a valid punishment!”