The Battle
Chapter 3: The Battle
There was destruction all around him. He could see bodies trapped under rubble and the cacophony of violence became a ringing in his ears. For a moment, just a moment, he wasn’t in New York anymore.
…
They blasted through the wall, heavy pillars of stone flying into the crowd of students. But Harry couldn’t stop running, he had to keep going. Desperation warring with panic, he sprinted through the corridor, trying to ignore the screams and the bodies littering the floor. Just as he reached the end of the hall, he glanced back, catching a flash of orange hair covered in blood.
…
An explosion went off nearby, making the ground shake. Harry shook the ghosts out of his mind and began to move through the streets. He dodged debris and blasts, eyes peeled for people trapped.
“STUPEFY” he cast. An alien crumbled to the ground, just before it could reach a family huddled together behind a bus. He ran towards them, sending another stunner at the alien approaching them from behind.
“You have to get out of here now!” The father stared at him, clutching his trembling children to his chest. Harry looked him straight in the eye, willinging the man to trust him.
“I can get you to safety. Run to the hotel two blocks down. It's secured.” Harry said levelly, as he slowly picked up one of the children. The father held on to his daughter tightly, face betraying his panic.
“I will help you but we have to move. NOW!” Harry pulled them all to their feet and started running.
The hotel was in sight when a shadow eclipsed the street. Harry looked up. At first he panicked, thinking he was face to face with a dragon, but no, the beast was as alien as everything else being thrown at the city. He quickly handed the man’s daughter back to him, casting a protection charm over them.
“Keep going and don’t look back!” Harry urged before turning around to face the monster.
His magic swirled around him, his power tangible, heavy in the air as he lifted his wand. It's times like these, where magic itself bends to him, that he remembers he is the master of death. He knows that he hasn’t been the same since he re-entered the world of the living. He hated the power at his fingertips. But if he had to use it, this is what he would use it for.
The creature was close enough that Harry could see the rows of teeth gnashing and smell its putrid breath. He narrowed his eyes and thought just one word, ‘Stop.’
The beast suddenly jolted to a stop, as if it hit a brick wall. The aliens on its back flew off as Harry watched it flip over his head, crashing into the street.
“I didn’t know there were any sorcerers left on Midgard.”
Harry whipped around at the heavily accented voice coming from behind him. His wand now pointed at a man, if you could call him that. He looked like a man, but more. Shoulder length blond hair brushed against shining armour, red cloak flaring out behind him. And just as Harry’s wand pointed at him, he pointed a hammer at Harry’s head. A hammer? Really?
“If you didn’t know already, then you weren’t meant to.” Harry said, voice low and cautious.
“Are you friend to Loki, little sorcerer? Are you a part of this madness?”
“No,” he said shortly, offering no room for disbelief. The corner of Harry’s mouth twitched upward. “I’m just a tourist.”
“You have much power for one so …. fragile.” The man said, beginning to smirk. Harry bristled. He killed the darkest wizard of all time, thank you very much! He was many things, but he was not fragile.
Harry blasted another alien out of the air, stunner going right over the man’s shoulder. Blondie didn’t even flinch. Bastard.
Seeing his discontent, the golden man let out a hearty laugh. One definitely out of place in a war zone.
“If you are not with Loki, will you lend your power to us.”
“And what would that entail?” Harry narrowed his eyes. He knew better than to lend his power to just anyone.
“Come with me, I will show you” Blondie reached towards him, but Harry took a step back.
“I don’t need a lift big guy, point where you need me and I’ll meet you there.”
He cocked one eyebrow, stupid smirk still plastered across his face, as he pointed to a nearby rooftop. A rooftop that happened to have the word STARK hanging below it. Great, just great. Harry hesitated for a heartbeat before he brought his firebolt out of his pocket and enlarged it. What did the Statute of Secrecy really matter when the world was being taken over by aliens? He turned his eyes away from the muscled idiot and kicked off. Following a stranger in the middle of a battle to a building most likely owned by his long-lost father. He had done stupider things.
Touching down on the rooftop, he could feel some kind of energy radiating off of it in waves. In the distance, for the first time visible without the dense buildings blocking his view, a great hole in the sky appeared, creatures spilling out of it like poison onto the earth. Walking towards the small huddle of people, he heard a whirring sound next to him and saw the great caped wonder land beside him. All traces of smirk gone, the man locked in on the scene before him.
A red haired woman was speaking urgently to an older man, gesturing furiously at a blue cube floating in some kind of contraption. Harry continued towards it until the woman whipped around, gun in hand.
“And who are you? Thor, explain.” the red haired woman said, glaring at the pair.
“Peace Natasha, he is with us. I witnessed him taking down an entire league of Chitari. He may be able to aid us in this.” Thor said gesturing towards the cube.
Harry ignored them both, staring at the cube. He looked towards the old man, who had stayed back, watching the interaction.
“What is it doing?” Harry asked him.
“It is the energy source maintaining the portal. Powering the bridge from earth to the other end of the universe.”
“Why don’t you shut it down, just remove the cube?”
“I can’t” He said, turning an ashen face towards the wound cut into the sky.
“Well, I can try.” Harry said, a flash of determination crossing his features. He circled the cube, feeling the weight of the eyes tracking his step, but ignoring them for now.
“Reducto!” He tried, to no avail. The spell just seemed to be absorbed into the glowing force field. Normal spells wouldn’t be able to overload it. He examined it more closely. It seemed as though the energy was being funneled back into the cube, creating a self sustaining energy source. If he could overload the connection at its weakest point, where the energy looped back inwards, he would be able to break the cycle. His magic picked up again, the air around him starting to shift.
“I can close it.”
“Are you sure?” Natasha asked, voice low, eyes searching his face for some sign as to who and what he was.
Harry met her gaze straight on. “Just tell me when.”
“Wait!” A shaky voice came from the device on Natasha’s ear. The line was full of static. “A nuke is heading into the city!”
Natasha brought her hand up to the side of her face, eyes widening. “Are you sure Stark?”
Harry froze.
“Yes I’m fucking sure, I’m currently carrying it on my fucking back!!”
“Okay Tony, calm down.”
“Don’t you tell me to calm down Red!” The voice paused for a moment, and Harry felt his heart pause with it. “Can you close the portal, Nat?”
She looked at Harry, who gave her a tight nod.
“Yes.” She said quietly, something like fear, or was it sadness, settling on her face.
“Then I know what to do with it.” The voice said, hard and resigned.
“Tony, wai..”
“No, there’s no time! Just promise me you’ll close it!”
“...we will.” The radio went silent.
Harry was confused, what was a nuke and why did it sound like he was going to sacrifice himself?! A horrifying reality washed over him as he took in the faces of those around him. He was..
“What are you guys doing!?,” Harry yelled, blood draining from his face. “Somebody stop him!! There has to be another way!”
Natasha looked away from him. “There isn’t. None of us could divert the nuke and lightning over there would just set it off.” Thor looked stricken. “A nuke would level the entire city.”
Harry could almost feel leaves crunching under his feet as a cruel voice whispered in his head, ‘For the greater good.’ Harry wanted to vomit, and he didn’t know why. He had never met him, he was just another never meant to be. But this wasn’t right, this wasn’t how it was supposed to go! But who was Harry to begrudge him the choice, not when he had made the same.
A red and gold blur flew past them and the radio turned on one last time. “Close it.”
Natasha looked at him and nodded. But Harry’s head was spinning. Condemn another father or an entire city. The picture of his mother and father dancing amongst falling leaves, smiling, flashed through his mind. They loved Tony..enough to leave him. His magic, which had saturated the air around him, began thrashing violently as Harry screamed in frustration.
“NO!!”
Harry mounted his broom and kicked off, hard. Ignoring the voices calling after him, Harry sped through the air towards the spec of gold in the distance. A heat wave pulsed from the portal and flames began to emerge. He kept going. He had to get there.
Then he saw him. A suit of armour plummeting towards the earth. He wouldn’t make it.
Harry flung his arms out, tendrils of magic reaching out towards Iron Man and the cube alike. In the periphery of his awareness, he could feel the cube crack and the portal slam shut with a massive shockwave. He was pushed off his broom, and reached out, summoning his father into his arms, as they both fell.
“ARRESTO MOMENTUM” Harry screamed, wand pointed at the man he was holding and it worked. They slowed down more and more before landing on the ground with a thud.
All Harry remembered seeing was frantic brown eyes and a mop of freckles before he promptly passed out.