A GAME OF CHESS
GRABBING THE MAN ROUGHLY, SHE PULLED HIM INTO HER APARTMENT AND SLAMMED HIM INTO THE WALL. Looking into his grey eyes with a steely glare, she questioned him, "Who are you?! Why are you here?"
She felt Tom's interest mix with her emotions, which honestly wasn't making it better for her. Her eyes snapped towards the other man, who put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Now, Natasha--" However, before he could finish, she roughly pushed his hand off her shoulder, kicking his feet out from under him, and holding a fist in front of his face.
"Pertrificus Totalus!" She heard an older voice exclaim. However, before it could reach her, she shoved the dingy-looking man in front of her, the man catching the spell instead. Grabbing her wand, she held it out in front of her threateningly.
"Who the hell are you?" She hissed out, narrowing her green eyes at the three men in front of her. The man with grey eyes -- Sirius -- stood up slowly, wincing slightly. The old man, who honestly looked like he would fall apart with a single push, held up his hands non-threateningly.
"We mean you no harm, my girl," Tom scoffed inside her head, "My name is Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts school for Witchcraft and Wizardry. These two men are Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. Sirius was not lying when he said he was your godfather."
Tilting her head to the side, she surveyed the three men, looking for any weak spots. Albus, while old and frail, knew he was one not to underestimate in a fight. Sirius looked like he could put up a good fight too. With the slightly unhinged look in his eyes, he was unpredictable. Remus was taken care of for the moment, but she wouldn't underestimate him either.
"How do you know he's my godfather? I have no family." except Clint and Tom, she thought silently, feeling Tom's smug satisfaction at that fact. "How do you know me? How did you find me?"
Honestly, she was a bit freaked out about how they found her apartment. Fury made sure no one knew where she lived. "Because I had an inheritance test done. Trust me, Natasha. I've been searching for you for years. I don't want to bring you any harm. Hell, I escaped prison for you, after I was unfairly imprisoned." Sirius explained, a desperate look in his eyes. "Please, Natasha. I would never hurt you, Rosie."
"Rosie?" She questioned, a confused look on her face. Was that her real name? Sirius nodded quickly, a bittersweet smile on his face.
"Yes. Your birth name is Rosa Lillian Potter. You were born on July 31st, 1989. Your parents are James and Lily Potter, who died protecting you from an evil man. I... You're like a doppelganger for Lily... except, you have Prongs' nose." He laughed sadly, shaking his head. "Although, I guess I'm technically your dad, too. James also made me blood-adopt you when he made me your Godfather, in case anything happened to him. Please, Natasha. You're my little Rosie, I would never, ever wish to harm you. All I want is to get to know you." He pleaded, tears coming out of his eyes.
Her jaw clenched, the grip on her wand loosening. Tom, she whispered, what if he's telling the truth? What if I am Rosa Potter?.... Tom?
He was silent. Lowering her wand, she saw Sirius' face break out into a huge smile. "... I'm Rosa Potter, aren't I? A man trying to trick me would never be so emotional. I could tell by your body language that you're telling the truth..." she muttered quietly, her mask falling down. This man... he had all the answers on who she was before; before she was Natasha Romanoff, the famous Black Widow.
"...Can I... Can I hug you, Rosie?" She locked eyes with him, searching for any ill intent. Finding none, she nodded, and immediately she was eloped in a tight hug. With her arms hanging awkwardly at her sides, she slowly started to relax in his grasp. Wrapping her arms around him gently, she patted his back. She felt safe, in a way. The only people she ever felt safe with were Clint and Tom, but... Sirius made her feel secure.
I... She shouldn't feel this way. She barely knows the man, and yet here she is, feeling safe in his arms. She felt the man begin to shake, feeling wetness seeping onto her t-shirt. Closing her eyes, she felt tears well up in her arms, a happy smile on her face as she held the older man.
She felt at home.
"...What?" She smiled awkwardly at the trio, an uncomfortable look on her face. "You're telling me I've been placed in a tournament illegally, and now I have to compete, or I lose my magic and possibly die."
"Yes," Remus replied, an arm on Sirius' shoulder, "We don't know how it happened, but I believe it's best for you if you came. A person with magic, and then they suddenly lose it... you wouldn't live." Humming, she pursed her lips as she brought her cup of tea up to her lips. How was she gonna explain this Fury? Hell, even Clint! He's only 4 years older than her, and sometimes he acts like a mother hen to her, what happens when she leaves his sight to go live in a magical school where the only form of communication with the outside world is owls.
Taking a sip from her tea, she sighed and closed her eyes. God, she was tired. So tired of all this bullshit, and Tom ghosting her was making it even worse. "Of course, I would like to come; I quite like my magic," she smirked at the trio, "But, I don't know if my boss will let me."
Sirius shrugged, rolling his eyes. "So? Just quit. I can provide for you financially." He said as if it was that easy. Letting out an irritated groan. "It's not that simple, Sirius." She explained to the man, who raised an eyebrow curiously. "... And... I can't really tell you why."
God, she's known this man for two hours, and she already feels guilty for not telling the truth. Her! Natasha Josette Romanoff... or she guessed, Rosa Lillian Potter. The Queen of Lying was guilty! She's a spy, for crap's sake!
"Why not, Natasha?" Albus asked, in a grandfatherly tone. Rubbing her face, she cursed her emotions. She's Russian; they tend not to weep over little things! "What is it you can not tell? Are you afraid of something?"
Clenching her jaw, she turned around, a frustrated look on her face. Should she tell them? If she did, they'd probably think she's lying. They'd... well, they'd probably call her monster if she tells them the gruesome version; nothing she hasn't been called before. But, Sirius calling her a monster... just seemed like a punch to the gut.
Fury's probably going to be so mad at her but... "Before I was Natasha Romanoff, I was Natalia Alianovona Romanova. That was the name Madame Red gave me." She started, turning around to face the trio, who all had different expressions on their faces. "I grew up in Russia, and my childhood was not the most pleasant one. I was there to become one thing only and that was a weapon."
"A Weapon?"
Nodding solemnly, she tucked a piece of her fiery, red hair behind her ear. "Yes, a weapon. Did the wizarding world ever keep up with World War ll at all?" she questioned the trio, who nodded in confusion. "Then, you should know about Hydra, yes? I grew up in something similar to that, and sometimes people from Hydra would come and train us. One of them was... " She trailed off, remembering the man with the metal arm who always seemed so confused, yet was always kind to the girls when the guards weren't looking. "It doesn't matter. I was trained to be the perfect assassin; the perfect black widow."
She watched as the men all had different reactions. Albus looked pale, his hands shaking slightly and his twinkling eyes died out. Remus was even paler and had to sit down so he didn't fall. And Sirius was green in the face, bringing a hand up to his mouth to hold his throw up in. Flicking her wand, a trashcan appeared in front of Sirius, and he wasted no time in throwing up his lunch.
"Oh, Merlin... Baby Girl, I'm so sorry..." Sirius' voice cracked as he looked at his goddaughter with tears in his eyes. "God, I should have been there for you... But I had to get myself arrested for 13 years..."
"It's fine, Sirius. As I said, I grew up in Russia and we tend not to mope about things. But, going back to the story," She cleared her throat, her eyes glancing around the room before locking eyes with Sirius, a dead look in her eyes, "I know how to use all kinds of weapons, and I know I can kill you all with at least 50 items that are in this room. By 4, I was onto live targets, and I had to kill my friends to survive in that... horrid place. I was ten years old when I escaped that place."
Taking a deep breath, she continued: "After a few weeks of running away from people sent after me, someone finally caught me. A Shield Agent. His name is Clint Barton and he helped me escape. He helped me get the job I have at the moment. He's the reason I have the life I have. He's the reason I have a small family." She smiled softly as she thought of her blonde best friend, who was probably stalking Fury in an air vent. "So while, yes, I want to keep my magic; I can't just abandon everything to go to a magical school in Scotland to compete in a magical tournament!"
Albus hummed, stroking his white beard as he thought of what to do.
"Well, we normally don't do this as Hogwarts is a boarding school, but... You could live with Sirius, and only come to school during school hours, and when the tournament begins. That way, if you need to leave to see your boss, you can easily get to him. You would also stay with Sirius on the weekends."
Raising an eyebrow, she snorted quietly, "So, like regular school? Just magical?" She shook her head in amusement. "It could work. Let me just call my boss. You can turn on the TV if you'd like, or grab something from the kitchen if you're hungry or thirsty. I'll just be in my bedroom." Standing up from her seat, she placed her cup on the table and made her way into her bedroom.
Closing her bedroom door, she hissed as she felt Tom materialize in front of her; his mood quite evident. He stared at her with narrowed eyes, a nasty snarl on his usually charming face. Rolling her eyes at the man, she crossed her arms over her chest. "What, Tom? You don't talk to me for a bit, and now you look like someone shoved a stick up your ass." She sarcastically drawled, leaning up against her door and activating the runes that were in her room with a single flick of her wand; the room became completely silent to outsiders.
"What are you doing?" He hissed, pointing at the door in anger. "Why are you accepting this so easily? Why are you spilling everything to that-- to that old goat!" He exploded, honestly looking like a pouting child. Rolling her eyes, she scoffed.
"Tom, there was no point in lying to them. They would have figured it out sooner or later. Besides, I felt Albus trying to get into my head when they first arrived. If I didn't have my shields up, he would've found out in a more gruesome way, and would have found out about you." she hissed out, her nose flared slightly. "And we wouldn't want that now, would we?
Scoffing slightly, he paced back and forth in the bedroom. "Natasha, you have no idea what game you're playing--"
"--No," Natasha interrupted, giving the Horcrux a glare, "I know exactly what game I'm playing. Now the question is, do you? Because all I see is a petty boy with a grudge on his eccentric old headmaster getting in the way of a game of chess. Tom, just because you have lived in my head for my entire life does not mean you know me as well as you think you do."
He chuckled softly, giving the teenaged girl a mean smile, "Do you really want them getting to know the real you? Because, Natasha... I guarantee you, the minute you start playing that old man's game; you'll never get out of it. He's like a parasite you can't get rid of, no matter how hard you try."
"Aren't you as well?" Natasha retorted, raising an eyebrow and lifting up a finger to point to the scar that was on her forehead. "I'm not sure what happened for me to get this scar, but 99.9% it was you, Tom, who gave me this and it somehow backfired on your ass. I know that you told me to call you Tom, but I know for a fact that you hate that name with a living passion. So, who are you really?"
"I'm not answering that." He snarled in return, his jaw clenching in anger. "Do what you want, Natasha. But don't come whining to me when it backfires on you, and everything comes crashing down. Because before you know it, the friends that you had back at that place... will end up happening to the people you love, and it will all be your fault." Disappearing into thin air, she felt Tom's anger bristle inside of her.
Letting out a shuddering breath, she walked over to her vanity and clenched the table tightly; her fingers turning white with the amount of force she was putting into it. Taking in a deep breath, she closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. Opening her green eyes, she looked into the mirror and said,
"I know what I'm getting myself into, and when the time comes, I'll have a plan."
Letting go of her table, she stood up and grabbed her flip phone, flipping it open and clicking Fury's contact.
"Fury? Yeah, I'm gonna need a bit of your time.