Son of the Storm

Unresolved issues

On return to Stark Tower, Harry, Sirius, the Avengers and the Warriors Three had immediately been greeted by Remus. "Hello," he said, smiling. "And welcome back. I take it you enjoyed yourselves?"

"Harry's got a girlfriend," Sirius said, grinning.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Diana is not my girlfriend," he said.

"Yet," Tony interjected, smirking. Harry made an annoyed sound and glowered at his godfather and friend, both of whom grinned all the more.

Remus coughed, seeking to cut off the impending squabble. "Is this Diana a friend of yours?" he asked, interested.

"Sure," Harry said, nodding in a little relief. "She's great," he began, then frowned at Sif. "Sif?"

Sif was staring at Remus, eyes slightly widened, breathing quickened, and every muscle in her body tensed. Remus was looking at her with a dawning sense of resignation. Harry was puzzled, and shared a confused look with Fandral. The rest, however, seemed to be figuring it out.

"Oh dear," Loki said quietly.

"We should have thought of this," Thor said grimly.

"What's done is done, or more accurately, what's not done is not done," Loki said.

Thor nodded. "Sif," he said suddenly, voice a bark so sharp and commanding that Harry found himself instinctively coming to attention. "Calm yourself. You are among friends."

Sif jumped slightly, catching her breath, and her gaze shifted to Thor. "I am sorry, Thor," she said quietly. "I recognised…"

"The taint. The curse of Fenris," Loki said quietly. "A creature that we," he added, for the benefit of others, indicating himself, Thor, Sif and the Warriors Three. "Have history with."

"Ah," Remus said quietly, understanding in his tone. "You can feel my curse?" he asked.

"I recognise… something about you," Sif said, tone guarded. "It feels to me like Fenris."

"Like many Asgardians, Sif is sensitive to magic to a certain degree," Loki explained. "She does not wield magic, but she has a sense for it, one that is stronger than most, and one that has proven useful in battle many a time."

"Indeed," Thor agreed.

"I'll go," Remus said quietly.

"No!"

The word cracked like a whip, and everyone stared at Sif in surprise. "Do not leave," she said quietly. "You are a close friend of Thor's, a teacher of his son, a friend of some of my dearest friends. I would not have you leave on my account."

"If my presence upsets you," Remus said. "It would be cruel of me to stay."

Sif shook her head sharply. "It would not, since you stay at my behest," she said, in a tone that very much said that that would be the end of it.

"I think we should take this inside," Steve said quietly.

They did, and a few minutes later, they had all arranged themselves in the living room.

As Harry looked around the room in question, he saw that it had been subtly and silently divided into two camps.

The Warriors Three had, apparently completely unconsciously, arranged themselves in a protective shield around Sif. Volstagg sat on one side, bulk dwarfing the chair he had sat in, resembling nothing so much as a bear that has, for now, decided to be amiable. Hogun and Fandral on the other side, Hogun in a state of casual watchfulness, hooded eyes sweeping the room, giving off the impression of an eagle at rest, whereas Fandral had draped himself over a chair in so louche a fashion that it should have been illegal, idly drumming his fingers on the arm of a chair.