Heroes Assemble!

For The Greater Good

"Alright, but surveillance only," Steve agreed after a minute's thought. "No heroics; that's what we're all here for."

Shuffling backwards, Harry rose to his haunches, pulled his wand and tapped himself on the head. The other three watched as ... something seemed to wash down the wizard's body until he'd completely disappeared.

"Thor?" Harry's voice appeared slightly to the side and higher than his mouth had been seconds before.

"If I concentrate, I can just make you out," the Asgardian frowned.

"Good," Harry replied. "Be back as soon as I can."

The only way that Sam and Steve had to track Harry's progress was the slight change in position of Thor's head. There was no sound of footsteps, no loose rocks tumbling away, nothing to mark Harry's movement towards the Base.

A sharp jerk from Thor before his eyes began darting about and his grip tightening on Mjolnir had Steve and Sam also beginning to search for danger.

"What's wrong?" Steve asked quietly.

"The Seidhr. He's coming back," Thor replied.

Harry's return seemed to be much quicker than his outgoing trek.

"Harry?" Thor asked.

"Oh, sorry, you guys can't see me, can you?" Harry said before his magic washed down his body, making him visible once again.

"Is something wrong?" Steve asked.

"What? Oh, yeah," Harry replied. "It's Teddy. He's on holiday, came especially to see me, all the way from England. I really shouldn't have left him. I've got to get home and spend time with him."

"Teddy?" Sam asked, sounding confused. "But I thought your wizarding government asked you to do this and you agreed?"

"I was wrong. Teddy's much more important," Harry nodded emphatically.

"I am sorry, my friend," Thor said before promptly slapping Harry across the face.

Harry's head whipped to the side and his eyes went unfocussed. When he turned back, a hand holding his cheek where Thor had slapped him, he had a puzzled look on his face.

"What?" he asked. "What am I doing back here?"

"I thought as much," Thor said. "You were under some kind of enchantment."

"I was?" Harry asked, looking between the three of them.

"You came back early claiming that you had to get back to New York to spend time with Teddy," Steve frowned.

"I did?" Harry asked.

Comprehension seemed to dawn then.

"Wizard-repelling ward," Harry said. "Had to be. At least I can't think what else it would be."

"Wizard-repelling ward?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. It's magic designed to stop anyone magical from coming into a certain area," Harry explained. "Anyone who does will get an overwhelming desire to go do something else that seems eminently more important. They're not all that common, unlike muggle-repelling wards that keep non-magicals away from magical areas."

"And you walked into one?" Steve asked. "Who put it there?"

"Good question," Harry said, staring towards where the invisible ward must be. "Only a magical could put it there. And there's nothing in the files that the ICW gave me to indicate that the undercover wizards put anything like that in place. No, something's not right here."