"Sir, Mister Potter and his party are in the elevator," Jarvis said into Tony's earpiece. "One appears to be the lawyer you expected, Matthew Murdock; the other is an unknown female."
"You know what to do," Tony subvocalized.
"Yes, Sir," Jarvis replied.
Grabbing his drink off of the top of the bar, Tony casually threaded his way through the group towards the elevator. These three were actually the last to arrive. Tony would almost think that they were trying to be fashionably late if it wasn't for the fact that they were right on time.
The rest of them, the other Avengers, had been early. Well, and Pepper, but she lived there with him. Sometimes. Oh, and then there was Selvig, but he'd come with Legolas and Romanoff.
A muted ding preceded the elevator door opening and Tony stepped forward.
"Found the place, did you?" he greeted.
Harry stepped from the elevator almost cautiously, his eyes darting about and spotting everyone almost automatically.
"Managed to find it, yeah," Harry replied. "Helped that it's the tallest building in the neighbourhood, although the fact that it doesn't say 'Stark' on the side anymore made it a bit confusing."
"Yeah, that is a bit of a problem. The good news is that I've got some ideas to fix that," Tony replied.
He was actually marginally impressed. The kid's answer had just enough sass in it to make it interesting without being rude.
"So, going to introduce me?" Tony prompted.
"Tony, I'd like you to meet my best friend Hermione Granger and my ... lawyer, Matt Murdock," Harry said. "Hermione, Matt, Tony Stark."
"Checking," Jarvis stated.
"It's nice to meet you, Mister Stark, thanks for inviting us," the young woman with the long wavy brown hair and ... was that intelligence in those sharp brown eyes? ... said.
"Mister Stark," the blind lawyer said, meeting his handshake unerringly.
"How'd you do that?" Tony asked. "Are you sure that you're blind? Those shades are just for show aren't they?"
"I can assure you that I am blind, Mister Stark," and there was almost a hint of a growl in that that made Tony pause momentarily.
"Don't mind Tony, his mouth tends to speak without him engaging any sort of filter," Pepper stated, having come up behind him and grabbed his arm only to squeeze just a little tighter than Tony thought was strictly necessary. "I'm Pepper, I try to run Tony's life and look after him."
"It's nice to meet you," Harry smiled.
"So, essentially, you're his carer?" Matt asked.
"Exactly, Mister Murdock!" a delighted Pepper replied. "That's exactly what I am."
"Yep, she cares so I don't have to. Oh, and don't call me 'Mister Stark'; makes me feel like the Old Man is around somewhere," Tony said with a shiver. "Come on, Gandalf and friends, let's introduce you around."
From behind him, he heard Harry whispering to Hermione.
"Gandalf?"
"It's from The Lord of the Rings. Books, Harry, I'll show you later. Just think 'Dumbledore'," she whispered back.
Making a mental note to research the name 'Dumbledore' later, or at least, to have Jarvis do it for him, Tony stopped on the edge of the seating area.
"Everyone, Harry's here and he brought guests," Tony announced over the conversations. Noting that every eye switched to him, he continued. "This is Hermione and Matt, who claims to be blind, but I'm withholding judgment."
There, that should put him on notice. Not to mention get him back for giving Pepper such a perfect opening like that. Knowing her, she's going to use it ad nauseam, Tony thought.
He watched then, sipping his drink as the three newcomers circulated through the room, doing the boring work of introducing each other properly.
"Jarvis?" he subvocalized.
"Sir. I have scanned all three as is protocol. My sensors were unable to get as detailed a scan as is normal on Mister Potter and Miss Granger. For some reason, the scanners simply could not lock on to them," Jarvis reported.
"Magic?" he asked.
"That is the theory that I am working under. I suspect that we will need to do some recalibrating. As for Mister Murdock, there is nothing unusual to report." Jarvis said.
"And?" Tony asked impatiently.
Luckily, Jarvis was able to predict – quite accurately – the information that he was after.
"There are minimal records for a 'Hermione Granger' in Britain. Birth certificate and early school records only. I will continue searching but there may not be much to find if the magical community is as insular as we've been led to believe."
"Try known relatives if need be," Tony suggested.
"Of course, Sir," Jarvis replied.
Tony didn't like mysteries. Especially ones that defied the rules of science and that's exactly what Harry's magic seemed to do. He was determined to get him into his lab one day and run a battery of tests to find out how this 'magic' worked. But until then, the best that he could do was find out as much about Harry, and now his friend, as he could.
ooo00ooo
"Have you two met before?" Thor asked, intrigued by the note of amusement in Harry's voice, an amusement that was almost always evident in the voice of his brother when he had some private joke.
"No," Clint stated.
"Are you certain?" Harry asked.
Now Cint was frowning. "I'm sure that I'd remember if we had."
"You know that you don't have the best memory for faces," Natasha butted in.
"I'm not that bad," Clint protested.
"It was dark," Harry said, "that might account for it."
Thor noted that Harry's bright green eyes flicked towards Doctor Banner. Whatever its meaning, it seemed to be enough to jog the archer's memory.
"That was you? Of course, it was you. That was your place wasn't it?" Clint asked.
At his fellow Agent's look of inquiry, Clint explained.
"There was an op last year. Fury had agents stationed all over the city, monitoring, mostly. I picked Harry's roof as my vantage point. Somehow, he knew that I was there and came out to ask me about it. How did you know?"
"Magic," Harry smirked and Thor let out a boom of laughter.
The answer was perfect from any magic user and one that provoked a sour look from the agent.
"Magic? That's it? You're not going to go into more detail than that?" Clint asked.
"A seidhr's ways are not to be questioned or understood," Thor said, clapping the archer on the shoulder. "Just accept that they have a unique way of doing things that defy the comprehension of the rest of us."
"Seidhr?" Natasha questioned, a question that seemed to be echoed by Harry, if his raised eyebrow was any indication.
"Seidhr, yes," Thor replied. "A Midgardian magic-wielder. That is what they were called, at least when last I was on Midgard many hundreds of years ago. Are you still called by that name?"
Harry's eyes sought out his companion, Hermione, and he allowed her to answer.
"It's an old Norse word," she said. "I'm fairly certain that it related to witches and wizards but these days we just call ourselves that: witches and wizards."
"I will endeavour to remember that, please forgive me if I slip into the old terms, learning new words is not always easy," Thor said, bowing his head slightly in respect.
"Not a problem," Harry smiled. "Besides, I think I like 'seidhr', we should reintroduce it to the wizarding world."
"Wait a minute! Did Point Break just say that he knew that there were magic users on the planet and didn't tell us?" Tony interjected.
"It was not my secret to tell," Thor pointed out.
"How much do you know about us?" Harry asked.
Thor shrugged. "What I remember from what would be ancient history to you. The seidhr and Asgardians were ancient allies; we fought together to rid this world of the Frost Giants. Then, after we left Midgard, Heimdall would give us the occasional report. He told us that your kind had gone into hiding centuries ago. While we do not understand it, we respect your decision."
"Sixteen ninety-two," Hermione stated. "That's when we withdrew."
"The Salem Witch Trials," Steve said. "Remember learning about that in school."
Hermione nodded. "Witches and wizards had always been treated warily up to that point. But with the Salem Witch Trials here in America and the Spanish Inquisition in Europe, the International Confederation of Wizardry introduced the Statute of Secrecy which declared that all witches and wizards worldwide should disappear into our own areas and not let outsiders know that we still existed. It was a survival method that's still in place today."
"And was what got Harry here arrested," Matt continued. "His use of spells in the battle, not to mention the fact that he was wearing clothes that marked him as being different, were in direct contravention of the Statute."
"Then how'd he get off?" Natasha asked.
"There is a set of exemptions to the Statutes," Matt explained. "They primarily cover the use of magic in life-threatening situations."
"I would say that an army of Chitauri descending on Midgard would qualify," Thor nodded.
"It did," Matt stated.
"And how come you know all this?" Tony asked. "I checked. You Matt Murdock, are a partner from a small firm that hasn't really done anything noteworthy that I could find. What makes you so special that Fury would specifically pick you for the task?'
Matt shrugged. "The man never came out and said. He mentioned that he'd been keeping his eye on me, but that's it." Then, at the chuckles and groans throughout the group, "am I missing something?"
"Fury's halfway to being like you; he wears an eyepatch," Tony replied.
"Either way, I'm just glad that Fury did pick Matt. He did a brilliant job. He got the charges dropped before I even had to tell the court that I was not guilty," Harry said, ending Tony's inquisition.
"You have done a great service," Thor stated, clapping the lawyer on the shoulder. "You defended a new friend and an ancient ally. If you ever need assistance, you shall have it."
"About that," Harry said. "I've been told that I'm an Avenger now. Which is cool. But 'Mage'? Where'd that come from and how come I didn't get to pick my own name?"
Once again, all Thor could do was laugh as every eye pinned Tony with expectancy.
"What? You needed a name and you weren't around to ask. So, I did you a favour. You should have heard some of the ones the media was throwing around," Tony defended himself.
"Do tell," Harry said innocently, too innocently if Thor was any judge and after living with his brother for so long, he could tell that there was some sort of retribution in Tony's future.
ooo00ooo
"Sir, there is an Agent Morse from S.H.I.E.L.D. in the elevator," Jarvis announced through the floor P.A. system instead of Tony's earpiece.
Tony looked up, startled before glancing at Clint and Natasha.
"Yeah, Jarvis, we've already got enough Agents here, tell her to go home," he said.
"Sir, my protocols are being overwritten," Jarvis near-whined, if an A.I. could actually be deemed to 'whine'.
"I thought we fixed that after the last time ..." Tony trailed off.
His eyes closed briefly and his mind flashed to the elevator doors opening, was it only a week or so ago? He shook his head. The memory of hearing that Agent had been killed was still just a little too fresh.
The ping of the elevator doors opening snapped Tony's eyes open and he moved to intercept his uninvited guest. A glance to his side told him that Birdbrain and Romanoff had shifted to positions that seemed at first glance to be non-threatening, but were close enough to offer support if necessary. Who the support was for was still up for debate.
The woman inside the elevator wore the traditional black S.H.I.E.L.D. jumpsuit with the logo on her upper sleeve. She was blonde with blue eyes, but what particularly marked her as different, was that, like Clint and Natasha, she carried additional, unique weapons. In addition to the mandatory gun strapped to her waist, she had a baton in a holster on each thigh.
It was this that prompted Tony's memory.
"I remember you. You were with Fury in Harry's place after the battle," he accused.
"Good memory, Stark," she replied as she walked in.
"Hey, I don't remember inviting you in?" Tony protested.
"You hadn't. But as I need to talk to everyone here and you're all conveniently in the one place, it was more efficient for me to simply invite myself," she replied. She glanced across at her fellow agents, then. "Hawkeye. Widow."
"Mockingbird," Clint returned, while Natasha simply nodded.
Being invaded in his own house was still a very raw feeling for Tony, therefore he wasn't surprised when he found his feet taking him to the bar, nor the fact that he automatically snapped the wrist cuffs on. The Mark VII wasn't completely repaired yet, but it was in much better readiness than the Mark VIII which was still somewhere between the drawing board and production.
When he turned back, his tumbler now full of scotch, it was to find that Mockingbird, Agent Morse as Jarvis had identified her, had the full attention of the room.
"For those who do not know me, my name is Agent Barbara Morse, I'm a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, also known as Mockingbird. If you prefer, you can call me 'Bobbi'," she said.
"Mockingbird? Do all you agents have codenames?" Bruce asked and Tony noticed that Harry's lips twitched at the question.
"Just like the people in this room, only the very best," Agent Morse replied.
The fact that her eyes flicked to Murdock was very intriguing, something else for Tony to investigate later.
"What are you doing here, Bobbi?" Natasha asked, then, before the other woman could reply, she answered her own question. "Fury sent you. Why?"
"You're right. Fury did send me," Agent Morse confirmed. "I've had a change in assignment."
"You're our new Handler," Natasha stated.
"What? But I thought Phil ..." Clint began before tapering off. "Right."
"Phil?" Harry asked.
"Agent Phil Coulson," Tony replied. "He recruited a lot of us. Brought us together."
"The Son of Coul died bravely at the hands of my brother. His spirit and courage will never be forgotten," Thor said.
The raise of glasses in the air by those who knew him was echoed by Tony, not something that he would ordinarily do.
"You're right, this wasn't supposed to be me," Agent Morse confirmed. "But someone had to take over the job and I've been tapped.
"You Avengers are a very special group of people but there are going to be times when you're going to need the support and backup that only S.H.I.E.L.D. can provide. I'm your liaison to that support. You need something, you come to me and I'll see what I can do. That goes for everyone in this room, including you, Doctor Selvig and you, Mister Murdock. Both of you have made important contributions and have unique abilities that S.H.I.E.L.D. would like you to continue to use."
"What role does the Avengers have now?" Steve asked.
"That is up to you," Agent Morse replied.
"Really?" a sceptical sounding Bruce asked.
"Yes, really," Agent Morse echoed. "I'm told that Director Fury promised that you'd be free to go once the tesseract had been recovered and we intend to keep that promise. You are free to do what you want, go where you want. We won't be keeping tabs on you. All I ask is that you keep in touch either with myself or one of your teammates in case you're ever needed again."
"Which you can bet your sweet ass that there will be," Tony stated.
Agent Morse nodded. "I'd be very surprised if there wasn't."
"Indeed. Whoever gave my brother that sceptre and directed the Chitauri to Midgard is still out there. It may take some time, but they are sure to try again," Thor stated.
"And if any of you are looking for a job, then S.H.I.E.L.D. can help you out there. Barton and Romanoff are Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.; Stark is a consultant. We could use the talents the rest of you have, but only if you're interested," Agent Morse said.
"Don't look at me, I've got a café to run," Harry stated.
"I won't object if you want to send a few cases my way, but otherwise I'm happy where I am," Murdock said.
"Captain?" Agent Morse asked.
"Possibly. Let me think about it," Steve said.
"Fair enough," she replied before stepping forward and placing a set of black cards on the nearby coffee table. "Take one. My number's on it. Call if you need anything."
Idly, Tony wondered if it was written in braille for the blind guy, but noting Pepper's gaze on him, he kept his mouth firmly shut. For now, at least.
ooo00ooo
"You know, she wasn't wrong," Tony stated after Agent Morse had conveniently let herself out after giving her spiel.
"What about?" Steve asked.
"That we're going to be needed again," he replied. "The world has seen what we can do. There'll be those that'll be itching to try their metal against us, to see exactly what we're made of."
"So, what, you're saying that we need to band together? Stay here in New York so that we're ready to take on all comers?" Bruce asked.
"It's not a bad idea," Tony replied.
"Yes, it is! For me, at least. I've now broken two New York suburbs!" Bruce stated, the despair clear in his voice.
"Doctor Banner, Bruce, I've seen the footage, read the reports of what happened in Harlem. And I've now fought beside you. On both of those occasions, you were working to bring down the bad guys," Steve pointed out.
"What? You're saying that the other guy ... the Hulk's some kind of hero now?" Bruce asked.
"Seems that way," Natasha replied. "You may not enjoy turning into the Hulk, but the Big Guy has a lot to offer."
"What is the deal between you and the Hulk?" Harry asked cautiously.
"I was involved in an accident some years back," Bruce replied. "Ended up being hit with a high dose of gamma radiation. It should have killed me. Instead it transformed me into the Hulk. Now, whenever I get too stressed or too angry or I simply release the anger that I'm constantly feeling, I change into ... him."
Harry and Hermione shared a very pointed look.
"We might be able to help with that," Harry stated cautiously. "No guarantees, of course, but ..."
"You think magic might help?" Bruce asked incredulously.
"Potions actually," Hermione replied. "More specifically, a calming draught. There might be others and it'd wouldn't be a permanent solution, but the possibilities are there."
"I did tell you not to underestimate the magic of the seidhr," Thor stated. "Sorry, wizards and witches."
"This is what I'm talking about. We need to stick together, to use each other's strengths to enhance our own," Tony said. "Sure, go off and do your own thing, but we need to come back together."
"To train, to know each other's fighting styles," Steve added. "If we're likely to be called up to serve as a team, then we need to know how to work as a unit."
"I've already started to work on plans to revamp the tower. I've got ten levels of R and D already, adding in a couple for training and some quarters for everyone should be a snap," Tony said.
"You want this tower to be our ... what, Headquarters?" Clint asked.
"With 'Stark' written in big letters on it?" Natasha asked incredulously.
"It doesn't say that at the moment," Harry smirked.
"Actually, I was thinking of putting 'Avengers' on it. Assuming that that's alright with you guys," Tony said.
"I think we could live with that," Natasha replied on behalf of everyone.
"It'll take a while to get it done, especially with all of the work that needs to be done out there, which'll be the priority for now," Tony pointed out, waving the hand holding his now-empty tumbler in the vague direction of the window. "You guys are invited as well."
"Thank you, but I have a job in London," Hermione said.
"It's a little far from my apartment and my law offices," Matt pointed out.
"Well, whatever, you've got time to change your minds," Tony said absently.
"Avengers Tower," Clint mused. "I like the sound of that. It's got a much nicer ring to it then Stark Tower ever did."
"Oi! I invite you into my home and all you're going to do is insult me? That's not kosher," Tony protested.
"I would have thought that it was a requirement of living here, being all snarky and insulting," Pepper said.
"Right, party's over. You lot are corrupting Pepper too much," Tony declared, eliciting a round laughter.
ooo00ooo
Thor gave one last look around the circle of people that surrounded he and his brother.
These people were allies, his teammates, his friends. In the short time that he'd known them, he'd grown fond of them. They were different than the Lady Sif and the Warriors Three, his usual companions, but for all that, he would not give them up for anything.
Erik Selvig was the first that he made eye contact with. His one regret was that he was unable to see Jane this trip, but Erik carried a note that he promised to deliver as soon as possible.
The seidhr were both there as well, a term that he had no problem using within his own mind, at least. He had fought alongside one and the other he had come to suspect had a mind every bit as sharp as Jane's.
And then the rest of the Avengers: Steve, Tony, Bruce, Natasha and Clint. It had truly been an honour fighting alongside them all.
While he didn't know how long it would be before he was able to return to Midgard, Thor vowed that it would be soon.
Then, with one last nod to them all, he turned the handle of the device that Bruce and Erik had created and felt the pull of the tesseract's power taking them home.