"I'm Danny Rand. The Immortal Iron Fist. The Protector of K'un-Lun. Defeater of Shou-Lao. Sworn Enemy of The Hand."
Spider-Man couldn't help himself. All this talk of hands and fists of iron. Taking three quick steps forward, he grabbed Danny's hand, held it up and twisted it around, giving it a good couple of pokes with his finger.
"Look, I'm sorry, dude, but this is just a hand. All flesh and skin and hair and stuff. No iron. Gotta admit, though, the way you got it to light up like that was pretty cool."
"It only becomes as hard as iron when I summon my chi," Danny replied, reclaiming his hand.
"Chi?" Daredevil repeated. "Not the craziest thing I've heard. And what's K'un-Lun?"
"K'un-Lun is a city. It's where I was trained."
"Let me guess, it's not in the States?" Squirrel Girl said.
"No. It's not. You can't exactly get to it right now. The best that I can tell you is that it's in Asia, the Himalaya's to be precise but the gate only opens once every fifteen years or so," Danny replied.
"And this Shou-Lao that you defeated?" Mage asked.
"He's a dragon," Danny replied.
"Dragon?" Mage repeated and all there could hear the steel in his voice.
"Not good, dude. Mage's got a thing for dragons," Spider-Man said with a shake of his head.
"Oh, don't worry, he's not dead or anything," Danny replied, trying to wave off any confusion. "Shou-Lao's immortal. But I had to fight him and thrust my fist into his heart in order to claim my powers as the Iron Fist."
"Immortal, huh? He'd better be," Mage grumbled.
"If you're the Protector of this K'un-Lun place, what are you doing in New York?" Squirrel Girl asked.
"I was born here; this is my home," Danny replied. "Not to mention that the Hand are here and it's my job as their sworn enemy to defeat them."
"The Hand?" Daredevil repeated. "You are their sworn enemy?"
"You know them?" Danny asked.
"Criminal organisation," Daredevil repeated. "They've got their fingers in everything. My contacts say that it's not just New York, either."
"It's not. They're worldwide and have been operating for centuries," Danny confirmed.
"Let me get this straight, you're here in New York just to fight a criminal organisation?" Mage asked.
"Basically," Danny confirmed. "I may be the Protector of K'un-Lun, but I see the job as more than that. I see having this power being used for the good of all. It's my responsibility."
"Can't argue with that: with great power comes great responsibility," Spider-Man nodded. "It's something that I was taught once."
"I'd say that most of us live by a similar code," Daredevil agreed. "Maybe worded a little different, but it boils down to the same thing. If you're here to help, to do good, then you've got our support, just as if we needed it, I'd hope that we'd have yours."
"You've changed, Devil," and they could all hear the grin in Mage's voice. "Once upon a time, you worked exclusively alone."
"Let's just say that I've seen the benefits of team-work and leave it at that," he replied.
"Listen, thanks for the assist, guys," Danny said, glancing across at the piled-up bodies off to one side, webbed and bound awaiting the police. "But I really have to be going; my friend, Colleen, will be wondering where I am."
With a nod firstly to Danny and then to the Avengers, Mage slung his foot over his broom and rose into the air.
"See you around, Iron Fist," Squirrel Girl waved.
"You know, I really hope that I'm there when Iron Man meets Iron Fist," Spider-Man said as he webbed above his running partner. "Can you imagine what his reaction is going to be finding out that he's not the only 'Iron' one around?"
ooo00ooo
A half-pitch quidditch match had been set up on the beach up for the magical visitors to Paradis Noir to enjoy until dinner. There was only the single set of three goal posts and a single post set into the sand some distance out.
Each set of chasers – Harry, Teddy and Luna on one team; Angelina, Hannah and Hermione on the other – were required to take the quaffle out and around the post before returning to try to score against Ron. There was no snitch in this pick-up game, however, there was a pair of bludgers that George (for Harry's team) and Neville (for Angelina's team) were bashing around the area.
"Go, Teddy!" Doreen yelled, her hands cupping her mouth as her boyfriend flew through the air.
She watched as he feinted, throwing a pass to Harry instead of shooting for goal. Ron had completely fallen for his tactic and was therefore well out of position, leaving an open hoop for Harry to score through.
"Woohoo! Goal!" Daisy cheered.
"Surely, the game must be nearly done," Hermione called from where she sat on her broom, puffing slightly, both hands wrapped tightly around the handle.
"One more goal," Angelina called. "We can even make it 'next goal wins'."
"No way!" Harry laughed. "We're already sixty points up. Besides the next goal is gonna be ours anyway."
"Who says I'm going to allow either of you to score again?" Ron called.
Their banter and Hermione's stationary hovering didn't stop the bludgers from flying around though. One of them, obviously sensing a target, suddenly changed direction and zoomed straight at Hermione's oblivious back.
"Hermione!" Harry shouted a warning.
And then a burst of gravity waves smashed into the bludger, altering its course ninety degrees and sending it far, far out over the ocean. The stunned quidditch players looked down to see Daisy standing below, her arms still outstretched.
"This game really is bloody dangerous! Don't think I believed all those stories until just now. Hermione could have been seriously hurt there," Daisy stated. "And you guys play this thing all the time?"
"Well, it's our one big sport," George shrugged.
"Magic does tend to fix a lot of injuries," Angelina added.
"Yes. Harry hardly ever seemed to come out of a game without being hurt at Hogwarts," a clearly shaken Hermione said as she landed beside Daisy. "Thank you."
"Any time," Daisy replied.
"Oi! I wasn't that bad!" Harry protested as he, too, landed.
"Harry, you almost swallowed the snitch in your very first game," Angelina reminded him with a shake of her head.
Harry stared at her. "What'd you expect me to do? Ollie did say to 'get the snitch or die trying'."
"True, Angie, I remember it," George said, nodding. "Mind you, Ollie was always a bit obsessed."
"Oh, good, you've finished," Molly said as she appeared from the near-by path back to the main buildings. "And no one even looks hurt for once."
A number of sheepish looks were passed around at her statement.
"Thanks to Daisy," Hermione replied and handed her broom to Harry. "Thank you, Harry, but I think that I've just used up my quota of flying for the next decade or two."
"Dinner will be ready in half an hour, so you've all got time to wash up," Molly told them.
"We'll see you there," Teddy said and took off on his broom, Doreen's bushy tail flapping directly over the bristles in their wake.
ooo00ooo
Ted knocked tentatively on the door to Harry's study in the Bungalow. A second later, he heard the permission given to enter, so he opened the door to find exactly what he'd been expecting: Harry and his grandmother waiting for him.
Harry, of course, was seated behind his large desk, his hands clasped in front of him, his eyes focussed on Ted. His grandmother was seated just to the side of the desk but back enough so that there was no doubt given that she was supporting Harry in this conversation.
"Come in, take a seat," Harry instructed and Ted scooted into the room and slid into the chair in front of the desk.
He fidgeted with his hands, his leg bouncing slightly as the two stared at him, watching him, evaluating him. Well, that's what it felt like, anyway.
"You know why we asked you here?" Harry asked.
Ted nodded. It was the night before everyone from Britain was supposed to return home. He just hoped that he wasn't included in that group.
"I managed to pull a few strings," his grandmother began, "and managed to obtain your OWL results a week earlier than they should have been released."
Ted straightened, his eyes fixing on the envelope in front of Harry. When Harry picked it up and held it out, Ted quickly slid forward on his chair, reached out and took it. Taking a deep breath, he slid a finger under the flap, opened the envelope and pulled out the parchment.
ORDINARY WIZARD LEVELS
Pass Grades: Outstanding (O) Fail Grades: Poor (P)
Exceeds Expectations (EE) Dreadful (D)
Acceptable (A) Troll (T)
THEODORE REMUS LUPIN HAS ACHIEVED:
Ancient Runes: O
Arithmancy: O
Astronomy: EE
Care of Magical Creatures: EE
Charms: O
Defence Against the Dark Arts: O
Herbology: EE
History of Magic O
Potions: O
Transfiguration: O
CONGRATULATIONS YOU HAVE ACHIEVED TEN (10) OWLS
Ted let out a long sigh even as a broad grin split his face.
"Ten OWLs," he said, handing the parchment back to Harry. "Seven Outstandings, three Exceeds."
Harry took the parchment, gave it a read through and handed it across to Andi.
"Brilliant work, Teddy!" Harry exclaimed. "That truly is impressive. Your parents would be extremely proud; I know that I am."
"Yes, this is amazing, Teddy. Well done, very well done, indeed," his grandmother said coming around and giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
"You said that I had to pass my OWLs with EEs or better," Ted reminded them. "And then I could move here, be an Avenger, like you."
"We did say that, didn't we," Harry said, glancing at Andi. "Are you sure that that's what you want? You wouldn't prefer to stay at Hogwarts for your NEWTs with your friends? You won't hurt my feelings if you want to stay in England."
"No, please, I want this! I want to be here, with you, with Doreen. I know that I'll need to work extra hard, what with finishing my magical education as well as my Avengers' training," Ted replied.
"Okay," Harry nodded. "I will lay it out for you completely. Your grandmother and I have agreed that you may stay here with me if that is truly your wish. However, it is only fair that you understand exactly what that will entail.
"Firstly, your magical education. I will arrange for tutors, in addition to what I can offer you. I expect that you will complete a minimum of five NEWTs but preferably seven. In addition to that, you will enter Avengers Academy where you will be learning combat and tactics – both magical and non – dependent upon what your trainers agree upon. I would hope that you would also complete a non-magical degree of some kind, but that is not a requirement."
"I agree to all of it," Ted replied as solemnly as he could.
Harry and Andi shared a look and Ted noticed that his grandmother gave a small nod. Harry moved slightly and opened a drawer. Ted sucked in a quick breath at the sight of the scroll that he pulled out.
"I see that you remember this," Harry smiled. "This is now yours; I've already added your name to it."
Ted took it, pulled the ribbon and let it fall into his lap. Unrolling the scroll, he sped read through it, nodding as it spelled out exactly what Harry had told him that it contained when he'd first seen it so long ago.
It was a decree from the International Confederation of Wizardry, entitling the bearer, in this case him, to a waiver for the Statute of Secrecy when undertaking the duties that pertained to keeping the world safe, specifically, as an Avenger. While he could perform magic in front of the non-magical world, the knowledge that there were other magicals was not to be divulged by him.
There was an added clause near the bottom that, until such time as Harry James Potter, otherwise known as 'Mage' deemed him ready, he was to only perform magic in front of non-magicals with 'Mage's' permission.
"Thank you. I won't let you down," Ted promised.
"If we thought that you would, then you wouldn't be getting that," his grandmother stated.
"I've seen you in action, out on patrol with Matt and the others," Harry added. "I know that you can fulfil your obligations contained in that decree. Congratulations, Marauder, I don't think it'll take you long until you're out of your 'apprenticeship'."
"Thank you, Uncle Harry, Grandmother," Ted replied. Then, "can I go tell Doreen the good news? She's waiting for me just outside."
"Go on, you scamp," his grandmother replied.
Immediately, Ted was up. He raced to the door, thought better of it, raced back to give her a hug, leapt across to hug Harry and then dashed out and through the door, the scroll still in his hand.
"Doreen!" he called.
ooo00ooo
The week had passed much faster than one would expect. Most of the time, the group had stayed on the island, simply catching up, eating, laughing, trying to avoid George's pranks and getting to know both Daisy and Doreen better.
Of course, there'd also been a number of trips back to New York as well. Central Park had been the first of them; a chance for the British to get a taste and feel for the Big Apple before venturing into the crowded city. The Empire State Building had been passed over in favour of the views from Avengers Tower.
They'd taken in a baseball game at Daisy and Steve's insistence. The Statue of Liberty had also been on the list but Arthur seemed to enjoy the ferry ride more than the actual island and statue itself. Lavender and Daphne had 'kidnapped' the women one evening and taken them to see a Broadway musical, something that had Molly talking about nearly non-stop for days.
Andi had also taken the opportunity to catch Harry up on both Black and Potter House business from the Wizengamot, after all, she was well aware that he all but never read the reports that she sent him.
But finally, the week was over and it came time for them to head home to work and family.
"Are you having your wedding here or at home?" Molly asked for the dozenth time.
"We haven't decided yet," Harry replied, once again. "I will be sure to let you and everyone else know as soon as we've picked where and when."
"I know this won't interest you in the slightest but Kingsley would have my head if I didn't remind you that Magical Britain will be most disappointed if you aren't married in England. The Ministry would even help – be it providing a place or extra security if you like," Hermione said.
"I must concur," Andi added. "And your presence would placate the Wizengamot as well – I've told you how upset they are that you have yet to personally take up your seats."
"And I've told you that you're doing a much better job than I could ever do, Andi," Harry replied. "I took up my Lordships, that'll have to be enough for them for now. As to the wedding, well we'll see, but no promises."
"Generations of Weasleys have been married at the Burrow, that option is always open to you," Arthur said, patting Harry on the back while smiling at Daisy.
"Come on, you lot, our portkey's about to go," Neville called, interrupting the last-minute guilt-trip and giving Harry a wink.
"Your turn to come visit next time," Hermione said, giving Harry a kiss on the cheek. She turned to Daisy, then. "You make him happy, Daisy and he deserves it. I'm glad he found you."
"Thanks, I'm quite happy with him, too," Daisy replied.
"Hermione!" Ron called sharply. "Seeya, mate."
Hermione just managed to get a hand on the rope before the group was whisked away.
"They are definitely an interesting bunch of people," Daisy stated.
Harry laughed. "No arguments from me. They all have hearts of gold, though."
"And they all love you," Daisy said, turning into his arms. "Just not as much as I do."
"I am very glad to hear that," he said and kissed her. "Ready to go home?"
"Ready for some peace and quiet, yes," Daisy agreed.
He twisted the two of them, apparating them away and back to their apartment.
ooo00ooo
Ted stared at the goblet. Actually, the instant that his eyes had landed on it when he'd first entered the room, they'd been locked on it. So focussed was he, that he'd almost missed the chair and fallen to the floor when he'd tried to sit.
"I take it that you know what this is?" Harry asked, amusement clear in his voice.
"Animagus Revealing Potion," Ted breathed.
"And judging by the look on your face, you know what it does and what it means."
Ted nodded his head so fast that his eyes even had trouble staying focussed on the goblet.
"Am I correct in thinking that you've been working towards this, reading the book I gave you and performing the mental exercises,"
"Yes. I'm ready. I've been ready for ages," Ted replied. "But you'd said not to go any further and I haven't; I've done exactly what you said."
"I know. Professor McGonagall has been keeping an eye on you."
Ted looked up, blinking. He hadn't realised that.
"I'm ready?" he asked eagerly.
"Yes," Harry replied. "Now, you understand that this will only show you your animal? It won't transform you or make you into a full-animagus straight away?"
"I know. What do you think I'll be? A wolf, like my dad? Or a bird, like you? Maybe a hawk or an owl? Or maybe something really cool like a lion or tiger or something?" Ted asked eagerly, his hair continuously cycling through colour after colour.
Harry laughed. "Well, there's only one way to know. Get yourself comfortable and we'll find out."
Instantly, Ted shuffled his butt backwards on the wide armchair. Feeling his legs dangling, he frowned and pulled them up, Indian style. That was better. His hands dropped into his lap even as he shifted his back from side to side to find just the right spot. Finally, he looked up.
"Ready," he said eagerly.
Harry picked up the goblet and brought it across.
"Take your time. The more relaxed you are, the easier the vision will come," Harry told him, handing him the goblet.
Ted took it and looked into the silvery liquid. He was ready; he knew it.
Bringing it to his lips, he tipped it back, swallowing it in four large gulps. He felt Harry take the goblet from him even as his eyes closed and his hand flopped into his lap.
Green was the first thing that filled his mind. Green of all shades. Slowly, brown lines and blobs and dots of yellow, purple and red joined in. And then the 'world' fell into focus. It was a forest, but a forest unlike anything that he'd ever seen before. It was dense, trees everywhere with leaves, vines and flowers dotting the place.
Somewhere here, he knew, was his animal, the one that he'd be able to become. Eagerly, Ted began looking around, listening hard for any sound that might indicate which way to go. But there was nothing. Total silence and stillness. Still, he waited, knowing that a sign would come.
There. To the left. Slowly, cautiously, he moved firstly his eyes and then his head to where he'd caught a slight movement in his peripheral vision.
Still, it took him a while to locate it, despite his eyes darting every which way to find what he'd seen. And then he caught the slightest movement again and he focussed intently on that place. A frown formed when all he could find was a stick.
Ted blinked when the stick moved slightly, all by itself. And then he realised that it wasn't a stick at all. It was a lizard, but a lizard so well camouflaged that it'd been nearly impossible to see.
Now that he'd seen it, he watched it. Slowly, the lizard moved across the branch that it was standing on. Surprisingly, its skin changed from a greeny-brown to yellow as it passed in front of a flower.
It could change its skin colour? Ted wondered.
And then it came to him, exactly what it was. Ted wasn't sure how to feel about that. It wasn't as powerful as a lion or as majestic as an eagle but it could be useful. Right? Right?
ooo00ooo
Bobbi strode into the training room and looked over her charges.
Peter and Doreen were currently competing in a bizarre game of catch. The ball itself was one designed by Tony with a simple counterweight inside it that caused it to slew about unpredictably both through the air and after it had bounced. The game was one that Bobbi herself had devised for them. Each of them 'guarded' a section of wall and had to throw the ball backwards and forwards, the goal to get the ball to hit their opponent's goal. The fact that they could bounce the ball off of any surface, at any speed and at any angle helped them improve both their reflexes and agility. It also didn't hurt their stamina.
Speaking of stamina, Bobbi noted that Teddy was currently on a treadmill, jogging. If he was following his old program, then he should be aiming for a five-kilometre run. Theoretically, he'd been keeping up his running while at school in Scotland; this would show whether he actually had been.
Jennifer was also working on a combination game/test that Bobbi had devised, this one designed to test her reflexes and mental acuity. She was in the middle of a great 'board', twenty squares by twenty squares, each one only half a metre square. Her task was to step from square to square, but only on the green ones as they lit. If she stepped on a different coloured one or took too long either leaping to the next or landed too late, a sharp, minor jolt of electricity would give her a mild shock. The big trick came in that there was always a pattern, one that could be predicted and one that needed to be found as the 'game' became progressively faster as time elapsed.
Melati was in the corner with the weights. Judging by the way the bar that she held behind her shoulders as she did her squats was bending, Bobbi estimated that she was easily holding five to seven hundred kilos.
The Vision was in the firing range, hitting target after target with beams of bright yellow light emanating from the golden stone in his head. His challenge was increased as the range was a hundred metres long and the targets only appeared randomly for two seconds before disappearing.
And then there were the newest recruits.
Pietro seemed to have completely recovered from his injuries. Bobbi only knew that he was there because of the blue and silver blur that raced circuits around the room, well over head height. The fact that he could defy gravity like that, running so that his body was horizontal to the ground was indeed telling as to his speed.
Lastly, was Wanda. Currently, she was 'juggling' weights with her red magic. Her hands were moving in an intricate pattern a couple of dozen metres below the weights as she moved them up and down in the most intricate pattern.
Bobbi nodded as she surveyed them, her arms akimbo. Yes, they all had plenty of potential, their own particular skillsets that gave them an advantage over others. The trick, she knew, was them harnessing those skills, using them to the best of their ability, without having to think what they were going to do. Most importantly, though, was their learning what each other could do so that they could work together as a team.
Peter and Doreen and even Teddy to a lesser extent, were already well on that path, with their night-time jaunts through the streets of New York with Harry and Matt. But that was a limited environment. They, indeed all of them, needed to learn how to work together in any combination, in any environment.
Bobbi actually had plans for an extreme test; if today went as well as she hoped, she was seriously considering bringing it up with Steve sooner rather than later – it'd not only show this lot what was needed, but also show her where they needed extra work.
Until then, she – and they – had work to do. Pulling her whistle, she gave it a long, loud burst.
"Alright, bring it in, time to start training," she called.
Internally, Bobbi grinned at the groans that she'd just elicited. Externally, though, her face showed nothing but a slight frown. She really enjoyed this job.
ooo00ooo
Maria Hill frowned at the information that she'd been compiling. Individually, by itself, it didn't amount to much. Together, though, together, that was another matter.
Slowly over the last month or so, information had been delayed being passed on to her or worse yet, denied altogether. Contacts had disappeared. Allies had drifted away. There were some organisations that had even become, if not antagonistic, then at least barely neutral.
Maria wasn't sure if it was her, her prior affiliation with S.H.I.E.L.D. or her current association with the Avengers. If she had to guess, her money would be on the latter. When she'd first floated her suspicions to Nick, she'd found that he, too, was getting stonewalled. Really, it was fast becoming fact that the only ones that they could rely upon were their closest allies.
Nick, of course, wouldn't rely on them even then. 'I can count the number of people I trust on one hand. And I'm not afraid of cutting off fingers.' She'd heard him say it numerous times. She, on the other hand, despite her years in the secret business, had never found things that extreme.
This last, though, that was the deal breaker.
Her contact in the United Nations had just gone quiet, even going as far as telling her to stay out of what wasn't her business. Which was stupid in the extreme: she was in the world-protection business, so, of course what went on in the United Nations was her business.
There'd been rumours before she'd been cut off, though. Rumours that a project group had been formed. A group that had already reported back the Assembly twice and both times had been behind closed doors – no cameras, no unauthorised persons.
They were hiding something. Something big, if Maria had to guess. She just hoped that whatever it was wasn't going to cause more trouble than they bargained for.
If the United Nations instigated something that caused the Avengers to go against them, then Maria wasn't sure exactly who or what would be left standing at the end of it.