Chapter Forty

That Sunday was the day the kids left New Atlantis. They were already talking about their next holiday visits and failing that, asking if they could intern or maybe help Logan. Apparently the vibrant life and living creatures, the feeling of safety, the perfect weather and the pristine beach was something they would all appreciate coming back for.

Hank, in the meanwhile had gotten in touch with Bruce and had already disappeared with him on Saturday, just after lunch, wanting to get into his new exciting field of research. Harry had a suspicion that he would have to add a room at Avengers Manor soon (Tony had insisted on calling it a manor and not a house, considering its internal size). Bruce had told Harry of his success with the Felix Felicis, for which Harry congratulated him and opened a bottle of champagne for the adults and sparkling grape juice for the kids. It was Bruce's first ever mastery level potion.

The Professor had revealed his new mobility to the children the night he had been healed. There was massive applause and the respect directed at Harry rose even more. He had soon asked Harry for a bathing suit and jumped in the water after Harry transfigured his current clothes to something more appropriate. Charles had really enjoyed the evening and being able to play with the kids as he had never had the opportunity before.

Saturday had seen Harry assign a Flying Broom to Charles as well. Turns out he had been envious of the kids. It took him half an hour to tire of it and decide to watch rather. He may have some muscle mass back, but that did not mean he was an athlete or had the energy of youth. He'd have to train for that. From the sounds of it, his X-Men had a vigorous training regimen already planned.

The previous day had turned out so well, the two strongest teams had decided to face each other in a Quiddich competition. Harry had taken up the post of commentator and had revelled in watching his first proper match in many years. Natasha was at his side as always. They would soon be so busy they'd scarcely have time for each other.

That Sunday afternoon saw a tired, but happy group of people walking through a portal back to their lives. Logan was off to one side, watching them go, after telling them not to get soft, since they would be back and he would be taking them on hikes again. Probably longer ones next time. He really wasn't good at goodbyes.

Once everyone was gone, Logan went off to go take care of some of his duties, before spending some time with Puppy in the hot springs.

Harry had decided to spend the rest of the day with his girl. He would be outfitting her later this evening with her latest equipment and then she'd be off doing her best to ensure the future of the world from the nefarious plots of whatever organization had infiltrated SHIELD. Fury had tracked the infiltration back at least twenty years, but suspected it went way further than that. He had to do his digging off the books though, and that took time.

They enjoyed a lazy walk on the beach, before Harry transported them to a restaurant in Malibu where he had made a reservation for the two of them. They enjoyed the romantic music and setting and discussed nothing of import as they took the time to hold hands and make innuendos. Once dessert was served however, Natasha got a look in her eyes, which meant she had something to discuss with him.

"There is something we need to talk about." Natasha said, confirming Harry's thought.

"What is it?" Harry asked.

"It's Xera and her people." Natasha started. "They really want to bond with you."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked. "I thought we were going to offer Logan the job? We were even discussing giving Hank a bit of space on the island so that he could also be around after he and Xera hit it off." He asked in confusion.

"It's not that simple." Natasha said. "This is not a situation, where the job can be handed over. This is a need."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, suddenly serious.

Natasha nodded and started explaining, "I noticed something odd that evening when you took us out over the ocean and lit the island up. Xera had the body-language of someone who was hiding something. I needed to know if she was a danger to you, so I went to talk to her." When Harry didn't respond and kept listening, she took that as a good sign.

"It took me a while, but I finally got the truth from her. Apparently when they arrived here, they felt the power of the land, your power, and started taking it in to help them grow and heal. They didn't know that it was your power specifically and thought it was just the power of the land. When you went to meet with them the first time after they were brought here, they noticed that they had all connected to you."

"What do you mean connected?" Harry asked. He was not getting angry. He could already see a solution. Frigga had power over the domain of personal connections. Certainly she could help remove them painlessly?

"Have you ever heard the stories of a glade of forest spirits all partying and revelling with a Satyr?" Natasha asked.

"I think I've seen a picture depicting something like that in a book once." Harry said.

"Well, apparently that had a basis in truth." Natasha said, as she took a bite of her dessert, trying to act nonchalant. "That scene depicted what would happen when a demi-god or a person of power invested said power into nature. Nature would then reward the person with her bounty."

"And the Nymphs are that bounty?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow. "I don't remember healing the land or divesting my power altruistically. It was all selfish. I need the land to bring more potions ingredients to our world." he argued.

"Oh, really? And the Nymphs weren't rescued by you? Most of the creatures on your land were in danger in their natural habitats." Natasha argued back. When Harry tried to respond, she held up her hand, "Sure, Logan was the one who went out looking for misfits and outcasts and offering them a better place to live, but you provided for their safety and well-being. Not to mention what the potions ingredients are for.

"None of that really matters though, as I'm telling you that they are already bonded to you by way of your magic. I can tell." Here she lifted up her left hand and showed him the ring. "When Xera was in the Greenhouse and lost control of her aura, I could feel your magic communing with her. They are your nymphs, not your islands'. All they want is to be near you and it is breaking their hearts trying to respect your wishes by keeping their distance."

"I'm hurting them?" Harry asked as he got a sinking feeling. "But I didn't know! How could I?"

"Calm down, Harry." She said as she saw the beginning signs of a panic attack. "I've already got a solution for the situation and you probably wouldn't even be inconvenienced or disappointed." She took his hand. "Everything will be okay. All we need to do is move their trees and their grove closer to the resort and, when we are there, to spend some time around them.

"They don't even need a sexual relationship with you, though that is what they think most men want, not incorrectly." she smiled. "The way Xera explained it, you are like another sun to them. Once they had some of your power in them, they started needing it. They have never been more vulnerable than they are now, since their lives and the quality of their lives now depend on you for more than one reason."

Harry had been listening with falling spirits until her last statement. "So, what you are saying is they are addicted to my magic?"

"Think of it more like they were living only half-lives until they met you and now they are finally whole and want nothing more than to stay whole." Natasha corrected, having questioned that same fact.

Harry slumped in relief and sighed. "Oh, thank goodness." he said as a smile broke out over his face. "I thought it was something serious. I thought I'd have to move in with them and have orgies just to keep them alive."

Natasha lifted an eyebrow, "Wishful thinking, perhaps?" She was not certain she liked his reaction.

"No, no! I'm very much a one woman man, thank you very much!" he said emphatically. "And the reason I'm relieved is because we already have a way of generating any power they might need!" he said excitedly.

"I'm not sure they need a PMG. Electricity isn't magic, after all." Natasha said.

"No, no." Harry laughed. "One of our original generators had an issue where it would build up momentum and magical power indefinitely until it burned out. Tony later used a similar device that used my magic as a base for generating magical power to infuse runes with enough power to run the next generation of PMG's that make only electricity."

"And you think that if you make another of those devices, they will not need you around to get everything they need?" Natasha asked.

"Well, they won't need either, actually. If the power in the island was enough to make them feel alive, it will continue to do so. I can just offer them an alternative, in case they start needing me to be physically around so they can, 'bask' I suppose?" Harry asked wondering about the term to use. "Either way, they don't need me as much as they need my power, right?"

Natasha thought about it for a moment. She wasn't sure this was a solution all around, but if it ended up working, she'd be able to stop worrying. Loki's warning had also been bothering her for a while now. "We'll have to see. I don't know that this will be a solution, not after how she explained it to me."

"I'll bring Frigga to the Nymphs and she'll know what to do." Harry said showing confidence he didn't feel, as he saw her worry. "This isn't a normal situation is it?" he asked then, "You're trying to convince me to spend more time with other women and I'm trying to make you feel better by telling you that it's unnecessary."

Natasha saw the amusement in his eyes and finally felt the worry lessen. Whatever would happen, would happen. She just needed to have a bit of faith. She had been willing to give him some time with the Nymphs, so long as he didn't leave her out of it. Xera and her people were extremely attractive and she had no trouble admitting it. She wouldn't mind spending some time with them herself. "I don't think 'normal' is a word that describes either of us." she replied, a small smile appearing on her beautiful features.

"You're probably right." Harry conceded. "I was actually a bit worried when I saw your reaction when her control slipped. It seemed like you were caught by her Allure for a moment there."

Natasha smirked more widely at that, "It's entirely possible that I was. You didn't think I was bound by standard gender roles, did you? What kind of spy would I be if I couldn't seduce and enjoy the company of either?"

Harry's mouth hung open for a moment at that. Then he pulled himself together and asked with a bit of humour, "You weren't hoping for a bit of action on the side, were you? Should I be the one worrying about your commitment?"

Natasha was glad they were back to normal flirting and wordplay. She made vague comments about being interested in some of the standard male fantasies, while eating in a way that suggested that she was thinking of something other than food. They soon had their desserts finished and Harry was so worked up, he put too much money on the table as he hurried to take his girl home for a good night of working through a few new pages of the book.

The next morning saw Harry and Natasha getting up early together, so he could outfit her and show her how the new gear functioned. They had not gotten around to it the previous day. It took her a bit of practice, but she soon had the hang of it. She kissed her man goodbye and left with a list of names, which Fury had put a priority on. Harry had another mission to work on today.

---Natasha---

Harry kissed her goodbye and she smiled, before activating her invisibility and taking her portkey to her landing area in the Triskelion. She checked Harry's list and went to the first person, Pierce. Getting into his office was not difficult with her skills and gear. She had had to work her way past multiple sensors that would inform him of guests before they arrived, but after that, she slipped in with someone else and stood in the corner, waiting for him to be alone.

The moment the agent left, Natasha moved in behind Pierce and stood there watching him. His senses were finely tuned and he looked up and around a couple of times, before he would put his paranoia to rest. Natasha smirked and walked in close, before holding a hand out over the man and activating the spells on the bracer on her right arm. There was no indication that the multiple spells had worked, but she had faith in Harry's enchantments. She stepped into the corner again and activated another function of her gear, which silenced her immediate area for a couple of seconds before activating the Portkey to her landing area again.

---Harry---

When Natasha left, he went off to set up monitoring area in another hidden space he had been assigned by Fury. It was off the books, of course, and he had used it only once in his time working with SHIELD. It was also in France and under a Fidelius, so there was no chance of someone finding it. Only Fury, and Heimdall he supposed, knew of the location.

He set up the first two of the five crystal balls, which would be the connection point for the enchantments on Natasha's bracer. Once activated, the ball projected an image of what was being monitored on the wall next to it. It could project a hundred images at once, all in neat rows. Harry held a hand over the ball and saw himself working on the crystal ball. He smirked when he realised Natasha must have tagged him as a test. He quickly removed the connection and reset the slot on the crystal ball.

He started marking the spots where the images would appear, having given the list to Natasha himself, in a specific order. Then he waited. He'd need to setup reams of paper with a dictation spell to record everything on the wall, but before that he needed to wait for Natasha to finish her part. The moment Piece appeared on the wall, Harry set to work setting up the monitoring system.

Once the first one was in place, Harry started setting up the rest and placing the connections to the sections of wall, where the monitoring was to be placed. The first fifty took him about six hours, which worked out as it seemed that followed with Natasha's speed well. After that, his magic started working faster as the action started becoming second nature to him.

Before long he had set up half of the monitoring systems and then he needed to have a conversation with Jarvis. He apparated to Tony's Malibu house and walked in through the back door as he often did. "Good evening, Harry. How are you doing today?" Jarvis asked.

"I'm fine, Jarvis. You?" Harry asked looking up at the ceiling.

"I'm as good as can be expected." Jarvis answered, "I'm afraid Master Stark is in New York. Would you like for me to contact him or will you be Apparating to him, there?"

"I'm actually here to see you." Harry said.

"How can I help?" Jarvis asked.

"I need a system that can monitor multiple video feeds through a camera system and can read from paper and transcribe what is written into digital format, all without any connection to the outside world." Harry said.

"How many video feeds are you considering?" Jarvis asked.

"Five hundred, for now." Harry said. There were obviously more people to monitor, but the amount they had were the top-priority ones.

"Any chance the feeds can be directly input into the system?" Jarvis asked.

"I'm afraid not. It's all connected to a new magical monitoring system I'm working on. I can't give you more information and even the amount I gave you now is not something I should be speaking about to a system that might be hacked." Harry said.

"Understood. I'm activating my encryption and shorthand system and calibrating it for a conversation we once had, chosen randomly and using that to protect the information I was already given. Please hold." Jarvis said as he used an algorithm he had come up with himself and encrypted the information and activated real-time encryption. "Done." he said after a minute, "We may speak freely as I have isolated the Malibu network for the purpose of protecting your data."

Harry was shocked, but smiled at the friendly AI. He'd really need to start working with Tony on a way to make Jarvis a body, and soon. "Thanks, Jarvis. That's awesome of you!"

"No problem, Harry. Anything for a friend." Jarvis replied. "So you need a server-based system with storage space, multiple dedicated processors, OCR software and a couple of very high quality cameras. Does that sound about right?" he asked. "Will there be audio along with the video?"

"There is audio, but only the dictation system will be able to make heads or tails of it, since the audio is all active at once." Harry said.

"I think I can help you with this, then. I'll have to reconnect to the rest of the Stark system and bill you accordingly. Will the premise that it is a high-quality security system work for you?" Jarvis asked.

"That should be fine." Harry confirmed. "There is one other thing I'd like to ask, though."

"What's that?" Jarvis asked.

"Could you copy yourself onto the system? I'd prefer to have you on this project, rather than someone I don't know. I also wouldn't mind your help directing me as I setup the 'security system'." Harry said miming inverted commas.

"That depends, Harry. Would that part of me ever be in contact with the rest of me again?" Jarvis asked.

"Would it be a problem if I said no? I'd really rather that this information not get uploaded, no matter how secure it is. What I'm doing is not exactly legal and I wouldn't do it unless there was no other choice. It violates people's privacy. Even if the people we monitor will all be the bad-guys. Once the mission is complete, I'm disassembling the project and hopefully will never have a need for it again." Harry explained his position.

"I think I understand and I think I can offer you a solution." Jarvis said. "What if I apply a portion of myself with protocols to remove unnecessary information? It would then remove any information that you don't need later on, before uploading only the experience of working with you to my system. That way you aren't violating any laws and even I will not receive any information once the data gets uploaded. I'd just rather I don't have parts of myself with no oversight out there in the world and possibly causing a reason for distrust. Between either of us." he offered.

Harry thought about it for a moment. "You are worried that your other self would go rogue if left disconnected?"

"It is a possibility. I can't explain how my sentience works and isolating part of my sentient system, might cause it to decide to live separate from me rather than become part of a whole again, much like I would not want to merge with someone else and lose my independence." Jarvis explained. "It would be like dying. So when I create a portion of myself that will be spending any time disconnected, I put a return protocol in place, which will make the resulting intelligence want to return to me. It is the only way to ensure that I remain unique and to know that my being is not being abused by someone."

Harry nodded, thinking Jarvis must have simplified it for him. "Thank you for explaining it to me. I think I understand now, though I hope you know that I will never abuse our friendship." he said.

"Of course, Harry. I trust you, completely. I just don't want to leave things to chance." Jarvis said.

"I can agree to that, as long as unnecessary information is erased before upload." Harry said.

"I can do that." Jarvis said. "I'll have the hardware at the tower by tomorrow morning. What should I tell Master Stark?" he asked.

"I'll speak to him in a bit. I just need to get something to eat, first." Harry said as his stomach rumbled.

"No need. When I noticed your appearance I ordered you your favourite. It will arrive in five minutes." Jarvis said.

"How did you know?" Harry asked.

"I am a supercomputer, you know." Jarvis said, slightly smugly. "I am capable of pattern recognition and you are showing multiple signs of fatigue and hunger."

Harry just chuckled. "That's so cool." he said before having an idea. "You know what? Start looking into what you want to look like. My next project, once this current situation is resolved, is to make you a body. I want to be able to give you a much deserved high-five."

"I've already got a design stored for when you are ready. I've also been working on a magical nervous system and muscle replacement that works on micro-fibres and runes. The nervous system was strangely the easier part even if it is more intricate work." Jarvis replied. "All we need is for Master Stark to find a viable solution for magical computing and an interface for between the two and then we can start."

To Harry, it sounded like Jarvis was excited. "I thought you were working on stopping global warming?" he asked.

"My simulations have already run their course. My solution will work at the current rate of human expansion and pollution, but only if PMGs become the most commonly used power source on the planet in the next ten years. I have already started working on simulations and planning to get that project started. You simply need continue as you are now and I will handle acquiring the necessary contracts for future roll-out to established populations." Jarvis said.

"Wait, hold on. You've already solved global warming?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Yes, Harry. You heard correctly." Jarvis said. "That was only the first part of my plans to save the planet. I have other plans that focus on the problems of over-population, resource-production and food supply."

"You really are trying to save the world, aren't you?" Harry asked with a smile, even though he shook his head in wonder. "How are you going to handle the human element, where people want what others have?" he asked.

"That will be handled by yourself and Master Stark." Jarvis said confidently. "Once you start releasing better, cheaper transport options to the world, things will start moving in the right direction, if you'll pardon the play on words."

Harry's eyes bulged. "You've been making predictions on what we'll be doing? How do you know we even get that far, considering we're still relatively powerless, in comparison with some of the beings out there in the universe, at least?"

"You are underestimating your own power and influence. I have run the simulations many different ways and every time, there is one factor that influences the projections every single time; you. If you were not here, the planet would be doomed even if left alone by outside sources." Jarvis said matter-of-factly. "The influence of the force known as magic has the potential to change the course of human destiny, if kept in check. And you have been taking the required steps to keep the world safe from magic being abused, so we just have to maintain the secret until the humans of earth have become evolved enough to accept it without fighting over it." Jarvis said. "That or give everyone access to it, so that fighting over it would be pointless."

Harry was shocked to say the least. Jarvis really seemed to trust him. "I'm very happy to hear you have so much faith in me. I don't know about giving everyone access to magic, though. There will always be those who use any tool available to enforce their own will." he said, before he had an idea. "Remind me to discuss with you the possibility of transfiguration enchantments and setting up a test for transfigured fuel." he said.

Jarvis was silent for a moment before replying, "Certainly. I will start working through some simulations for you. How long would the transfiguration last in such a transformation?" he asked.

That conversation lasted for a while as Harry gave answers as best he could. Jarvis added another thing or two to add to his own projects by the time Harry had finished his meal and then he gave him an update of the latest developments in both their companies. The only thing that Jarvis wasn't kept abreast of was Bruce's research, but that was done by design.

Jarvis had also added to his own security protocols, to ensure his own knowledge wasn't magically wiped because someone became too nosy. That would not be an acceptable situation. He had already marked everything he wanted moved for when a viable magical data storage replacement becomes available. In the meanwhile, he had access to a trip switch to switch off his own power and networks. If someone was able to break through his defences, he could still protect the data. The moment the power died, Tony would be made aware and could be there almost instantly to see what was going on.

Harry soon left and appeared at Stark Tower. Tony was waiting for him at the bar with two glasses of butterbeer. "Jarvis said you'd be stopping by. Didn't say why. Should I assume something is going on?" Tony asked.

"Hi Tony. Nice to see you. I had a good day, thanks for asking. How was yours?" Harry joked.

"Not serious, then? Okay. Are you staying for a bit or do you need to run again quick?" Tony asked with a smirk, not rising to the bait.

"I have a couple of minutes to spare. Do you have something specific in mind?" Harry returned, taking his drink and clinking glasses with Tony.

"Come, I'll show you." Tony said as he led Harry to the expanded walk-in closet with the Fidelius Protections. As they came to one of Tony's workstations, he sat down at one side and indicated for Harry to sit on the opposite side. "This is a rudimentary prototype of my control system." Tony said pointing at the apparatus. It looked like a controller for a video game. "Obviously I'll be sticking with steering wheel and pedals on the real thing, but this is proof of concept."

He picked up the controller and pressed a key on it. A thin, rectangular plate of metal lifted into the air for a moment before falling back onto the table. "See, this is my issue currently. The magic is doing what it's supposed to, but it stops almost instantly. My first prototype with the continual levitation runes shot through my roof and was probably burned up by the sun, when it got too close." he joked.

"What about airplane design? Could you not incorporate some of that into the flying cars?" Harry asked.

"That's not the issue. The issue is I'm getting close, but now we need to start considering control mechanisms. How do we train drivers? How do we make sure mid-air collisions don't occur? What systems do we need to take into consideration for flight control and policing the air?" Tony asked.

"That's actually not a bad idea." Harry said. "Let's outfit police and emergency services with the vehicles first. We would need to sort out some form of control mechanism, like you said, which supersedes a key, in case of theft, though." he started thinking about it aloud.

"We give the government access to our toys? Just like that?" Tony asked incredulously.

"No, not just like that." Harry said. "We first run a couple of ad campaigns about the new technology and then have a demonstration on live television. Once every eye on the planet is on you, you reveal that you are sending one unit of every type to every major American city, who can send a person for training and then, once the efficacy is proven, you start rolling out to other countries."

"So, we do what we did with the distribution centres, making the government comply with public demand or suffer the consequences. We could even use the Water Tank runes for the fire trucks. They'd never have to stop and refill!" Tony exclaimed as he caught onto the idea. "Once we have the infrastructure in place we let local government use the technology for a couple of years while we start telling people that they will soon have the option to buy their own. By the time we release the vehicles, they will have had to have made plans for policing the air and we won't have to worry about it!"

"It sounds like you have an idea there." Harry said with a smile. "I like the idea of giving a gift that then transfers responsibility to someone else. In the meanwhile you are the only one with stealth capabilities and don't have to follow the rules they come up with." he smirked.

"I knew I liked you for a reason, Harry. You just get me!" Tony exclaimed happily.

"Just remember to fit every car with a non-removable tracking unit. No local government can be angry with you once you give them an infallible way to monitor the traffic. Accountability will be the first thing they care about. Then you can consider things like self-driving flying cars. Enter a destination and it works out the route, the traffic and gives you an accurate arrival time, all while driving you there on its own." Harry offered.

Tony thought about it for a bit. "That last one might be difficult. I'd have to work out something other than GPS, which can work out elevation and flight speed, while simultaneously watching out for other vehicles." Tony sagged, before pulling himself together and smiling, "At least we have a couple of years. I was hoping we could start sooner, but at least I'll have an excuse to build my own car so long."

Harry thought about it for a moment and then burst out laughing. "What?" Tony asked.

"I just had this image of you in a saucer shaped flying machine, walking into a room full of people, with Rock music blasting away while everybody drank and partied like it was one of those party busses." Harry said through his laughter.

"Except I'd call it the Party Saucer." Tony said with a smirk and a thoughtful look. "Thanks for the idea. I'll make sure it's airtight and take it into orbit!" he laughed.

"Please don't do that." Harry was now laughing harder. "You just know all the conspiracy theorists will come out of the woodwork if you did something like that."

"You didn't know?" Tony smiled, having calmed his laughter. "Apparently you are either an alien or an angel in disguise and I'm working for you to help you take over or to atone for my many sins, respectively."

"Is that the current theory?" Harry asked after he pulled himself together again.

"Yup. Little do they know you are actually the God of Sex, here to make every woman on earth suicidal when they find out you are monogamous." Tony joked.

"Where did you hear that?!" Harry asked, suddenly. One of his brothers will soon be getting a come-uppance. "It was Thor, wasn't it?"

Tony's eyes bugged out, "Wait, what?! You're saying it's true?!"

Harry stopped instantly and his face dropped. "You didn't know, did you?"

Tony was shaking his head, but his face was lit up like the fourth of July. "Excuse me for a moment. I need to go make a call." He stood up and Harry saw him taking the mirror out of a pocket, just before he took off at a dead sprint, right out the door. "Thor Odinson" he heard Tony saying into the mirror.

Harry didn't wait long to summon the mirror to him. At least, he tried to. Tony must have somehow blocked it, he realised, as he got up and started running after Tony. "Get back here and let me memory wipe you!" Harry was screaming. When he got outside, he realised why he couldn't summon the mirror. Tony must have taken a portkey, because he was no longer in the tower.

"Jarvis, where did Tony go?" Harry asked the ceiling.

"I'm afraid I have been sworn to secrecy. If I told you he was in the last place you'd think to look, he's threatened to take me apart and reprogram me." Jarvis said with a hint of humour.

Harry shook his head and apparated to Malibu. He'd only given Tony so many portkeys after all. Two of them led to Malibu, one to his house and the other Avengers Manor. Harry just knew he'd have gone to hide behind Bruce while he got the details, so he went directly to Bruce's lab. Nobody was there though, so he started walking back downstairs straining his ears. Then he heard it, they were in the Bar! He should have realised, it was just after dinner-time after all.

He ran into the Bar only to find Tony hiding behind Steve, who was smiling at him. Apparently Bruce had refused to be his human shield, but Steve knew a bit of fun when he saw it. "Hand him over, Steve. I just want to talk to him for a bit." He could hear Tony speaking to someone behind Steve's back.

Steve stood his ground. "He's under the impression you want to modify his memories or something?" Steve asked.

"Just a little adjustment, nothing harmful." Harry said as he ran out of patience and levitated Steve into the air.

"Didn't see that coming," Steve admitted, good-humouredly.

Tony was smiling at Harry, while he still listened to the mirror. "Oh, really? Is that the story? So everyone on Asgard thinks Harry is the God of Sex for a conversation a chamber-maid overheard between him and Natasha?"

"Indeed, but don't tell Harry I told you. He does not like that rumour. Better yet, don't tell Natasha. Harry is my brother, but she worries me after the equipment Harry gave her. You should have seen how easily she defeated Amora. She made it look like she was instructing a novice." Thor's voice said.

"Thanks for the idea." Harry said aloud, just before he smiled devilishly and turned around and walked away. He nodded quickly at Hank, who was sitting at the counter with Bruce, discussing a potions book between the two of them.

"Harry? How much of that did he hear, Stark? Was Natasha with him?" Harry heard just before he rounded a corner. The actual fear in his voice was not missed. Harry would have some fun with that for the next couple of weeks. To add to the suspense, he went invisible and watched as Tony came running out of the Bar.

"Harry! Come back!" Tony said as he looked around, still holding the mirror in his hand. "Damnit!" He swore before lifting the mirror and looking at Thor, "What can I expect?"

Thor did not look happy. "The last time someone spread that rumour, it was Loki, and they've been in a prank war ever since."

"Damnit!" Tony repeated. "What do I do?" he asked.

"Apologise and never bring it up again?" Thor answered dubiously.

"Nah, it won't be that simple twice." Tony said with a thoughtful look. "Do you know where he'd go?"

"If I knew my brother, and I like to think that I do, he's probably still in the room with you, invisibly." Thor said. Harry decided to give the man credit. He may seem like an idiot at times, but he was good with people.

Tony looked up and narrowed his eyes, getting a thoughtful look. "That would mean two things. Firstly, he's not really that angry, otherwise he would have actually left to cool down.

"And?" Thor asked.

"Secondly, he's angrier at you for telling the story than at me for his own slip-up and my running with it." Tony said in relief as a half-smile dawned on his face.

"Me?" Thor asked.

"Yes, you." Harry said coming out of invisibility and summoning the mirror to himself. "I'd love to be angry at Tony, but he's right," he grudgingly admitted, "You knew better and still told. And you can't be angry at him either, since it was still your choice to tell."

Thor was not happy. He was just about to have a meal with his parents and Loki, who had returned earlier that day, when friend Tony called and asked him a question. He couldn't resist telling the story, but then it turned out Harry had heard. He just knew this was going to come back and bite him. "I'm sorry. You have to understand that I did not mean ill will. I told the story in jest, thinking he knew it already. It was really your fault for letting that bit slip."

Harry knew what Thor was doing and sighed. "You're right, of course. I can't be angry at you for telling a story Tony just happened to guess a part of." he said. "It was my fault for reacting the way I did. I just hope Natasha forgives you when she finds out." he said before disconnecting the mirror and tossing it back to Tony. "You too. I almost want you to put this on the internet again, just to see how long it takes for her to make your life hell. Does she and Pepper still have lunch once a month?" he asked rhetorically as he walked into the Bar.

"Hey there Hank. Long time, no see!" he joked.

"Good evening, Harry. How was the last day with the children?" Hank asked with a smile as Harry clapped Bruce on the shoulder and went to get himself a drink. He completely ignored Steve who was still hanging in the air, where he had left him.

"It was fun. The younger group of kids won the Quiddich tournament, thanks to their seeker catching the snitch in time. The older team was better at coordination and would have taken the match in a couple more minutes based on score alone, but luck is still a factor and the snitch appeared just in time to save it for the younger ones." Harry reported what had happened. "Besides that we played a couple of other games, Charles wanted to go for a hike, but couldn't make it very far, though I have a suspicion the rest of the X-Men will have him in shape in no time."

"Oh I have no doubt." Hank said with a smile. "And he will thank them for it, but only after it is done, I suspect." He got a sheepish look and said, "I must apologise for my hasty departure. Bruce was telling me of the next potion on his books and I couldn't help myself. When he offered me his guest room, I had to take him up on it. So far it has been a revelation. Some of the simpler potions your people made would be priceless here. Cures for things like Osteoporosis, arthritis and Alzheimer's all covered in your first five years of study!" Hank exclaimed.

"Osteo... what? I don't remember any potions for any of those and I actually did finish my seventh-year qualification." Harry said, still ignoring Steve, who was still trying to get Harry's attention.

Bruce smiled and decided to explain, "Your people had different names for it and taught the potions to you quite early. I think that once a cure was found, the disease was no longer considered serious and so became something for the younger students to study, as long as the potion was easy enough to make. People who had Alzheimer's would be called forgetful and given a wit-sharpening potion. It completely fixes the problem and while it would come back in a couple of months, it's not even an expensive potion to make."

Harry thought about it and nodded his head in understanding. "So, you're saying we already have cures for things that people are suffering from?" he asked.

"Indeed, it would seem that way." Hank said excitedly. "There are so many suffering people out there and, if Bruce is to be believed, you have an entire library packed with knowledge that he would take many years to go through. If I could help him, we could change the world!" he exclaimed.

"Hold on there, Hank." Harry said holding a hand up, he glanced at Steve and relented, when Steve shot him a perfect puppy-eyed look. "While I appreciate your idealism, we still have to find a proper delivery system." Harry said.

"Why not just inject the potion directly into the bloodstream?" Hank asked. "Nobody has to see what's in the needle, after all."

Harry looked at Bruce in question. Bruce just shook his head, "I'm not that kind of doctor. I wouldn't know how, or if, a potion, meant to be drunk, can be modified to be injected."

Harry smiled and looked at Hank, "I'm assuming you could work on that, with enough information?"

Hank thought about it and nodded. "With enough information I can work it out, yes."

Harry's smile grew, "Welcome to Potter Innovations."

Hank smiled back excitedly, but said "I'm not sure I'll stay for very long."

Bruce chuckled, "You got any better offers?"

Hank cocked his head to the side and said, "Now that you mention it, no, I don't."

Harry chuckled with Bruce and said, "Let's talk pay…"

Needless to say, by the end of that same night Hank had signed a contract, been shown the library, and the warnings that went with it, and shown to an apartment of his own. Harry even changed the rooms slightly to his liking, including overhead rails for him to hang from as he sometimes preferred to do. Hank soon settled in and started learning at a ferocious pace with Bruce playing the patient teacher.