Harry immediately appeared in Fury's office, his phone still against his head. Fury looked up and put his phone down. "I'm still not used to that." Fury said.
"What's the situation?" Harry asked. He needed to go now. Damn! He should have had a tracking charm on her!
"We sent her to Moscow. There was a possibility of us gaining some intel about a certain arms dealer that has been evading SHIELD for months. Natasha's contacts were our only way in, so she was sent." Fury said.
"Where was she last?" Harry asked urgently.
"She had to go deep, so we lost her a couple of days ago. But she didn't check in an hour ago, when she should have. We know she was still in Moscow, though. If you can find her and she's not in danger or worse, I need you to leave her be, so that she can continue the mission. Just find out why she missed the check-in." Fury said. Harry was not happy. If she was in danger, or worse, people were going to die, painfully. His eyes must have flashed, because Fury suddenly stood up, "She knows what she's doing and we need that information. If she's still on it, leave her to it! Do I make myself clear, Agent Potter?!" he roared angrily. He didn't need Harry going rogue.
"Crystal, sir." Harry said through clenched teeth. He knew he was showing disrespect, but he'd not lose her now. If he needed to apologize later, so be it.
Fury looked at him angrily, but calmed himself, "Look, I know you are sweet on her and I'll wave protocol because you are who you are, but you are also our best at infiltration and extraction. I don't want to lose her either. We don't need Harry Potter on this mission. We need Ghost. Be the shadow and make sure we get her back. If push comes to shove, capture whoever you can and bring them in. We'll use your truth serum and while Natasha might lose some contacts, she'll be alive. Deal?"
"I understand, sir. Sorry." Harry said, having donned the persona of the Ghost of SHIELD.
"Here are her last whereabouts." he said, passing Harry a folder. "You have your orders. Get to it."
And Harry was gone. Fury sighed. He knew he was pushing Harry. This time might have been one step too far. Harry didn't need SHIELD anymore, but SHIELD needed Ghost.
Natasha was hanging by her arms, a bag over her head. She had come back to consciousness an hour before, but she had not moved, making sure to keep her breathing low, in case someone was watching. She could not make out where she was, there were no sounds, no echoes. She was trying to remember where they had taken her, how they had taken her. Everything seemed so hazy. She had a headache. Someone must have surprised her, she probably had a concussion from where they hit her. The only way that could happen was if someone was waiting for her. A trap.
Suddenly she heard the sound of a door opening and music came from the other side. Someone stepped into the room and the door closed. All was quiet again. She must be in some kind of sound-proof room, she realized. She must have twitched, because the man started speaking, "Ah, you have woken. That is good. I need to see your eyes when you realize why you are here." The man said in Russian.
The bag was ripped off Natasha's head and she opened her eyes to see a man that she had never seen before. He had a neat beard and was built like a soldier, even though he was a bit past his prime. He had handsome features and piercing blue eyes with dark brown hair peppered with grey. "Who are you?" she said in Russian as well. "Where have you taken me?"
"You have some questions? That is good. I want to know some things from you as well. Maybe we will have a nice conversation before I kill you." The man said. "Who I am, comes later, first I'll tell you why and how." he smirked. "You were led to believe a certain merchant was coming out of hiding and becoming active again. That was a ruse. We set up a trail to follow so that the only person that could find the information, would be the world renowned Black Widow." the man laughed. "But, it was set up in such a way that you had to lower your guard when you walked into a nightclub filled with all my people."
Natasha scowled. She had started remembering as he spoke. She had been following leads and speaking to old acquaintances for days. One of her contacts told her to meet with someone at a nightclub. He would be waiting at the bar. It was her last lead as well, so she had no choice. She was supposed to check in in an hour, so she hoped to find something before doing so empty handed. She remembered walking into the club. People were drinking and laughing. When she reached the bar, a man was there waiting, just before her memory ended. It was the same man speaking to her now. "You were the one waiting for me." she said it calmly, showing no emotion.
"You are starting to remember, that is good too. So now you know where you are as well. Your question is answered." the man said. "As for who I am, I am the nephew of a certain man who was recently abducted and found dead in an abandoned facility you are very familiar with. He was a retired man who had connections that made it easy for him to take a hold of certain, shall we say, underground organizations? He was a dear old man who always had time for his nephew." The man no longer smiled. "I am here to thank you for allowing me to take control of this organization."
She looked at him, not saying a word. She knew who he was talking about. The man he was referring to was one of the people who was high up enough to escape the consequences of the Black Widow program's downfall, but he was too highly connected for her to get close to without giving herself away.
"I see you know of who I speak. I am glad you remember him, because it is for him that I will kill you. You may have done me a favour, but he was my uncle and I will need to do what is expected of me by my family's honour. Before I do that though, you will tell me who it is that took him. I know you are not capable of traveling that fast and I know where you were. What I do not know is who took him. I only have one clue: When all those people were taken, one person, who only revealed what they knew when they were in your shoes, gave me this clue: Ghost." he was looking at her intently.
Natasha gave nothing away. She had schooled her features and would not allow this man to know that she knew. "The Ghost was in Manhattan fighting the invasion. You know that. Everybody does. He was on television."
"As were you. And he was there beside you. He flew and you were with him, hanging on his back like a lover on a motorcycle. That picture was a good one too. The women swoon at the idea of a man like that. Jealous that someone so beautiful was already on his arm. How lucky you were to be by his side. But he cannot save you now. Did he fly through windows and abduct those people, was that how he got them out?"
"I don't know what you are talking..." she began.
"DO NOT LIE TO ME!" he screamed suddenly and slapped her across the face with the back of his hand. She spit out the blood that was suddenly in her mouth. "Look at what you made me do to your pretty face." he said as he calmed himself instantly. "Don't make me do more, it would be such a waste for a pretty girl like you to have scars over her pretty body. We can speak freely here and nobody would hear." the implied threat was obvious. As was the smile on his face.
"I don't know." she said stubbornly.
His eyes hardened. "Then I am afraid you will not enjoy our conversation." he said as he took a knife from his pocket. "This is a small knife, but it is sharp, so it will help while I skin you alive, piece by piece!" He roared. "Tell me who he is!"
Harry was standing in front of a nightclub. He had had Fawkes follow his magic around the city, where Natasha's pouch had travelled until he came to a man in a newspaper stand. When he showed her picture, the man's face showed recognition, but he said he didn't know her. That was all Harry had needed. He sent Fawkes away, not wanting Fawkes to see what he was about to do.
He took the man by the collar and apparated to a desert. He had then calmly told the man he would not survive without water and he would have none if he didn't start talking. It didn't take long for him to start telling Harry everything he needed to know. He had sold her out. Harry sent him to SHIELD, where they could handle him.
When he approached the club, a huge bouncer stepped in front of him and said something in Russian. "I'm sorry, I don't speak Russian." Harry replied.
"Ve are closed. Private party." The Russian said with a thick accent.
"Oh, okay then." Harry said conversationally. He then sucker punched him and stunned him. Damn, that hurt! The man's head was hard as stone. He placed a disillusionment spell on him and created an illusion of the same guy standing there intimidatingly. His work with Bruce's necklace had helped a lot.
He then made himself invisible and walked into the club. He saw a bunch of men and women looking at a screen that showed Natasha being talked to by another big man in Russian. Relief flooded his system. She might be captured, but at least she was alive. In the next minute, all of the people in the club were unconscious. A few shots were fired, but Harry wasn't hurt.
Harry spotted the man as he slapped Natasha across the face and he swore. He started looking around the place until he found a back door. He followed the hall behind it until he came to a room. There was a small window and he saw the man inside taking out a knife. He silenced his apparition point and apparated.
Harry was behind the man and he silently dropped his invisibility. Natasha noticed him but her gaze did not leave the man. "Tell me who he is!" the man was saying.
Natasha said in English, "Don't kill him, we need him."
The man laughed and said, also in English, "I do not care if you need him. He and I vill have a nice talk about how he does vhat he does and den, he vill die, but only after I have all his secrets!" he smiled. "Now, tell me who he is!" he demanded again.
"Ask him yourself. He's right behind you." Natasha smirked.
"I won't fall for dat…" the man started.
"Hi." Harry said darkly, dangerously.
The man spun on his heal and swore in Russian at the unexpected stranger. "How are you in here? Vere are my people?!"
Harry just stalked closer. "You wanted me, and now you have me. Let's leave your people out of this."
The man jumped behind Natasha and held the knife to her neck. "I vill kill her!" he was sweating bullets. Even if he killed her, he knew he was a dead man. "Stop!"
"You think threatening my friend will save you?" Harry was still approaching. He waved a hand and the man's arm broke, the knife clattering to the floor.
"Ahhh!" he screamed. "Please, you've got me disarmed. Spare me and I vill give you money, houses, vomen, drugs! Everything I have is yours!" he pleaded, falling on his knees after he'd backed up into a corner.
Natasha spoke up, "He's hiding a gun behind his back." she said calmly.
Suddenly the man grabbed said gun and was about to point it at Harry, when his other arm broke and the gun went flying. Harry had now reached Natasha, but was still stalking toward the man, he looked up quickly and with a flick her bonds were undone. Then he continued on to the man. "You will pay for what you did." his eyes were shining and the room started shaking.
"Please, I'll do anything." The man begged, tears now rolling from his eyes as he looked at what looked like a devil or avenging angel.
"That's the problem. You'd do anything to get what you want. You would kill and torture and sell drugs that do the same. You are a murderer and you will die." Harry was fully intent on killing this man slowly for what he had done.
"Ghost! Stop!" Natasha was suddenly on him and holding him tightly. "Don't let this darkness take you! You would never be the same!" She now begged for the man's life. Not for his sake, but for Harry's. "I don't want the man you would then become. I want you as you are!" There were actual tears in her eyes as she remembered her own dark past and not wishing that burden on anyone. She had wished so many nights that there was someone there to talk her down from becoming who she had.
Harry looked at her now, as if for the first time. He saw her tears and felt her pain and knew, somehow, that they were for him. And just like that the rage dissipated. "Natasha?" he asked as if in confusion, then suddenly, "Are you okay?"
The man on the floor had pissed himself. He looked up at his would be killer and asked. "Vhat are you?"
Harry looked at him again and said, "I'm an Avenger." and he knocked the man out.
The next day found Harry waking up still fully dressed, having passed out when he got home. He didn't remember everything that had happened after he saved Natasha. He remembered sending the broken man, all his goons and the bouncer to a cell. It would be cramped, but he didn't care. He then came home. Was there something he forgot?
"Good morning." came a voice from beside him. Harry quickly looked around and saw the most beautiful thing he could hope for. Natasha was lying in his bed next to him and she was smiling at him. "You kind of fell asleep on me last night. I never even got to thank you." she smirked at him.
"I'm so sorry, Natasha. I should have taken you to base. My mind wasn't completely right. I'll take you as soon you're ready. Fury is probably going to flip!" Harry said in sudden panicked rush.
"Don't worry. I've spoken to Fury. I used your phone, I hope you don't mind. Mine kind of got destroyed when you brought us. Not that I mind. I want to get Stark to make me a magic immune one. I've got a suspicion we'll be in closer proximity from now on." She said with a raised eyebrow and a knowing smile.
Harry smiled back at her. "I'd like that." he said.
"After the invasion, it seems everybody knows about me. I'll be useless as a spy now." she finished sadly.
"If you want, I can make a necklace for you that will change your features. You'll be able to go back to work and nobody will know what you look like." Harry said, not really wanting to do it, but willing to if she wanted.
"You don't understand. Apparently the fact that I was able to reign you in when you were about to kill that gangster is a valued skill as far as SHIELD is concerned. Fury has assigned me to you as your handler." 'Fury has also decided that you are too volatile with me out there and in danger' she finished in her head, not really minding someone caring that much about her even if it made her feel like she was a little girl. 'Hmm, something to play with one day maybe.'
"I'm sorry. I know you loved your job." Harry said with downcast eyes.
"It was a job. One I did to help pay for the sins of my past." she said seriously. "I'm still an Avenger and I can still kick your ass on the mats." she smiled again. "Does your house have a gym?"
"Not yet, but I'll sort that after breakfast." he smiled charmingly at her, "If it means I will see more of you."
"It just might." she answered him. "I was thinking of buying a property in the area. Can't be a handler if I'm too far away, after all."
"Actually I have a surprise for you," he said with a grin. He stood up, suddenly glad he hadn't changed. Apparently Natasha had taken his shoes off, so he quickly put them on. "Are you coming?" he asked her.
"Not yet," she winked at him. "I didn't really have any sleep clothes on me, so I hope you don't mind?" As she said it she got out of bed and Harry saw she was dressed in an oversized shirt of his with a moving griffin on it. Harry had to look away as she lifted her arms and stretched, enjoying his reaction. She was wearing only the shirt. "I'll get dressed and see you downstairs in a minute, okay?" Harry nodded and as he left he saw her folded up clothing and sent a cleaning charm at it. When he was outside the room, he stopped to breathe. She would be the death of him and he'd love every minute of it.
After cleaning himself as well, he went downstairs and smelled something amazing. Bruce had made waffles! Harry entered the kitchen and Bruce looked up. "Hey Harry! How are you feeling? Natasha said you had a rough day yesterday."
"Not nearly as rough as hers." Harry replied darkly. "Before she comes down, I'm about to spring my surprise. Are you sure you're okay with it?" he asked.
Bruce smirked at him, "It's your house Harry. You can do what you want."
"It's our house, Bruce. You get a say." Harry said honestly.
"Well in that case, no." Bruce said with a straight face until he saw Harry's pole-axed expression and started laughing. "Of course it's not an issue, Harry. Just like I said before, I'd tell you if something you're planning bothers me."
Harry sighed in relief. "You're getting way too good at that. I thought you were serious!"
"Good at what?" Natasha asked as she walked in, dressed in her clothes from the previous day. They looked good as new and fresh off the washing lines, which was the point of the spell. She walked up to him, kissed him on the cheek and said, "Thanks." leaving what she was grateful for vague on purpose, just to see Bruce's expression.
Bruce didn't blink and carried on making Waffles. "The food is on the table. Help yourselves."
Harry went to sit down and took two waffles for himself. Natasha did likewise and they ate in peace. Bruce joined them halfway through with four waffles on his plate. Natasha stared at him until he said, "What? I'm eating for two." She gawked more and both Harry and Bruce laughed while he took two and placed them on the serving dish.
"Actually, Hulk enjoys fruit more, so when he decides to eat, Harry goes and picks some fruit." Bruce said.
When they were both done with breakfast, Harry asked Bruce to be excused and then led Natasha to the downstairs west wing. "This is my surprise." He said as he opened up the door. Inside was an apartment, just like Harry's. In fact it was almost exactly like Harry's except that it was better kept and had a green colouring, instead of red. Harry led her inside and then walked to the bedroom with its king sized bed, past it and to the walk-in closet. He pointed at the door and let Natasha open the door.
When she opened the door, she found an entire room, almost as big as the bedroom, completely stocked with clothing in her size and an entire wall full of shoes as well. Each pair was individually lit in its own little shelf. One entire wall was a mirror and as she saw her reflection, it looked back at her and said. "You look good, but no self-respecting woman wears the same outfit twice in a row. Now, try on something new. The hunk can stay and watch."
"Did the mirror just give me fashion advice and compliment you?" Natasha asked shocked.
"It was a popular enchantment back home. Girls would ask the mirror for advice and it would point out combinations they hadn't worn and things that looked good on them. It even remembers when a combination was last worn and gives advice on hair and makeup." Harry replied with a smile. "As for the compliment, it's a reflection of you, so usually a mirror is consulted in private, because it might say things you don't want people to hear. Sorry about that." He finished lamely.
"There's no shame. I think you're hot." Natasha said with a smile. "Me too." said Mirror Natasha who was then jumped by Mirror Harry and started making out with her. Harry fled. Once outside the room, Harry felt his blush slowly disappear. "That is one kinky Harry back there." Natasha said as she exited the room. Harry blushed all over again, then he realised that Mirror Harry would have disappeared when he did. She was still dangerous.
He smirked through his blush, "Well I supposed its fair. The mirror revealed something about me and something about you."
She just smiled more at him. "What is that room, Harry?"
"It's yours. If you want it." Harry said, a little nervously. "It's not that I'm asking you specifically to move in, I do intend to ask Steve and Clint too. Tony has a place with Pepper, so I don't have to invite him, but I suspect he'll want a room anyway if all the Avengers get one…" he finished lamely, again.
"Well, if it's an Avengers house, I suppose I could live with it." She replied with a coy smile. "Sure, I'll move in, but you're helping me move."
"I see no problem with that." Harry was smiling ear-to-ear.
"Any other surprises you want to show me?" she asked while playing with his collar.
"Actually, yes!" He suddenly remembered. "The basement!" He grabbed her hand and led her to the staircase down. She was slightly frustrated that he had not caught her intent, but was swept up by his exuberance. It was on the opposite side of the house from the Marauders Den, which was protected by another Fidelius anyway.
When they reached the basement, he led her to what looked like an Olympic sized swimming pool with three different level diving boards and a ceiling enchanted to show the weather outside and, if he wanted to when the weather was bad, something nicer.
"How is this…? Never mind I know how. I just didn't think you could do something like this." Natasha said.
"It took Bruce and me a while to clear out enough space so that all this can fit in with expansion charms, but I think it's worth it." Harry said. He was still holding her hand and turned her around. They went to the room on the opposite side of the pool room. This was much the same size, but it was empty. "I'm thinking of making this into a Room of Requirement."
"A room of requirement?" Natasha asked.
"A room of requirement or come-and-go room is a very difficult piece of magic I can only barely cast. I found the enchantments while I was on the run and fighting the war. I actually found it in a Peverell family book. They were my ancestors and a big part of Wizarding history. Apparently their family helped the Founders cast it in Hogwarts in secret. It is a room that becomes whatever you need it to. You wait outside the room and think of what you want or need and it becomes that. I'm going to cast it right now, which is why I was so excited to have you here. This will be big. The bigger the room, the more power it takes, but the more it can create." Harry explained excitedly.
"What do you mean anything?" Natasha asked.
"I mean it can create anything, except for actual nutrition or knowledge or information you don't already own. It can even create enemies to fight with their actual powers!"
Natasha's eyes bulged. "I must see this." She whispered in awe.
Harry had her step out of the room and started chanting. It took ten minutes and by the time he said the final verse, he was sweating profusely. Every syllable contained some kind of creation magic and the room needed a lot of power for what he wanted. He also had to modify it so that it would work for the non-magical, but Harry was a Master Enchanter and he knew it would work. When he was done, he fell to his knees, reached into a pocket and removed a pepper-up potion. He drank it and felt the relief of having his stamina restored. His magic would take some time yet.
"Did it work?" Natasha asked from the doorway.
"Only one way to find out." Harry said as he got up. He walked wearily out of the room and went to sit on the steps. "Close the door, and if it disappears, it should have worked." She did as asked and the door vanished.
"How do we open it?" Natasha asked looking at the wall where the door should be.
"Walk back and forth three times in front of where the door should be and think of a place you'd really like to see." Harry said. Natasha did so, thinking hard. When she passed the spot a final time, a door appeared. Harry howled in victory. "YES!!!" He said. His modification had worked.
Natasha smiled at him, opened the Japanese style sliding door and stepped inside. Inside was a large Japanese Dojo with katana on the wall along with training instruments. There was a large sparring mat in the centre. A lone butterfly flapped lazily by the window and cherry trees were seen outside and behind them a view of a mountain with a snow white peak. "This is amazing." She whispered.
Just then an old man in a gi stepped out and onto the mat. "Are you ready, Natasha?" he asked in a heavy Japanese accent.
"THIS IS AMAZING!" she shouted and ran onto the mat.
The old man moved forward faster that she thought possible and flipped her on her butt off of the mat. "No shoes!" Harry had walked up to the door and was looking in. "We do not allow an audience in this dojo! Enter and participate or leave!" the old man said.
Harry shrugged and walked in, leaving his shoes by the door. He quickly changed into a gi with a white belt and transfigured Natasha's clothes to the same, but hers had a black belt.
"Good. Knowing your limitations and your place brings honour to your family." he said as he looked at Harry. "Are you sure she has enough skill to wear hers?"
"I am, master." Harry said and bowed, as he had seen on TV.
"I am not your master, but while we are in my dojo, you will refer to me as sensei!"
"Yes, Sensei!" Harry and Natasha said in unison.
"Come, let me test your skill before we start training you correctly!" the sensei said.
Natasha went first. They bowed to each other and took their stances. Natasha was quick to attack, but the old man blocked her every move with simple, elegant moves. When he countered, Natasha found herself on her butt, every time. After a couple of minutes he said, "Good, you are skilled enough to continue at your indicated skill level."
"But I couldn't get through your defences once!" Natasha said, before quickly adding, "Sensei."
"If you were the Sensei, I would have expected more, but I am the Sensei and as such, you will never reach my level without dedicating your life to this art." He then looked at Harry, "Next!"
Natasha bowed and left the mat to go sit at the edge like Harry had done with her legs underneath her. Harry stepped up to the mat and bowed to the old man. Once they were both ready, Harry started the attack. Just like Natasha, every attack was blocked and he was knocked to his ass more often than not.
When they were done, the sensei said, "You are humble, which is good, but you are at red belt level. You are two belts behind your friend." Harry was shocked when his belt changed colour without his doing anything. It must have been because the room was created by his magic, he thought.
They spent the next two hours training and when it came time for sparring, the sensei looked around him and another, younger man walked out from the back. The younger man trained with Harry, while the sensei focussed on Natasha.
When they were done, they were drenched from their exercise. As they left the door disappeared. "What happens to Sensei when the door disappears?" Natasha asked.
"He was a construct of your mind. When you go there again, he will remember you because you remember him." Harry replied while he wiped his wet face with a conjured towel. He had given her one as well.
"How is it that he was stronger than me then? I thought it could only make what I know or remember?" she asked.
"Did you want to fight a weak opponent or train with a stronger sensei? It is called the room of requirement after all." Harry smirked.
"Harry. I could kiss you, but I'm going to go shower first. Tonight, though, you're all mine, so no falling asleep on me again!" she punched him in the shoulder lightly as she went to her room.
Harry chuckled, too tired to even blush. He couldn't wait to see what Bruce or Hulk makes the room into. Not even to mention the other Avengers or Fury or Coulson. He suspected Thor would sleep in it, just so he doesn't miss any of the fun, once he was back.
Speaking of which, he needed to go back to Asgard at some point, so he'd have to finish his research on the firewhiskey.