Everyone was silent as they looked at the impossible. Harry smiled at him and whispered, "Give them a nice growl. It'll drive the point home for some of the slow ones." As he said it he looked at M'Baku, who was looking on in stunned amazement. There was some fear on his features as well. If a Nundu could smile, that was what it would do, just then.
T'Challa lifted his head to the sky and growled in the distinctive manner of the large cats. It was not a roar, but a high pitched, dangerous sound that promised death to those that heard it in the jungle. T'Challa then looked at M'Baku and took a step towards him, growling as he did so. The sound was dangerous, even if the posture of the animal did not show aggression. Harry quickly cast a spell in his direction to force the transformation to reverse.
T'Challa felt his body shift, but it seemed natural somehow and he kept his pace even as he reared up and took his human form again. He stopped in front of M'Baku. "You are welcome to join us tonight for the celebration." he offered. "You may want to rethink signing that contract."
M'Baku was still not sure what to think. He had just witnessed the impossible. To him it seemed that T'Challa had turned into a god. He looked at Harry then. Who was this man who could bestow powers such as that to those he deemed worthy? He looked back at T'Challa and saw the humour there. That shook him out of it and he quickly regained his proud stance, before he nodded in acceptance to T'Challa.
"Good." was all T'Challa said as he turned to walk back to Harry. M'Baku made a quick retreat to his waiting men. They would return this evening, but dressed for a different occasion. When T'Challa arrived at Harry's side, Natasha and the royal family had joined him. "How did you do this?" he asked.
"Harry's been able to make items like that for a long time." Natasha said.
"This one, on the other hand, needed a bit more power and, since I can't give you an alternate power source, I infused it with the ability to take power from your blood and the life it contains." Harry explained.
"His blood?" T'Chaka asked. "This wouldn't be the dark kind of blood magic you told us about, would it?" he whispered urgently, so that nobody could hear.
"Actually, it is almost dark magic, but not quite." Harry clarified. "I used a different kind of magical catalyst to achieve this one." he said, referring to the Asgardian Magic he had used. "The dark kind of magic would have turned him into an uncontrollable killing machine."
T'Chaka seemed to sag in relief, before curiosity made him ask, "Is he really a Nundu?"
Harry chuckled, while Natasha answered for him, "It's not possible to create a magical creature using this method. Instead, Harry used a Nundu as a model for the transformation, adding black fur." She looked at T'Challa, "Sorry, King T'Challa, but you cannot breathe diseases at your enemies."
"You are almost as tough as a Nundu in that form though, as well as healing faster when transformed." Harry said pointing to where T'Challa's wound had already shown some signs of healing. It wasn't completely healed or anything, but he had stopped bleeding. "I thought it might be useful if you ever get injured and find yourself in a bad situation. You can then use your own blood to save your life… and maybe do a little extra damage." he winked.
"This is too much." T'Challa said. He couldn't accept such a gift, even if it felt wonderful to take the form of the magnificent beast.
"No, it's not." Harry said emphatically.
"We told you that we are preparing for war." Natasha agreed. "When the time comes, we hope to see you there, fighting to save the planet."
"Consider this an insurance policy." Harry said. "This way, we don't have to worry about losing you too easily. I daresay your parents and sister will appreciate the added protection for you."
"We most certainly do." the queen mother said.
Shuri was nodding, but she had a calculating look in her eyes. "You said only those of his blood?"
Harry nodded, but Natasha clarified, "His descendants. Father-to-son."
"Or daughter." Harry added. "Why do you ask?" he asked at her sudden sulking form.
"Shuri wants to try the transformation." T'Challa said with some humour, before he turned to Harry again. "Thank you for this. My descendants will remember and thank you as well."
"It's no problem." Harry said, before turning to Shuri. "If you ask nicely, I can transform you myself, but it would be best to do so in private. I'd rather not advertise this."
Shuri nodded as her smile returned. They were led onto a ship and were soon delivered to the palace, where lunch was served. The celebration was to take place that evening and T'Challa still needed to take care of his wounds. Thanks to the technology available, he didn't even have a sore muscle by the time they arrived for the celebration that evening.
Harry wasn't really shocked to find a couple of bottles of SPB Firewhiskey on some of the tables. He was told that they were doing quite well and could easily charge many times more than they already were and people would still buy them. Harry had declined that one as he wasn't quite that greedy. Tony tried convincing him, but Harry didn't want it to be so expensive that only rich people could afford it. It was already considered a luxury item to have and quite expensive, but not prohibitively so. At least for the lower years. The fifty year old still cost a small fortune.
Harry provided a bottle of Tempest Rum and Iced Vodka for the royal party. They were seated nearby, as royal guests, but not at the royal family's table. The evening progressed well and at some point M'Baku approached Harry.
"King Harry." he said respectfully.
"M'Baku." Harry returned with a slight nod.
"I'd like to know," M'Baku started, "where did you find the Armband of the Panther God?"
"Is that what they are calling it?" Harry asked.
"I told you, dear." Natasha said in a chiding tone. "You really should name your creations, otherwise people will make assumptions and name things for you. Just like your sword."
M'Baku's mouth fell open, before he shook himself visibly and asked, "You made that?" Harry sat back and smiled. Natasha pulled out a contract and put it in front of M'Baku. He looked at it and sighed, "I already know you have a hidden land."
"That's not the only secret I have." Harry said. "This is necessary to protect your king and my people. You'll note that your interests are covered as well."
M'Baku looked down at the contract and read it through slowly. Then he picked up the pen and signed. At Harry's raised eyebrow he shrugged, "Should I ask about the memories? I would think you get that question enough."
This shocked Harry slightly. He had seen the man in the battle and assumed, incorrectly, that the man was a bit of a muscle-bound idiot. It seemed he was playing a role for his people. Clever. "You are not what you seem." Harry said.
"Are you?" M'Baku asked.
"Touché." Harry conceded. "To answer your question; yes, I made the armband."
"What do I need to do to earn one for the Jabari?" M'Baku asked.
Harry considered this. The man had only really spoken out against breaking tradition and disrespect. His goal was to protect his culture, not attack people's choices. "That depends." Harry said. "You are obviously very proud and stubborn. I have no problem with tradition. I come from a similar background where the culture was so insular, they couldn't imagine integrating with the rest of the world. Fear and hatred grew from mistrust and eventually drove a wedge in the people and drove them to civil war."
"I fear nothing." M'Baku said, his eyes glancing to the other side of the hall, where his guards watched him closely.
Harry didn't miss the look. "Nothing? Really?" he asked. "Not even losing the approval of your people?"
M'Baku's eyes opened only fractionally, before returning to normal. "My people trust me to do what is best for Wakanda and them. They will expect for me to gain the favour of the man who can gift us with the power of the Gods."
Harry sighed. "The armband is magical, not divine. It is meant to protect T'Challa and his line. It was not meant as a means to subjugate opposing tribes or cults." he explained. "Besides, you and I both know he'd never use the power unfairly. He's not a tyrant."
M'Baku nodded after a moment. "You're right, but that will not be what is seen. Even if only T'Challa and his line has that power, someone will try and take it from them. The other cults will grow jealous if they don't have the same power. Why did the gods bless one cult and its worshippers, but not all?"
Harry thought about it. He had not considered that before. It was entirely likely that he had just painted a bigger target on T'Challa's back. He looked at M'Baku, "So, you want me to endow you and the other cults with power to prevent T'Challa from becoming a victim of greed?"
M'Baku said nothing for a moment, before saying, "I will admit to being jealous of the power myself. I don't think lying to you now would help me secure your allegiance. More importantly, if you gifted my line with the power of the gods, it would secure my descendants a place of power and security within the Jabari. I may be a leader of many, but I must also provide for my family."
Harry considered this for a bit and Natasha decided to ask a couple of questions, "What about the other Jabari? Why shouldn't Harry offer the power to another line in your tribe? Couldn't he meet with them and judge them on merit and ability? What makes your line special?"
"What makes T'Challa's line special?" M'Baku countered. "I can see that his father was a good leader and his sister, while disrespectful to our ways, is very intelligent, but that does not explain why you chose him."
"I chose him, because I saw how much his people loved and respected him." Harry said easily. "He wasn't even the King, but his people supported him without fail. They trust him entirely. If nothing else, that is enough for me. I do also have other reasons, but all you need to know is that he is qualified."
"And you didn't answer my question." Natasha said. "Why your line?"
"My people trust me as well." M'Baku said.
"When was the last time you were challenged for the leadership of your tribe?" Harry asked. When M'Baku didn't answer, Harry thought he understood. "I tell you what. I've got an idea of how your culture functions and I will set something up. It will allow you to claim the power you seek, while strengthening your support base in your own tribe and especially for the White Gorilla Cult. I will have one requirement, though."
"What do you want? I will not supply you with vibranium." M'Baku said quickly.
"I don't need your vibranium. I've got another supplier that gets me all I need from another source." Harry said easily.
"There is no other source of vibranium on the planet." M'Baku denied, getting a little angry. Did this man already find a way to steal from them?
"You're right." Natasha said while Harry just smiled. "Our source is not on this planet."
M'Baku looked between their faces in shock. They didn't seem to be lying. "Who are you people?" he finally asked.
"They are the friends and allies of Wakanda." T'Challa cut into their conversation. "M'Baku, stop trying to look for ill intentions where there is none to be found. All the elders of the tribes have seen his island and know his motivations. We've even seen some of what he's done with his own vibranium. The only weapon he's made so far is Urubane." he said indicating Harry's hip.
M'Baku looked at the weapon in interest. Harry quirked his eyebrow at T'Challa, who nodded and Harry put his hand on the sheath and withdrew the weapon with his other hand. No need to give away all his secrets. "This is Urubane. It is an enchanted weapon that can cut through basically anything and is as indestructible as I could make." he offered the sword to M'Baku carefully.
M'Baku took the sword and found it was heavier than Harry had made it look. He was a strong man too, so it impressed him with how easily Harry had handled it. He gave it a swing or two, but it never seemed to move the way he wanted it to. He handed it back to Harry and was surprised when Harry went through a couple of slashes in the air that he couldn't quite follow, so fast was it, before sheeting it.
"How are you doing that?" M'Baku asked.
"Magic." Harry shrugged. "Don't feel bad. It's made to only react properly to me and those I designate."
M'Baku accepted this easily enough. Everything he had seen indicated Harry was trying to be forthright and open. "What do you want from me then, to provide my tribe with the power of Hanuman?"
"If I were to provide you the opportunity to claim power for your tribe, you will respect T'Challa's rule until the time comes for the next challenge to the throne." Harry said. "I don't mean you have to respect him, because that's really up to you, but you'll have to accept that he's earned his right to the throne and not go against him just to be difficult. If he needs you when the battle starts, you must promise to be available to assist him and his allies."
M'Baku and T'Challa looked at him, shocked that he would make this offer. "Why?" M'Baku asked. "Are you expecting war?"
"I'll leave that up to T'Challa to inform you about, but the short answer is 'yes'. We're expecting enemies of all mankind to come to Earth at some point." Harry confirmed. "So, what's your answer? Can you respect and support your King until the next day of challenge?"
M'Baku didn't know how to answer, so he took a moment. The White Gorilla Cult had been exiled to the peaks of the mountain for a long time. If he offered their support to the King, he'd be going against his people's wishes. On the other hand, if he did offer support, he'd be fulfilling his role to his people in ensuring that they got some of the power on offer. He had no doubt that Harry would likely offer something to the other tribes now, even if he refused, making them more powerful and having his people miss out on the opportunity. He didn't think they'd react better to that choice either.
"You offer me a difficult deal." M'Baku said. "Either way, my people will not like the choice I've made."
"No." T'Challa said. "Once the elders of your tribe have been given the chance to see the island and learn what is on offer, you'll be celebrated as a hero for making it possible. All you have to do is say that it was part of the deal and you'll have received more from this than they can object to."
"What is on this island that makes it so valuable?" M'Baku asked.
"Magic." Harry said with a grin.
"Most importantly, we now have access to one that can secure our mines like none before could." T'Challa said, indicating Harry. "Our primary resource is now safe. You could walk by the entrance to the mine and never know it is there."
"Hidden by hologram?" M'Baku scoffed. "No more secure than what we already have."
"No." T'Challa argued. "It is hidden in such a way that you physically couldn't find it unless you knew where to look. People who have worked the mines all their lives could not find the entrance or even remember where it used to be."
M'Baku nodded after a moment. It seemed this foreign king may yet improve his situation. "I'll give my support to the King, once I can prove to my people that it is to their benefit." Then he turned to T'Challa, "When the time comes, I'll expect a new trade agreement. My people have need of more resources."
M'Baku and T'Challa continued their discussion as they walked away and Harry turned to Natasha at her raised eyebrow. "What?" he asked.
"What were you planning for the other tribes?" she asked.
Harry looked around and cast a quick privacy spell or two, "I'm thinking we can set up a series of trials to test those wishing to gain power in their tribe. I'll just have to set it up so that the armbands stop working after a year or when an appropriate occasion occurs. We can discuss that with the elders. That way someone else can fight for the right to carry them."
Natasha was nodding along. "We'll just have to set things up to follow their traditions and possibly set up the trials to focus on the aspects that the cult they represent value." She then looked at Harry through narrowed eyes, "I noticed you didn't tell T'Challa about that other feature. Are you thinking of adding it to the other's armbands as well?"
Harry nodded and smiled, "It does make sense, but I'll have to come up with a way for it to work for each line in each cult. The blood magic wouldn't work otherwise."
Natasha nodded, "And the reason why you didn't tell T'Challa?"
"I will." Harry said. "I just haven't had the opportunity to tell him in private. I don't think it's something we want to advertise to all the tribes, just yet." Natasha accepted that and they sat back and enjoyed the festivities.
It was much later that evening when Harry had the opportunity to speak to T'Challa again. Harry took him aside and just out of earshot of the royal guard and anyone else and finally got the opportunity to tell him of the final feature on the armband.
"So, there's one more thing you must know about that armband. You remember the moving portraits in my memories?" Harry started. T'Challa nodded and allowed Harry to continue. "The magic in them comes from a form of blood magic. It was considered to be one of the exceptions to blood magic's stigma, in that it's considered benign."
"What does that have to do with the armband?" T'Challa asked.
"I'm getting to that." Harry assured him. "When I created the armband, I noted that part of the magic wanted to affect the mind of the user, since the original magics of its kind turned the mind of the user into that of the animal. For me to fix that, I had to… point it in another direction. I ended up using a different magic to direct the mind part to."
T'Challa was not certain he followed so he allowed Harry to continue. "The magic on the armband uses that function to save a copy of your memories and personality to itself, updated every time it is blooded." Harry finally explained. The magic on the portraits did use blood magic after all and it would only know anything from the time of its making.
"And what happens with those memories?" T'Challa asked.
"They become available to the next generation." Harry said with a smile. He knew how important ancestors were to their culture.
T'Challa was shocked to say the least. This was a greater gift than he had ever thought possible. "Why do you do so much for me and my people?" he finally asked, not knowing what else to ask.
"It's what I do." Harry said negligently.
T'Challa grabbed Harry's shoulder and said, "This is no small thing, Harry. You don't know what this will mean to our people. To have the wisdom of our ancestors available to us in times of need will give our people great comfort."
"Well, this armband is bound to your line." Harry said. "Your father could likely add his own blood to the magic, but he'd have to wear it and blood it."
"Meaning he'll transform." T'Challa nodded, then he smiled. "He'll want to be king again after that!" he joked. "The transformation made me feel so powerful, like nothing could stop me. Like I could run all day and never even need to stop and rest. I can only imagine that my father would like that."
Harry was glad T'Challa had taken the news in the way he had meant it. "I imagine he would." he agreed. "Of course, you don't have to make him the offer…" Harry said with an innocent look.
T'Challa didn't fall for it, but responded seriously, "If I could offer my father's wisdom to my children and their children, I would do so. I would do it even if it cost me the use of the armband."
"Just let me know before you have T'Chaka use it. I'll have to make a temporary change so that it doesn't think your father is the next generation." Harry said with a smirk.
"How will it work?" T'Challa asked.
"You would just will it." Harry said. "The person you wish to speak to will appear in your head when you close your eyes and focus. The only qualifier being that the person you wish to speak to would have to be dead for them to become available in your mind."
T'Challa nodded, thinking that that made sense. "What about the other cults? What about the other tribes?" he asked.
"I'm planning something fun for the other three cults and will discuss things with you and the elders." Harry said. "As for the other clans… I suppose I could think about something along the lines of a new enchantment that functions like the part you are using for the memories, but I can't offer the power to all the tribes."
T'Challa nodded, "Of course. I was just hoping we could do something for our people as well. Would the people need to sign contracts?"
Harry though about it for a moment, then shook his head, "No. I don't think that will be necessary. If I do find a way to set these things up, it will work like your armband, with only one person being able to use it at any given time. They would not be able to prove it to outsiders, so there is no risk." Harry thought about it some more, before continuing, "I think you would need to be able to produce these, since new lines and branch families are formed often. I'll probably need to set you up with a way to enchant items with this magic. For that, I'll need time."
T'Challa smiled, "I thank you for your consideration and I look forward to a bright future where our people stand together."
"Likewise." Harry said, taking T'Challa's offered hand. "I'm thinking we can put Wakanda in charge of our space exploration division, once we've taken care of everything here on Earth. Put those people who think you're a country of farmers in their place."
"Space exploration?" T'Challa asked.
"Sure." Harry said. "We've got a couple of deep-space exploration ships being built right now that we plan on using to go to unexplored galaxies in the universe. The magic we'll be using has already been created and we're putting plans in place already."
"What does EPI not have in their plans?" T'Challa asked, sounding impressed and with some amusement.
The next week flew by and Harry had finally completed his plans for the trials. He still had many other projects, but he didn't want to leave the Wakandan people waiting too long.
He had, however, gone to try and destroy the skull of Surtur with the Sword of Gryffindor. It was unfortunately a failure. Perhaps it was because the entirety of Surtur's soul was in the skull, or maybe his fiery nature burned the venom away, but either way, he'd have to look for another option as even a killing curse refused to sever the connection between the skull and the soul, like it did with the living.
When his preparations for the trials of the cults of Wakanda was complete, he had prepared the Room of Requirement at the Avengers Mansion and set up a portal from Wakanda to the trials.
Harry joined the Elders as they stood in front of the gathered people. T'Chaka walked forward as the representative of the elders now that he had given his seat on the throne to his son, "My people," he started, "We have long been a people of tradition and honour. Today we are gathered to start a new tradition that will make us even stronger and bind us in unity as we strive to strengthen our different clans."
T'Chaka's speech was very moving to his people and after the niceties were over, he explained the rules. Inside the room, there would be four different paths, each marked for the different cult. He explained that his son would also be taking the trial even if nobody had decided to challenge him for this contest. T'Challa didn't want to encourage the rumours that he didn't deserve the power he was given and he wanted to prove himself.
Soon the participants were ready and a couple of people from each of the other cults had gathered. Both the Panther and the Crocodile cult only had one participant. The Lion a White Gorilla cults both had multiple people competing for the honour of receiving their armbands. The participants were through the door instantly and an illuminated board, which Harry had set up, kept track of their progress, even if it didn't show the actual participants or what they were doing. The traps and challenges were all suggested and approved by the elders, so that nobody could object.
It came as no surprise to Harry when T'Challa finished his task first, going through the portal at the end to re-join the people waiting for the other victors. M'Baku finished shortly after T'Challa and joined him in waiting for the last two. The last two were met with cheers from their people, so Harry suspected they were good choices.
Harry quickly modified the room to allow the last of the participants out and when they came back, he closed the portal. Each of the victors had brought with them a totem that represented their animal, which was at the end of each course for the victor to take and prove their victory. The totems were to be handed to the elders of each cult, who would then accept the victory and hand the armband to the victor.
On receiving the armbands each victor was to put theirs on and blood it, to confirm that the armband accepted them. Harry had had to work a ward onto each that would detect evil intent. Should the victor be planning to use it for evil, they would not activate for them. He had warned the elders of this as well and they approved, wholeheartedly. They did not tell the participants, hoping their people would prove themselves to the other elders.
The four were soon standing in front of the gathered tribes. They were each handed a ceremonial dagger and asked to cut their palm and blood their armbands. As each of them did so, there was a flash of light and even Harry had to shield his eyes.
In that moment, as Harry closed and shielded his eyes, he saw the image of people with the heads of a panther, lion, monkey and crocodile, all looking directly at him. Nothing was said, but Harry got the feeling that they were giving their approval of him. As the flash faded, Harry opened his eyes again and he looked at the results of his latest enchantments.
The Nundu-like panther looked proud and strong. The Silver-Backed Gorilla, who was on the same scale as the Panther, beat at its chest with its massive fists and roared. The Lion roared and looked around the people with its sharp eyes. The Crocodile, which was probably the scariest of the creatures by Harry's reckoning, hissed and raised itself onto its hind-legs, like no real Crocodile could do. It easily stood at the same height as the Gorilla, even though its body was more slender.
The people cheered after the initial shock and Harry forced the transformations to revert. They would learn to will the change back on their own over time, but for now, he didn't want to scare the people. Once the champions stood before their people again, T'Chaka took the stage again. It had been decided that they would tell the people of the added benefit the armbands presented, so his announcement of the fact was met with thunderous applause and a lot of hungry looks in Harry's direction he wasn't necessarily comfortable with.
He had a suspicion that people would be very happy once he set them up with a means to 'speak' to their ancestors. He just hoped he wasn't there for that. For now, he resolved only to tell Natasha of what he had seen during the flash. Better not to cause a fuss.
There was another celebration that night and Harry and Natasha enjoyed the festivities. Harry received many words of gratitude that night and quite a few jealous looks were sent both to him and Natasha. T'Challa later explained to Harry that it seemed a few of the people thought he was a messenger of the gods and they wanted to spend time with him, to impart his 'great wisdom' unto them. Fortunately it seemed the other jealous looks were skin deep. Jealousy over looks and attraction was much simpler to handle, by simply ignoring it, but not blatantly so. They didn't want to give offense either, after all.
The evening went by without a hitch and they spent the night in a room that was provided for them in the palace. The next morning, they had breakfast with the royal family and left to return to their lives and responsibilities.
It was two weeks before the wedding and Harry was working in his office, when he felt a jolt of magic coming in his general direction. It caught him off guard as he was in a Fidelius protected location. His first reaction, though was to throw up a shield. The magic dissipated on the shield and Harry jumped into a defensive position.
"I told you it was a bad idea." Loki's voice said from the door, where a gun disappeared. It was one of the weapons that shot the magical charges, so Harry relaxed, knowing the weapons were very well protected. The only people that had access, couldn't attack him with them, not maliciously at least.
"It was worth a shot." Tony's voice said. That made sense. Tony had unrestricted access to that division and had quite a few of the guns. Even Pepper carried one of them in her purse. Tony had obviously changed the design specifically for her and it looked like a toy, so that even if someone stole it from her, they would think it was useless. Harry then paired it to her so that nobody but her could fire it.
"What are you two up to?" Harry asked as he opened the door fully and lifted an eyebrow at the two men standing on the other side.
"About that…" Loki said with a mischievous smile.
"No!" Tony insisted. "Don't tell him. It's supposed to be a surprise!"
Harry looked between the two and sighed. "Did you at least run your plans by Natasha?" he asked. Tony had not been as careful as he had hoped. He'd been in and out of his office all day and once or twice when he received a call, he'd leave the office before answering. "Should I be bringing a wad of singles?"
"Damn you, Harry!" Tony said. "Couldn't you at least act like you didn't know?" he asked.
"Is that a 'no' on the singles?" Harry asked, smirking at Tony's disappointment.
Loki joined him in the smirk, "Apparently he wanted to kidnap you. Something about tradition."
"And it would have worked if you could do it, but no, you think it might be considered an attack and break your contract." Tony scoffed. "Here's a newsflash; you've been casting spells at each other for years now without penalties."
"That's not the same." Loki said. "Knocking him out would leave him defenceless. I can't not see that as a violation of the contract."
"So, should I get dressed?" Harry asked.
"Nah, what you've got on is fine." Tony said. "And no, we're not telling you where we are going. I can at least still surprise you with that."
Harry shrugged and followed them to the balcony at Tony's penthouse, where a Limo floated next to the balcony. "Nice!" Harry exclaimed. "When did you make this one?"
"I just finished it last week." Tony said. "I was busy with something else for a while before that."
"I noticed." Harry said as he got in and noticed the interior was much larger. "Expansion runes?" he asked. "You realise that means you can't use this in public, right?"
"For now." Tony said with a nod. "This is just for PI and those in the know. The only downside is that it can't be taken to public venues in its current state."
"Imagine a valet looking in and seeing the size difference and you then tossing him the keys to park your flying car." Harry said with a laugh.
"Friday would do that for me." Tony said easily. "As for them seeing in… Confundus?"
"Why add space expansion to begin with?" Harry asked. "It's a bloody limo. It has space. It's the bloody point, isn't it?"
"You can always use more space." Tony said easily as they sat down on one of many comfortable looking couches and Loki poured them each a drink from the small bar area. The 'car' looked much like a normal sitting room with comfortable chairs and even a giant TV on one wall. Harry also noted two doors with signs for male and female bathrooms.
He looked out the window and noted it looked like they were rising up into the darkening sky. "Where are we headed?" he asked with suspicion on his face.
"Don't worry about it." Tony said with a smile. At least there would be some surprises for him.
"And to answer your earlier question; Natasha is well aware of our plans for the evening." Loki said as he sat down as well. "Apparently she's having a similar evening, hosted by her maids of honour."
Harry nodded. They wouldn't need to ask him for permission, as he trusted both of them. He also understood why Tony was being kept in check. He'd rent an entire strip club and fill a pool with alcohol if given half a chance.
They listened to the TV as it played some music videos, streamed directly from the internet through the on-board IRDR, and enjoyed a drink while chatting about whatever took their fancy. Ten minutes later they heard the sound of something clamping onto the door. The TV shut itself off and the lights in the ceiling dimmed and started lighting up in a sequence that ran from the centre of the room towards the door, indicating for them to follow the light.
When they got to the door, Harry looked out the window and saw something that made him laugh. "The party saucer!" he exclaimed happily.
"The Party Saucer." Tony agreed with a smile as he opened the door to what looked like a passageway made entirely of glass, which was why Harry could see the saucer.
They walked the long hallway, probably meant to give you a chance to admire the saucer with its many flashing lights, and Harry noted there was another landing spot nearby. "Bifrost?" he asked, pointing at the spot.
"We wouldn't want to leave some of your friends from Asgard out of the fun, now would we?" Tony said with another smirk. "Oh, that reminds me. Can you quickly make a portkey to here and back to Heimdall's post for him? He refuses to join us without a quick way back to Asgard."
Harry nodded and conjured a disk, which he then turned into a portkey. Levitating it he activated the magic and watched as it disappeared. Not five seconds later, Heimdall appeared in front of them. "My prince." Heimdall greeted Harry and indicated for them to walk past and take the lead.
"Hi Heimdall." Harry said, stopping to take his hand and shake it. "Thank you for joining us."
"It is my pleasure." Heimdall said. "It has been a long time since I've been able to leave my post and while I have grown to like my solitude, it is refreshing to have the option to leave."
"You should have said something!" Harry exclaimed.
"You must understand," Heimdall said, "I already see most of everything. I don't miss out on anything. The only reason I am here, is because I know you would prefer I attend."
"Damn right!" Harry said, making a mental note to invite Heimdall to join them more often.
Tony typed in a code at the door and it slid open to reveal a small reception room, most likely originally intended as an airlock. They entered and the first door closed. A second later the inner door opened and a massive cheer arose from the assembled guests. The room was filled with a lot of people, everything from close friends to friendly co-workers. Suddenly the large limo made sense.
There were representatives from the X-Men, Fantastic Four, Guardians of the Galaxy, Asgardians, Avengers, Ravagers, Nova Corps, Wakanda and even some people from EPI's different divisions. Tony had extended the invitation to the heads of the different branches as well at that point and it seemed not one of them had turned the invitation down.
Seeing so many people, all of which he knew and had at least had one conversation with over the years, Harry smiled broadly. He had noted that almost everyone currently present were male. He started worrying about the implications of that, but before he could think about it too much a stream of waitresses, all in very skimpy outfits, walked from a side room and started mingling with the guests, trays of drinks and snacks in hand.
"Tony, what is this?" Harry asked, indicating the new arrivals.
"Well, they aren't strippers, I'll tell you that." Tony said. "They are all models and being paid very well to flirt with everyone, but not actually do anything with them."
"But, the saucer?" Harry asked.
"Oh, yeah, they all signed contracts." Tony said. "I don't think they believed me at first, but once we arrived here, they were more than happy. Apparently they'd have done the job for free for the view." he said, indicating the centre of the very large circular room. They walked to the spot and Harry noted people looking down and followed suit.
"Wow." he said, seeing the unobtrusive view of North America. It was spectacular at this time of day, as the sun was just setting on the western side of the continent and you could see the lights of some of the cities illuminating their parts of the continent.
"Nice, right?" Tony said looking down as well. "We're not actually in orbit, which is why we're getting such a nice view, but we are high enough that you'd need a rocket to reach us."
"Couldn't you have just used a large mirror?" Loki asked Tony.
"I suppose I could have, but it's not the point of the experience." Tony argued. "Also, Harry couldn't know about this and he makes the mirrors. At least, the custom ones."
Harry decided to mingle a little and started chatting to his many friends. He had noted a Bar and wasn't shocked to see Eldrin pouring drinks. He had not even stood at the bar for one second, before a drink was standing ready for him to take. Harry smiled and shook his head. Eldrin smiled, nodded and started making another drink, placing it in front of another astonished patron, just as they arrived at the bar.
Harry was almost certain someone was going to try and steal him from Atlantis at some point. Eldrin was probably the most skilled and talented bartender in the entire world and he'd be surprised if someone hadn't already offered him alternate employment. He enjoyed his drink and continued mingling.
At some point he noted people standing in groups and watching something, so he approached and found they were looking at a Pensieve tablet with a reel of what looked like funny moments from over the years projected over it. He had no doubt that Loki had set that up, as some of the situations were from moments he had fallen for Loki's traps. He had to admit that it looked funnier when viewed from outside.
Tony was sitting to the side and watching as the girls flirted outrageously with the heroes in attendance. Harry sat down beside him and asked, "Having thoughts I should tell Pepper about?"
Tony smirked, "Maybe. I'm just sad I haven't figured out x-ray glasses yet." As he said it he dropped his sunglasses over his eyes. "The things I would see right now." he said as he indicated one of the girls who were bent over to pick something up from the ground, giving him a perfect view of her sculpted rear.
Harry chuckled at that and touched a finger to the bridge of the sunglasses. He focussed for a moment and released his magic. Tony's eyes grew wide as he was suddenly able to see through the clothing. "What?! You figured it out?" he asked incredulously.
Harry held up a hand and whispered urgently at Tony, "I know you were hoping for strippers, so I'll give you access to this for the next hour. After that the enchantment will disappear. You will never, ever, mention this to anyone. Am I clear?"
Tony realised Harry was deadly serious and he didn't want to squander the opportunity, so he nodded. He had no illusions about Harry letting him keep the memory if he let this slip. "How am I not looking through anyone else's clothing? Not that I mind!" he said quickly. "It's not like I want to see you, or any man, naked, but how is it differentiating between what I want to and don't want to see?"
Harry sighed. "Aesir magic. Normal X-Ray vision works to universally allow for sight through physical objects. I added intent and bound it to you. You can see through only what you want to."
Tony's eyes were brimmed with actual tears. "You're the best, man!" he said while pulling Harry into a one-armed hug.
"No, actually. You're the best man, which is why you're getting this. I will never do this again since, if anyone finds out, I'll be in so much trouble, I don't even want to think about it." Harry said with a shudder. "You too. Pepper finds out and it'll be both our asses. Not to mention Frigga."
"What about your mother?" Odin said as he approached. Harry stiffened and he realised he had forgotten the Asgardians in attendance. Specifically an all-seeing one, who now knew something Harry would very much like to keep secret.
"I was just mentioning that Frigga will be happy to hear that Tony didn't get any strippers." Harry said, lying to the all-father for the first time he could remember.
The look on Odin's face told him he did not believe Harry. The look Odin had when he looked at Tony and specifically the glasses, was tinged with a bit of humour too. "Yes, let's hope she doesn't hear anything of the sort." he said with a pointed look.
"Understood." Harry said with a sigh, realising Odin had decided to act like he didn't know exactly what was going on. "How are you enjoying the party?" he asked, changing the subject.
Odin nodded and turned to survey the gathered revellers, some of whom were dancing with the models on the dance-floor, which was the spot you could see through. "The music is unfamiliar to me, but I'm liking it so far."
"A man after my own heart." Tony said. "None of this dubstep bull."
"Hey, dubstep will never die!" came a familiar voice from behind them.
Harry turned and saw the face of someone he hadn't seen in quite a while. "Wade? How'd you get here?"
"I invited him." Tony said with a grin. "When you mentioned him being a wild one, I figured he'd liven up the party."
"I called him wild, because he's certifiable." Harry said. "That being said, he is fun."
"Isn't he?" a beautiful girl at his side asked. She was smiling though and Harry wondered why she looked familiar.
"You know the girls are off limits, right?" Tony asked him, looking at the girl beside him.
"Hey, x-specs, get your googly eyes off my girl!" Wade said, a look of real anger crossing his face. Then the anger faded entirely as he continued with a smile, "Your girls may be off limits, but I brought my own."
Tony's face lost some colour as he suddenly snapped his head up and pushed the glasses to sit on his head. "Sorry about that. I didn't know."
Harry had finally remembered meeting her one time at the bar Wade worked out of. They were on each other like a rash at the time. "Vanessa, right?" Harry asked offering her a hand to shake.
Vanessa shook his hand with a smile. "Good to see you again, Harry. Did I ever thank you for fixing this one's personality problem?"
"I didn't have a personality problem." Wade objected. "I was just fugly."
"And that was your personality problem." Vanessa said. Then she turned to Harry, "He really thinks I just love the way he looks. When in fact I love the way he takes it up the ass for me every international women's day."
Harry's mouth was hanging open at her statement. He did not notice that Tony had a similar look on his face, while Odin just smiled. Even he could see that they were a very devoted couple. Not necessarily very clean or sane, but very devoted.
"God, I love you!" Wade exclaimed before kissing her hungrily before he led her away, in the direction of the bathrooms.
Tony snapped out of it and called after them, "Please don't fornicate in the bathroom?!"
"Too late!" Wade called back with a smile that made Tony's skin crawl.
"I get it." Tony said, before Harry could say 'I told you so'. "Next time, I'll discuss the guest list first."
Harry nodded, "They do seem to be made for each other, though."
"Love takes many forms." Odin said wisely. "What we see as strange, makes the world of sense to others."
"I don't know." Loki said as he approached them from behind Odin. "They looked perfectly normal to me."
"That makes sense." Tony said with a roll of his eyes.
Harry continued on his rounds and approached the Warriors Three, who were ogling the girls. "How are you enjoying the entertainment?" he asked.
"Verily, Midgard must have the most beautiful women in all of creation!" Fandral exclaimed as he looked after one who was swaying her hips in a way that seemed to have him hypnotized. "And they wear so little, it's like they are taunting me."
"That's the idea, I think." Harry said. "Bachelor's parties often have strippers, but fortunately there won't be any today. I don't think anyone here could compare with my Natasha anyway."
"Truly, you are a lucky man." Volstagg said. "To have found the love of your life so early. We, of the Aesir sometimes look for hundreds, thousands of years before finding a paramour that suits us as well as she suits you."
"I won't deny that I am a lucky bugger." Harry said proudly, noting Volstagg's eyes were less on the girls and more on the platters they carried with snacks, drinks and shots. Volstagg already had a platter filled with something of everything on it, but he always had a great appetite.
Hogun was sipping a beer and didn't look all that interested in the girls as he was sizing up some of the heroes in attendance. Harry chuckled when he realised the man was itching for a bit of a fight, but doubted there'd be any fights here tonight.
He left them to go chat with Ben Grimm, who had found a comfortable seat and was drinking from a massive goblet. "Harry!" he welcomed him. "Fun little get-together you've got going here."
"Tony arranged it." Harry said, knowing that Ben already knew it. "I'm just happy to see how many people showed up."
Ben scoffed, "Knowing you, these aren't even half your friends." Then he pointed at where Johnny was dancing with one of the models, "I'm just worried he can't keep it in his pants."
"Knowing Johnny, he's already slept with half the girls here." Harry said. "I'm surprised he hasn't been slapped yet."
Ben smiled a huge smile, "You weren't here ten minutes ago, then." He pointed at a brunette who was speaking to Steve, who looked uncomfortable, "That one was apparently under the impression that he was going to call her the next day."
Harry chuckled in amusement. "That Johnny is quite prolific in his conquests. I'm surprised that he hasn't picked up any diseases yet."
"That we know of." Ben qualified. "I've got no doubt it will happen one of these days."
"That, or an angry boyfriend or husband…" Harry trailed off.
"Nah, he doesn't date them old enough to be married yet." Ben joked.
"I thought you two were getting along better these days?" Harry asked.
"Oh, we are. It doesn't make it any less fun to joke at his expense." Ben smiled.
Harry conceded the point and changed the subject. "How are you and Alicia doing these days?" he asked.
"We're still on cloud nine." Ben said with a goofy smile. "That girl is amazing."
"I'm happy for you." Harry said with a smile of his own. "Any chance we'll be hearing wedding bells in your future?"
Ben's smile only widened, "Actually, I'm hoping to pop the question on the 30th, if that's okay with you? So many of our friends will be there, I couldn't think of a better time."
"You'll need to ask Natasha." Harry said seriously. "I doubt she'd mind, but this is her big day and I'm not agreeing to anything without her knowledge."
"You'll do well." came the voice of Reed Richards. "As long as you always remember that she's the boss, anyway."
Harry didn't reply to that immediately. He knew when to take charge, but sometimes forgot to delegate. He knew she knew his limitations, though, and would always know when to step in. "I like to think it's a partnership." he finally said, honestly.
Reed conceded the point with a nod of his head, "Fair enough." Then he turned to Ben, "Has any more of his conquests made an attempt yet?"
"No. It seems he's lucky in that Tony didn't hire too many floozies." Ben said with a smirk as he watched Johnny talking to a new girl. The previous one must have decided he wasn't worth it. Ben smiled. 'That makes two.' he thought to himself. He intended fully on keeping a count on how many rejections Johnny received.
Harry excused himself and moved onto the next group. Gamora and Nebula weren't with the other guardians, so Harry wondered if they were at Natasha's do. "How are you enjoying the party, Drax?" Harry asked as he stepped in next to the big man sitting at a high table.
"I'm enjoying the music and the libations!" Drax enthused. "Too bad all the women are so ugly. It must be difficult to contemplate laying with them, even if it is to propagate the species."
Harry laughed at the statement, "One day, Drax, you will show me what a beautiful woman looks like to you." Then he pointed at the girls, "By our standards, these girls are quite beautiful. These ones in particular are considered to be models of what to strive for."
"Really?!" Drax asked with genuine concern on his features.
"Really." Peter Quill said from Drax's other side. He was carrying a tray of shots. "I haven't had the chance to taste any of these shots before and when I got to the bar to ask, the bartender just handed me this tray. I didn't even need to ask!"
"Eldrin is an amazing bartended with a slight affinity for divination. He can usually prepare for you what you want before you ask for it." Harry said.
"He can see the future?" Peter asked.
"Only kind of." Harry said. "He says he gets a feeling. He doesn't actually experience or see things. He just kind of knows."
"That's weird, but useful." Peter said shrugging.
"Makes the best drinks I've ever tasted." Harry confirmed. "But you should know this, you've been to the island recently, haven't you?"
"Quill is an idiot. He doesn't know what's going on around him half the time." Rocket said as he joined them and took a shot from the tray and downed it. They had picked a table next to a platform, so that Rocket could more easily join the high table and not need to climb with a drink in hand.
"Hey, that's mine!" Peter objected.
"Good for you, you're getting better at noticing stuff." Rocket said with a smirk. "It's an open bar dumb-dumb, you can get more shots whenever you like." he said as he took another shot from the tray. This time he didn't enjoy it so much, so he chased it by downing his glass of firewhiskey. "Time for a refill." he said and walked off again.
"He's enjoying himself." Harry said.
"He's enjoying the sobering charm, is more like it." Peter groused as he looked forlornly at the two empty shot glasses.
Harry decided to take pity on him and looked over to the bar, where Eldrin was already holding out two replacements for him with a smile on his face. "Cocky bugger." Harry mumbled good-naturedly as he summoned the shot-glasses and put them on the tray. "There you go." he said to Quill.
"Thanks Harry." Peter said. Then he started sniffing the shots to find what he would like to have first. Harry had no doubt Rocket would be back to torment him soon, so left before that fight started. He didn't miss Drax smiling and taking a shot and downing it as well. When Peter objected again, Drax laughed heartily.
There were a couple of activities during the course of the evening, mostly to make fun of Harry and a couple of good-natured pranks pulled at his expense. The worst of which was a line of twenty shots, ten of which they made Harry conjure as any-flavour shots and the last of which was Asgardian-grade firewhiskey.
Tony's attempt at getting Harry stumbling drunk succeeded by the end of the evening and he was forbidden from casting sobering charms on himself. The guests were offered the sobering charm 'pills' by the time they left, so that nobody had to worry about hangovers. Loki had sneakily laced a charm on Harry that would reduce the efficacy of the sobering charm, if he decided to cast it on himself before bed that night, which was more successful than he thought.
When Harry woke the next day, it was to a pounding headache and a smirking Natasha. Fortunately, his wizarding heritage stopped him from suffering from alcohol poisoning, but the after-effects and dehydration hit him like a heavy-weight boxer and he stumbled to the bathroom in a hurry to avoid emptying his stomach on the floor.
After finding his equilibrium and successfully casting a sobering charm on himself, he felt a lot better, but he was still in a foul mood. He swore to himself that he would return what he got in spades when he arranged Tony's bachelor party. Loki would feel the repercussions of his trickery as well, when Harry thought of a good enough punishment.
Natasha took it all in stride and playfully mocked him for his inability to perform his 'duties' in the bedroom the previous night. His spirit was willing but his body was passed out the moment his head touched the pillow. When she thought he had enough, she took pity on him and served him a healthy breakfast and a nutrition potion, to restore his body.
She apparently didn't suffer the consequences of overindulging due to good friends and a sobering charm pill. She was also just happy they didn't wait for a day before the wedding. She'd be pissed if Harry showed up in his current foul mood.
The morning of the wedding was, as always, a beautiful day on the Island. Natasha had decided to have the wedding right there on the island as it was the safest place on the planet at the moment. She had no illusions that there would be some form of intrigue otherwise. The invitations that were sent to the guests were also portkeys that would bring people to the reception area. Of course only those contracted would be allowed to attend, so it was by invitation only.
There were exceptions, like Peter and MJ, but they were both contracted and Harry wanted to give Peter the chance to ask the girl.
The morning of the wedding found Harry waking up in Tony's house, while Natasha had the company of her Maids of Honour in Harry's house. They were sticking with the tradition of not seeing each other until the ceremony. The groom's job was simple, really; get dressed, show up and say yes. The bride usually had a whole day of pampering, including manicures, pedicures, facials, hair-stylists and makeup artists.
Natasha was naturally beautiful though and she kept herself in prime condition so that she could work her charms at any moment, so she was relaxing and drinking a mimosa, while looking at the other women panic over tiny things. Harry had even helped them the previous day, casting spells to protect their already perfect nails and hair. All they needed was to dress and do their makeup.
Harry, on the other hand, was sitting down for a light breakfast, before Wolverine sat him down for a hot shave. He didn't need a straight razor either. Natasha had Harry try on many different styles of tuxes and had finally settled on a standard black and white tux, with coat tails and a green tie. Harry didn't really care. As long as she showed up, he'd wear a wizards robe straight out of popular fiction.
Harry and his best man, Tony, and groomsmen, Bruce, Phil, Fury, Thor and Loki were all relaxing when the guests started to arrive, signalling one hour before the ceremony would begin. Harry took the time to start welcoming the many, many guests as they arrived and Tony did his job as best man, by showing people to their seats and giving out pamphlets with the agenda.
It had been decided to keep the staff from the room in reserve until later. In the meanwhile, the groomsmen accompanied Harry and tried to make him nervous about the commitment he was making with the rest of his life. The fact that he already had both a fiancée and a girlfriend kind of broke their steam.
There was no division between the bride's guests and the groom's guests as they didn't have divided friendships. Everything they did, they did together. Frigga was waiting at the front of the aisle and would be blessing their marriage, while The Ancient One presided over the actual ceremony. Fawkes had taken up a spot on Yao's shoulder as well, wanting to bring his own influence and blessing on the happy couple.
It was ten minutes before the ceremony when Harry felt something happening. Something he had not felt in years. He looked up at Fawkes instantly, remembering the feeling of Fawkes struggling to breach the divide between realities. Harry could feel it was focussed on him as well. He turned quickly to Tony, "Don't start without me! I need to quickly go do something!"
He did not wait for a response as he stepped forward only for Fawkes to flame to his shoulder and away.
They landed on the balcony of Stark Tower where Fawkes had first appeared in this world. Fawkes communicated something to him and Harry nodded, not really understanding what he was doing, other than that Fawkes would be going to the space in-between to see what was trying to breach into this reality. Harry would need to provide the power.
He did as he once did and summoned a large amount of power to his fingertips. It was much easier now with the power ring and he channelled the power to Fawkes, who latched onto it and disappeared. Harry could feel the drain, but it was very easy to maintain. He'd received the blessings of Asgard and New Atlantis, since the last time he did this and he felt he could maintain this connection for many hours if he needed to. He only had a couple of minutes though.
Harry could still feel his familiar and could tell he was being sustained by the power he was feeding him as Fawkes attempted to move through a barrier of some sort. There was a moment of surprise from the phoenix and then a question. It sounded like a request for more power. Much more power. Harry trusted the familiar and started feeding him double, triple, quadruple the power he had been until now.
He felt Fawkes channel the power somewhere and finally, five minutes later, there was the feeling of movement and Harry could tell Fawkes was coming back to him. He was bringing something with him. There was suddenly a flash of golden silver light as the Phoenix appeared next to Harry. What shocked Harry was not the phoenix or the strange colour of the arrival, but the person on whose shoulder he was now sitting.
"Luna?" he asked.
"Hello, Harry Potter." She said with a dreamy look in her eye. "Am I late for the wedding?"