We lead them to a glorious battle

"This is bad."

"Say something I do not already know" Harry pulled an irritated hand through his hair and tried to get it out of his face.

"Alright, This whole situation is not good," said Ron, who had his arms crossed over her chest and gave him an annoyed glance but still tried to lighten the mood.

Harry rolled his eyes and rubbed his face. "Thanos, Infiniti stones, and Loki is coming with an army. Did I miss something?"

"Nope," Ron said, popping the 'p' "Wait, yeah, one thing, perhaps we should mention the end of the world in that list also? And, maybe we can add the fact where you go from one impossible thing to another? I don't think this is good for any of us; we are starting to get used to this"

"Ha-ha," Harry drawled, but he could not help the weak smile tug on his lips.

Hermione intervened before they could continue bricking. "But to make it simple, we have to prioritize," she said and took up her wand and started to write in the air; red letters followed her motions. "I believe that the first threat is Loki. We can almost be certain that Thanos doesn't have all the stones, or why would he send Loki here with an army to do the groundwork. Do you know anything about the Infinity stones?" she asked Harry

He nodded. "Not much, but I know that there are six infinity stones that represent elements, and they each control different essential aspects of existence," Harry said as he drew his wand and started to write next to Hermione's letters.

"Space, Reality, Power, Soul, Mind, and Time. As of today, there are only two known beings with immense power that have been able to wield the stones without losing their minds or burn out. The Celestials are an ancient race of vast matter and energy manipulation abilities, and then there is the mad titan, Thanos. We can be certain that he has a stone, but I have no idea which."

Ron visited low and stared at the long-haired male, "not much, you say? I 'am afraid even to know how much is stuffed inside that brain of yours."

"Honestly? I feel the same," Harry said as he looked at the writing; it was strange to know more than he should be. It almost felt like cheating but at the same time felt practically normal. He could now by the certainties say that he and Harald had once been the same person, but now he had… evolved? It felt strange to think it that way, but Harry could not explain it better for himself. He was Harry; he was his person, only a little more extra. And honestly, he didn't feel any significant difference; besides, he had never felt this good for most of his life honestly.

"Alright," Hermione brought Harry back into the present. "Let's assume Harry's transformation is now complete, and the last vision you got was from Loki. But from your description, does it not sound like he was not a place here on earth?"

Harry nodded. "No, it was a ruined world, I think."

"So either he has to travel here in some ship or through a portal?" Hermione hummed

"And do not forget the army!" Ron added helpfully

"Yes, in alien armada. And after Death's words, we can almost guarantee that it will be to New York that they will pop out, the question is just why?" in Hermione

Harry crossed his arms in front of him and tapped lightly with his finger against his arm. "The voice said something about the Tesseract had awakened, and I saw a blue cube. Could that be it?" he asked

"Perhaps" Hermione was silent as she started to write again and line it up before them; neither Ron nor Harry dared to interrupt her now that she began to speed up her writing. "No, I can't see it; there are still so many dark areas," She mused out loud. "So many what if, I don't like this, isn't it anything else that you can tell me about this blur cube?" she turned to Harry that shook his head.

"Didn't think so."

"But what is bothering me is who can control Loki?" Harry said

"Are you sure that he was being controlled?" Ron hesitating asked, "Not to be biased or so, but you haven't seen each other for… many.. many years, eons even."

Harry gritted his teeth and nodded grimly. "I'm sure, and It didn't feel like Loki; this doesn't feel right," He said and hit himself in the chest. "This connection that we have, it is by magic, our magic is intertwined with each other, and right now is …. "Harry couldn't find his words for the next part. It was a feeling he got that things were not as they should be. Separation or not, someone was controlling Loki.

"Bloody hell," Ron grunted out, "Any more world-shaking things we forgot to bring up while we're still discussing this?"

Harry looked at him, annoyed now by his statement, "Well, excuse me, the universe seems to hate that I exist."

"I'm pretty sure that it is only the Norns that hate you, mate, not the universe," Harry snorted; that was probably true.

Suddenly it was as if everything around Harry was slowing down, and he felt it before he suddenly saw a lightning-like object fill his field of vision. The sudden dizzy feeling in his stomach and the bile that rises in his throat was the second thing he registered as it felt like his intestines all were inside out.

A massive blue shockwave hit Harry's vision, and he could not hold back the painful scream that tore from his throat. He fell to his knees and pressed his palms against his eyes that burned like the fires of hell. It almost felt like his eyes were burning out from their sockets as waves of blue energy pulsed inside the lids and slipping into every little dead space it could find. He felt the surge of satisfaction and the thrill of the hun, something that was not his emotion, and this time the feelings were rawer.

"Harry!?"

"What happened? what did you see?"

"I….I think they come here with portable?" Harry said in a dark, raw voice, his magic stretched along with Loki via their connection, which now burned like fire, but he got no response. Just a thick wall, but something significant had just happened.

"That's it; you are not going to go there alone," Hermione said and picked up a hairband that Harry had forgotten on the table. She pulled up her hair in a messy bun

Ron groaned. "We have to get to New Youk, right now, ain't we?"

The women nodded, "Yes, grab your bags, boys, we leave in an hour" they had a god to rescue, and perhaps afterward, they could start planning their wedding. And Hermione hoped that Harry would let them have the reception in the manor, especially after this whole ordeal.

~*`+'*~'~*`+'*~'~*`+'*~

Harry had never been to an airport before, and he could almost feel how all of his nerves were crawling inside of him and trying to get a hold of him. Neither he nor Harald had been any good in huge crowds and parties; they both had been satisfied to stay by the side and watch it all happen.

And here? Well, this was a considerable crowd; even if no one looked at him twice, it made his skin crawl, and he wanted nothing else than get the bloody hell out of there. How could he even have been thinking that this had been a good idea, that once in his life, something would have been easy?

It all had been so simple as they had planned it; he had grown up together with muggles; he knew how to act and dress. Ron did not. So Hermione had a hard time controlling her fiancé's hyper questions and actions. Harry had to try hard to hold back his amusement about the whole thing; he didn't need an angry woman on his heels scowling at him because he enjoyed seeing her trying to handle the situation. But one thing was for sure, Arthur would be so jealous when they came back from this trip. If he ever would come back, right now, Harry wasn't so sure as he stared outside the wide window.

How naive could he be? Amerika was halfway over the world; it would at least take them 10 hours to get there. Harry was silently freaking out inside. It should all be so simple, pick up the passports, gets on a plane in their disguises, and then be on their merry ways and save his wayward dream-man.

But Harry was silently freaking out inside.

Not only were they on a tight schedule, no, but he was also freaking out even harder when he saw one of the planes that stood on the railroad. Wide green eyes were as stuck on the beast the muggle called an airplane. How did that thing even stay up in the air? There was no way that it was aerodynamic enough even to lift.

Harry was very close right now to asking Hermione if he could not take his broom over there and be done with this. Because there was no way he would ever be able to put a foot into that death trap, he was unstable enough as it was, placing him in a plane that looked like it was running on technology.

...Yeah… No, that was not going to happen, nix, never, and no way.

He even felt the need to say he was sorry to Loki, even if he could not be heard over the bond. Harry could feel him here, but at the same time not? It still was like a significant blockage on their combined magic. Perhaps Loki was only that angry with him? Harry held back and groan; maybe Loki didn't want anything to do with him.

He had been an idiot when Harald had tried to stall the gigantic walking grapefruit that time. Perhaps he had made everything worse by going to New York; he should stay put, stay back in the mansion and never go out again; he could go for a run and visit the centaurs. Perhaps play a little with the foals and run freely and never get on that plane.

Harry could feel the wall inside his mind starting to shrink, boxing him in as he imagined himself inside the plane. He felt the whole world suddenly spin, and he caught himself from falling with one hand against the cold window in front of him. Harry felt the cold from the window act, almost like a grounding for him. He breathed in and out slowly before closing his eyes again, the coolness from the glass spreading along with his fingers, and he shuddered.

Harry could feel the cold so clearly, the smooth surface under his fingertips and not the rough floorboards or the uneven mattress he usually calls a bed. He was there longer, and he was no longer under the stairs, trapped and isolated from the outside world. Harry was no longer a little scared child who did not know better; he was no longer trapped in a box. But he still could feel the need to escape, it was making his heart pound hard in his chest, and a cold sweat breaks out over his skin. He wanted so badly to escape reality, escape all his must, all his needs, and what-ifs that his life was clouded in. He wanted to feel safe, wanted to be loved, have his family close, and learn how to relax. Not looking over his shoulder like everybody and anyone would stab him in the back.

But there was no escaping his luck. Harry knew that, and he had started to hate the fact that he would never feel the safety he so desperately wanted. Yes, he was the Master of Death, which meant that he could not die, as Death would never let him go. But his body could still experience the pain; he would always feel it happen thou, live it, and then when his body gave up, he would be brought back like a snap or so Death had told him.

The darkness that swirled inside of him, feasted on his negative emotion, purred at his misfortune and fears. And If he didn't hate the mess up place, they called the world he did now. Harry loved the sky. He loved to fly and feel free, the wind underneath his arms, rumbling his hair, and the pure embodiment of happiness souring inside of him.

But this was neither. The bloody thing in front of him was a death trap, and Harry never even wanted to put a foot inside one before as he had never been allowed to come with the Dursleys on their vacations. Now he was pleased about it because that would have been a nightmare come true.

Harry clenched his fist against the glass and laid his forehead against the surface instead, ignoring the fact that he was guaranteed to soil the otherwise clean plastered glass. The people around him ignored him, and he was grateful for people who were about nothing but avoiding others who seemed to have problems. Do not see, do not exist. And this time, Harry was actually happy with that particular human nature; he would not be able to keep his panic at bay if someone asked him about it.

Harry exhaled slowly and straightened up. He felt how his instincts and senses started to warn him about someone who was focusing its intention on him, and he turned around to see Hermione pull a hilariously enough, blonde wonderstruck Ron after her. Her steps were fast and determined, with her bag tossed over her shoulder and a light brown leather jacket fluttering every step she took. She had transformed her hair into a redder strawberry shade and put it up in a tight donut in her neck. None of them had any significant luggage to move around more efficiently, and Harry was not the type of person to splurge when it came to money.

But they had all agreed that they needed a disguise; Harry had not required much of his camouflage as he had already changed his appearance, thanks to his heritage. But his black hair was now up in a high ponytail, and the hippogriff feather was proudly stuck in the side braid that had not yet gone out. He fixed his clothes, tight trousers, and a shirt hidden under a light jacket. His eyes had already taken on a deep viridian color, no longer the emerald his mother had, and a little makeup over his scars and his disguise was complete. The more precautions, the better, and wouldn't Moody be proud of them now? Constant vigilance! No one would ever think he was Harry Potter if he did not make himself known.

But something never changed. Harry may not need his wand as the Master of the Deathly Hallows and reincarnated as a fae, but he still doesn't wholly trust the wandless strange magic to come to him effortlessly. So he still had his faithful wand tucked on his persona and a purse of money beside it that would automatically transform galleons to muggle valuta. He disliked spending money on things like this.

But when it came to other necessary things, he could consider it an investment, and this time he had bought something of a luxury item. Harry gripped his necklace with a resigned sight and felt the magic plush underneath his palm where his emergency trunk was hidden. It had cost a small fortune as it had its pocket dimension in it and with it everything he would need on this adventure.

Hermione had already booked flights from Heathrow Airport to LaGuardia in New York, and the flight would take ten hours. It feels too long, honestly. Harry tried again to stretch out over the magical connection yet again, only to be met by the now-familiar rock-hard wall. He felt hurt, there was so much anger inside him, and Harry was sure that it was not only his anger that was bubbling underneath his skin.

He was too familiar with the feeling of range, it was like the feeling was a long-time friend, and the more he was pushing down, the harder it pushed back. Sometimes it scared him, this darkness that was inside of him. But then he remembered that it was nothing to be afraid of, It was what hiding in the darkness you had to be wary of, and this time, it was his fears.

"Here you go," Hermione said and gave him his passport and ticket, and Harry stared down at it. He sighed and shook his head.

"I can't, Herms," he said firmly, and with the shifting face of the women, he explained himself before she could blow a gasket, "It is my magic. I can't keep it under control."

"Yes, we know that you can control it, Harry; you only need to believe in yourself. It is only for a few hours," She protested

Harry gave off a low chuckling. "But that is it. I don't believe that I will be fine in those tight spaces, Hermione," he said and looked at the plane again and shrugged. Nope, he still felt sick only by the sight of the death trap. He could not contain his magic. He clenched his fist, and a beeping sound was heard from the nearest machine made him glare at the device before Harry gave Hermione a meaningful glance.

Both his companions were silent at the pop, and a man in front of the display started to hit the now fried motto, and Hermione sighed heavily.

"Alright, then what?" she sounded tired, on the verge of annoyance, and Harry felt how he collapsed a little, but he really could not expose himself to that, or them. It had to be another way. He could not apparat over there, that would be too dangerous, and he indeed would cause more of a scene than anything else. A sting of pain hit his head, and he blinked in surprise when a memory suddenly came up.

~*`Flashback'*~

Harald blinked at him slowly, "I beg your pardon, you do what now?"

Loki rolled his eyes, "Don't overreact; it is not that bad, starlight."

The smaller male raised an elegant brow and stared at the other magician, "And here I thought I heard you said that you used Yggdrasil as a backdoor into the other worlds."

Loki smirked. "You heard right, congratulation love, your hearing is still magnificent as ever."

Harald scoffed and crossed his arms in front of his chest, "Stop it, you idiot. You can't just go walking along the branches to other worlds; it is too dangerous, that is what Bifros is for anyway."

"It is not dangerous if you believe in it," he protested, still with that shit-eating grin plastered on his face.

Harald looked at him suspiciously as the black-haired prince smiled and held his hands clasped behind his back. "So, you found a shortcut in the world tree, and you can walk around it?

"Yes, love"

Harald wanted to say that it was impossible, but this was Loki they were talking about. If anyone could find a lope hole in anything, it was him. But this? world walking? That was another level of lope hole, and he would lie if he didn't say that he was curious about his mates' finding.

"Alright, show me."

Loki grin pleased, "With pleasure."

~*`End'*~

Harry blinked and stared in front of him, the memory disappeared as fast as it came, and he felt the dizziness that came after, but it was manageable and nearly non-existent. He did not faint or be gone for more than a few seconds; not even Hermione or Ron had noticed that anything had happened. Harry held back a pleased grin that could challenge Lokis.

"I think that I what to do," he said to them. "I remember Loki showing Harald how to walk on the world branches."

"Kickers mate, you remember what now?" It was Ron's turn to stare at him like he had lost his mind, and that was probably what had happened anyway.

"The Yggdrasil, you know, the tree that is a legend to hold up the nine worlds, connecting them through branches and is powered by the universe…"

"Aah, alright, stop, stop. You don't need to go all professor on me; I bloody know what the tree is," Ron protested and glared slightly at Hermione as it was her fault that she forced him to read up on the Norse mythology after they understood that Harry once had been one. He swore that he would never pick up a book that complex ever again because reading about a species that once was thought of as gods were hard. But bloody hell, walk the branches? The book didn't say anything about that.

Harry laughed low and scratched his neck "right… "

"So, you think that you can do it? you are not exactly him, you know," Hermione intervened before Ron could say anything else." And can you take us with you?

"Yeah, I believe that I can; it is more like finding the feeling and seeing the portals," And he was going to make it one way or the other; there was no way he even stepped on the plane like that if he could help it. But he shook his head to Hermione's last question. "I don't know right now, and I would not want to risk it. I need to do it the first time alone to get the feeling of it all. Come on guys, I will meet you up at the airport in no time, I will scoop out the surroundings, and we are ready to go as soon as you land. Trust me"

"Alright, mate" Ron put an arm around Hermione's shoulders, he was hesitant too, but if Harry thought he could do it, then he would. That said, Ron had stopped being amazed at what his best mate could do. It was easier that way, and he would not be gray before he is 30, "We will trust you on this,"

Hermione was still staring at him, and Harry firmly raised his head; he could do this.

"Alright, but If you are not there when we land, Harry James Potter, I swear that I will make your life a living hell, and that is a promise," She threatened

Harry laughed softly and heard them shouting through the loudspeakers that it was time for them to board the plane, and he put on his passport and tickets. "See you when you arrive."

If he were lucky, nothing would happen. He saw them both disappear into the crowd and exhaled before he wiped his sweaty hands on his shirt. He needed to find a quiet place where no people were moving around.

It took a while, but he managed to find a less used part of the airport. Chairs had been screwed up from the ground, and dirt smiled under some seats. It looked like part of the wall needed repairing, and maybe that's why it was deserted here? Harry looked around and slipped under the barrier. He already had a Not- me-not spell on him so that no muggles eyes got stuck on him but rather looked past.

But to be on the safe side, he slipped into a toilet and looked around, the light turned on automatically when he went in, and empty booth doors stood wide open, so he was sure there was no one there. He shook his hands when he felt them begin to tremble with excitement. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. A hand was raised in front of him, and he tried to imagine the opening, tried to feel it. And as soon as Harry could the magic around him, the energy more or less vibrated under his fingertips.

He could see the golden threads that enveloped reality, and he tried to concentrate on it when his head exploded, and the darkness was all around him. He could feel the sickening feeling of something creeping down his throat, soft and gooey, and he wanted nothing else than to throw up. Harry blinked; he was sure that he was still awake, and his eyes were opened, but he no longer saw the bathroom's white walls.

Instead, he could see soft dust of snow flying around in a dark world and suddenly feel the biting cold nibbled at his cheeks. It took him only a heartbeat to understand that he no longer was in England; he had been transported where Loki indeed was. Not in body, but still, he was there with the other magician, seeing what he was seeing, feeling what he was feeling. Harry's gaze was quickly fixed on the first movement he could see in the dark.

"The Chitauri grows anxious," The dark clothed man said

The man's voice came from all directions simultaneously, hoarse, trailing, and above all, it was so cold. It was as if every word was chosen and dripped with impatience, the suffocating feeling tightened at his throat, and he grimaced and rubbed his neck only to stiffen and stare down at his transparent hand. His head rose when a familiar figure suddenly stepped out of the shadows. His attitude just as he remembered, proud, and dignified as only a person of high birth learned. The jet black hair was stripped and pulled slick back; his eyes were like two black poles, no longer holding the warmth he had grown used to.

"I'm going to lead them to a glorious battle" Loki's voice cut through Harry's body like a razor; it was a tone completely different from the one he remembers from his memories.

He was allowed to hold back and not throw himself forward in pure joy and horror when he finally took in his whole dream man's face and hated what he saw. He had never seen Loki like this; his entire face was suddenly tense with a wave of underlying anger in his features. As if his face frowned too much. He could see twitches himself through his arms and a slight crick in his neck. His face looked awful, and his cheeks were more sunken and created a sharper cheekbone. Loki, overall, seemed hard and worn, not even close to the young, handsome man in from his memories.

How long had he been gone for Loki to fall this far? What had happened, and why had Thor not been there and protected him? It was so clear that something was wrong that it cut into him. Harry stretched his magic again, almost desperate to feel that this was his Loki, that it was not too late.

'Loki...'

Green-blue eyes were suddenly fixed on him; for a second, they were looking at him in amazement before it disappeared, and a deep frown married Lokis face yet again.

"…. and your question is? Questioning the one who put that scepter in your hand?" The unnamed man asked with a drawl out voice.

Loki's face did not show that he felt anything, but he stared at the horrible voice owner. The irritation within Loki grew, and with it the anger; the darkness almost swirled around him, and his eyes darkened.

"He who gave you new knowledge, new intentions, when you were defeated and left to die."

"I was a king! The rightful King of Asgard and they betrayed ME," Loki shouted and struck out with his hand violently; this creature doubted him? Doubted that he could not carry out his mission. He would show them everything; he would show them all that he could do anything better than anyone else could even dream of. He would show them that Loki of Asgard was still the rightful king, and then he would free them all from their weak will.

"Your ambition is scarce and childish .... We look beyond the Earth, to the greater world, the new world that the tesseract reveals…" The dark armored man walked forward, threatening and staring down at Loki, who stared back stubbornly, but no words left his lips when he bared his teeth in a sneer.

Harry stared at the interaction before him and had now noticed a shift in Loki's skin, it almost took on an abnormal light blue tone, barely visible in the dim light, and he first thought his eyes were playing a prank on him. The energy around Loki was different; it was cold and more primal when he pulled his lips back in an almost feral snarl.

"If you fail, of the Tesseract is kept from is, there will be no realm, no barren moon, no writing where you can forget yourself from us. You think you feel pain? You do not even know what the word means."

The dark man disappeared, Leaving Loki and Harry there alone. Slowly Harry could see how the tension leaked away from Loki's shoulders, and his blue eyes slowly turned around to where Harry was, and yet, he could not focus on him.

"I know that you are still here, phantom, even if I can't see you," Loki's cold and smooth voice said. "Did you enjoy the show? here to gloat like everyone else is doing these days?"

No, I would never Loki... I'm...

Harry immediately saw that Loki heard him; his eyes narrowed dangerously, and the horrible snarl was back on his face. "Do not speak to me like we are familiar; you are beneath me. Now BE GONE!"

The next second, strong blue magic hit Harry, and he gasped for breath as he was tossed away and back into his body. He gasped for breath, and every breath burned like a thousand needles, and his head screamed at the sudden backlash he got from the magic. Harry staggered and grabbed the sink and gasped for air. His head ached, and his heartbeat almost painfully. The cold that spread within him made his whole body shake. What the hell was that? Harry shook his head slightly to get rid of the cotton-like feeling that resided between his ears, and his muscles protested in the movement.

It took a while, but slowly the tremors began to subside, and his breathing became more manageable. The lights above him flashed as if they were about to explode and go off, and Harry was more than happy with his decision to go to an abandoned part. He exhaled slowly before straightening. His gaze was fixed on his reflection, and he could see how his eyes shone in a sickening light blue hue before he forced himself to blink, and they were green yet again.

At least two things were inevitable, he had gotten in touch with Loki for the first time, and Loki had absolutely no idea who he was, and Harry had not had a chance to tell him either. But he was also sure that whatever Loki was planning on doing, time was short; And Harry was pretty sure that they did not have 10 hours before whatever Loki planned would happen; it would happen tonight, whatever he was planning on doing.

Harry dropped his hand from the sink and shook them to get the blood pumping again; he could do this. He had to succeed, and there was no chance he would leave Loki in the grip of that mad man. Harry raised his hand in front of him, gaze now focused, and he only needed to feel the energy in the air to stick his fingers through the golden threads and pulled his hand down in a light motion.

He focused on where he wanted to open a pocket, and he saw how the air in front of him shimmered and seemed to almost split and unfold. In the opening, he saw an equal space that he was now in, but the walls were in a horrible mint green color and no one around.

Harry took one last deep breath before holding his breath and stepping through the opening and disappearing from the now-abandoned toilet and the gate closing itself after him.