44 Chapter Forty-Four

Harry had given Fury almost a whole month, before he was called in for a briefing. Fury's entire plan revolved around Harry, Steve, Clint and Bucky, who had recently been given the all-clear by Harry, which was good enough for Fury, almost. He still insisted that Bucky get tracking charm at the least, just in case things go badly or Harry missed something. He also had Harry go on a little errand to ensure the success of the mission.

So it was that Harry had invited the guys over to the beach-house for a fully catered poker-night, calling it a boy's night. Bruce said he wasn't much of a gambler, but Harry paid his buy-in and told him to just enjoy it even if he lost, along with Steve's, Bucky's and Clint's. It was all a gimmick anyway. They settled down and started playing. Everyone had their advantages. Tony and Bruce used their intelligence to their advantage. Harry could easily figure out the other players' hands and the super soldiers could pick up on cues that were too small for a normal human to pick up on. It turned out to be a rather fair match, with all of their abilities and skills working against each other.

Harry was the only one kicked out, as he had been caught looking at people's cards, which Tony had pointed out gleefully with logic Harry could not refute. The more they played the drunker they became and as they played, they talked. They talked about adjusting to the 21st century and Science and Magic and everything from relationships to taxes. Sex, Religion and Money. The three forbidden drunken subjects. Tony gleefully told the rest of Harry's supposed divine status, much to his chagrin.

When it came to work, Tony inevitably shared a story of himself as Iron Man and then questions were asked about how that started. Then Steve and Bucky shared some of their earlier memories together, where Steve was too small to stand up for himself. Clint had been briefed and he shared his experience of being controlled, which brought them back to Bucky and his experience of the same thing.

He was still getting his memories back and had not yet realised he had killed Tony's parents. "So of course I feel guilty. I pulled the trigger, I didn't want to, but every couple of days I remember another face, another voice begging for their lives and my cold detachment as I ended them and moved on. I remember fighting them, when they sent me to do something unimaginable, but they'd simply wipe me, send me on the next mission and then freeze me again."

"You can't blame yourself man." Clint said. "I killed quite a few people while I was under. It took me a while, but I now know that I wasn't the one to blame for that. It was Loki, or at least that damn sceptre of his." He looked at Harry, "I know he wasn't really in control, but when I have those memories, I inevitably see him smiling at me with that deranged smile."

"He thinks it's supposed to look intimidating," Harry laughed. "I once turned into him and smiled the same way and he told me I did it wrong."

Clint chuckled and Steve spoke up, "Well, I trust Harry's contract to keep him in line. We've all seen that they work."

"Back on topic, though." Tony said, "I know what it's like to regret deaths caused by your actions, even indirectly. My father's company at least had honourable intent, until Stane started selling under the table. Now I try to make it right by saving all the lives I can. That's all you can do, really. Make a difference and don't be part of the problem."

Harry looked around the table and got a nod from Clint. "Tony," he started, "I've got something to tell you." he said as he took a calming draught from his pocket and held it out to Tony.

"Is this where you tell me about Bucky killing my parents while under mind control?" Tony asked as he ignored the calming draught and took a sip of firewhiskey instead.

Harry stopped thinking for a second, before he seemed to reboot, "Wait, what?! How?"

Tony smirked at him. "That girlfriend of yours is a devious thing. She got Pepper to talk to me, even stroked my ego by telling me how big a man I'd have to be to be able to get over myself and see the truth. Also got me all logical about it." He sighed and looked at the drink. "I'm not proud to say it took a whole couple of days before I stopped thinking of murdering you." He said as he looked up at Bucky. "But I know my parents would not have wanted it. I can't blame you, just like I can't blame Clint or Harry." He looked at Harry. "Thanks for trusting me, by the way. Nat told Pepper you refused to keep it from me."

Harry nodded, "Sorry we tried to butter you up, first. I just needed you to be as receptive as I thought I could make it. You know I wouldn't hurt you. I just felt all the pain Bucky felt in his memories and I know he's not a bad person."

"Yeah, that was the decider for me, too." Tony said. "I trust you, Harry. When Pepper told me that you experienced Bucky's regret and pain with every kill, I had no choice but to concede that I'll never get the revenge I want."

"First off, I did not experience every kill, but I got snippets and emotions. I was not reading his mind for information. I was trying to recover the buried memories." Harry informed them. "Second, I was able to find the Soviet General who ordered the hit and recovery of the serum from your father."

"Serum?" Steve asked, while Tony asked "You do?" at the same time.

"Yeah, let's leave that alone for now. Let's just say the situation is handled and leave it at that, okay?" Harry asked.

"No, what serum?" Steve asked insistently. He was only aware of one that Howard would have been interested in.

Harry sighed, "It was another imperfect copy of the super soldier serum, but it was all used and the experiments were buried. We've got some agents interrogating the 'missing' general right now." Harry said.

"And what's going to happen to this general? Do I get to meet him?" Tony asked.

"It depends," Harry started and looked Tony right in the eye, "Do you want to kill him in cold blood while he is locked up? I can arrange it if you want, but I guarantee you Pepper won't like what you become after." he warned.

Tony looked indecisive for a moment. "Damn you Harry! At least tell me he's not getting away with it!"

"Of course not." Harry said with a devilish smirk. "He's in a special stasis field cell. It is one year to the hour in there. Every hour for him is a year for us. I'd not want to mess with Fury, ever. He told me he plans on keeping him only as long as the law allowed." Harry shuddered. "Fury said we couldn't hold him for more than twenty-four hours, his time."

Tony smiled, while Steve, Clint and Bruce winced. Bucky was still looking at Harry in shock. "Sorry." Harry and Bucky muttered, together.

"What for?" Harry asked.

"For making you see those memories." Bucky said sadly. "I'm experiencing them first hand and they are bad enough with that, but seeing it from my perspective must be really hard on you, since you didn't even do a thing. What were you apologising for?"

"For seeing your personal memories. I didn't mean to intrude." Harry explained. "As for feeling bad about me experiencing them, I've got training in the mental arts and can supress the emotions and memories easily enough, especially if they are not my own. I find if I don't deal with my own memories and emotions, they try to come to the surface on their own."

"Could I learn that skill?" Bucky asked. Steve nodded along. He wouldn't mind knowing that trick either.

"I've got a book for you, but I suspect Bruce would be the person to speak to. He's been practicing Occlumency for a while now to help control his emotions." Harry said looking at Bruce.

Bruce nodded. "Sure. You can join Tony and me. Come by in the morning. I go for training in the room and follow that up with meditation and practice." he said.

"Tony?" Harry asked.

"How do you think I keep the runes all sorted in my head? There's too much for a normal person to keep there without some kind of mechanism. I find that the Occlumency helps me keep everything nicely ordered." Tony said with a shrug. Harry was glad he had taken it so well. It did not mean Natasha was off the hook, though. She knew what he was planning and made all that worry be for nothing.

Steve eventually turned out to be the winner of that poker night, much to everyone's shock, including Steve's. He tried to refuse the money when Harry handed him a stack of bills, but Harry just laughed, "Hey, you could use that to take a girl out to a nice dinner. Don't be so quick to turn it down."

"What girl would I take out?" Steve asked with a shake of his head.

"I don't know, but if you don't act soon, I might end up setting you up on a blind date and ask Fury to tell you it's a mission." Harry threatened. "I remember Natasha talking about a girl with a lip piecing?"

Steve actually lost some colour and nodded in understanding. There was one girl that had caught his eye recently. He'd just have to work up the courage and take her for a coffee. That's what people did right?

-A couple of months later-

"Hey, you want to get some lunch?" Tony asked from the other side of the large Mirror setup along one wall as Harry entered his lab. If one didn't know, it would seem like it was one big room, with duplicate hardware on both sides as Harry and Tony sat at their respective desks. The mirror was seldom disconnected and looked and functioned like glass, for those who didn't know better. "We've been working through these mirrors for weeks, but I'm in the mood to get out of the lab and seeing some actual people."

"What did you have in mind?" Harry asked.

"Well, I was thinking a good old fashioned cheeseburger would be nice." Tony said.

Harry thought about it and nodded. "Give me a minute, I just need to go do something real quick." he said before disappearing to the island so he could go fetch something he had made for Tony. He thought about it for a moment and went to the stasis closet and transfigured some healthier food into a couple of Tony's favourite cheeseburgers. They could visit Bruce or some of their other friends after lunch.

Then he apparated to Tony's lab, but Tony wasn't there, so he walked out of the secret lab only to be shocked by the amount of people waiting in the room. "Surprise!" came the shout from the people in attendance.

"What's going on?" Harry asked as he put the plates with the food he had brought on a table.

Natasha walked up to him and hugged him, "Happy birthday, Harry." she said.

"Oh, is it really?" Harry asked. Wow, it had been a couple of months again. He had been so damn busy. "Thank you." He said to her as he hugged her back and mischievously ran his modified tickling charm down her body just before he let go and walked over to Tony, who was smirking, having successfully pulled one over on Harry. Natasha had not moved from her spot as she struggled to control herself. Harry would be paying for that later.

"Happy birthday, Harry." Tony said, shaking his hand, "You really should not be surprised that people remember this date." He looked down as he let go of Harry's hand with a ring on his finger that had not been there before. Harry decided to prank the man as a reward for the surprise party. "What's this?" he asked, trying, and failing, to remove the ring.

"You're so smart, figure it out." Harry said with a smile as he walked to the first guests. There were a lot of people, all of whom were in on the secret of Harry's magic of course, so basically a lot of people who have all been on Harry's island in the past, including, but not limited to: the X-Men, Darcy, Erik (Selvig, not Lehnsherr), a couple of SHIELD's people and most of Coulson's team and the Avengers.

"It won't shock people when I touch them will it?" Tony asked as he followed him, looking at the gaudy ring with the large 'S' on it.

Harry got a gleam in his eye and said, "Let's just say, Pepper would not appreciate you touching any other woman with that hand, right now."

Tony looked confused, but only for a second, before he got a huge smile and started looking about. He spotted his girl mingling with some of the female X-Men, whom she had not seen in a couple of months and made a bee-line.

"What did you do?" Natasha asked as Tony approached his girl.

"I made him a ring that does what I did to you just now." Harry replied honestly.

Natasha controlled her features and watched. "You know she's going to blame you if she can't control her reaction, right?"

Harry shrugged, "It's my birthday, so she'll have to forgive me. Also, Tony's smart enough to have figured it out. He should know better."

Natasha just smirked, as Tony grabbed Pepper and gave her a big hug. Her responding moan, and consequent blush, was fortunately missed by the majority of the happily talking room. The music helped as well.

Tony had instantly let go, but the damage had been done. His face showed shock, as Pepper took his other hand and dragged him from the room. He caught Harry's eye and mouthed, "I OWE YOU BIG!"

"That seems to have worked out rather well." Harry smiled. "I just hope he forgives me when he realises he can't remove the ring for 24 hours and the effect is permanently on."

Just then there was a flash from outside and Harry stepped outside to see Odin, Frigga, Thor and an unknown royal guard, probably there as protection for the family, on the Royal Carpet, descending from the roof of the penthouse, where Heimdall must have deposited them. Of course he knew and told them about the party. As soon as they landed, Frigga walked up to him and embraced him. "Happy birthday, Harry!"

Odin was next and grabbed Harry's forearm and hugged him tightly with the other, "Indeed. It is good to celebrate with you." Odin held him at arm's length and looked him in the eye, "That does not excuse the fact that you come visit us so seldom, these days. Frigga is constantly hearing of how busy you are and thinking she'll be an inconvenience if she came to visit. I do not like her feeling that way." he said sternly.

Harry looked at her guiltily, before hugging her again. "You should have said so! Of course you're welcome! Why would you ever feel that way?"

Frigga smiled at him and said, "I'm glad to know, but you know that Heimdall keeps an eye on you whenever he can. Not that that is often, these days. Apparently you hide in that secret location that you've established your worldwide protection guild in?" she asked before continuing, "And let me tell you, Odin has been talking about that a lot these days. He'll be wanting to hear all about it at some point."

"Stop spoiling my fun, Frigga." Odin spoke up with some humour before turning to Harry, "I do hope you can indulge an old man, by telling him some of what you are up to. It has been a while since the people of Asgard has felt the need for invention and change. The humans of Midgard always impressed me with their capacity for change and adaption."

Harry smiled and nodded, "I could tell you some of it if you want, and might even have a question or two for you about some of the things I'm working on." he agreed. "Though there are some things I have to keep quiet for fear of exposing secrets, not my own."

Odin nodded, though he did not look too happy. "It's been a long time since I've not had access to all the information, thanks to Heimdall. It will be an adjustment to know there are some things I cannot know."

"I apologize, Father, but I have given my word. I trust Heimdall with my secrets, but it is not his trust I am trying to maintain." Harry apologised.

Odin nodded again. "You honour yourself and the house of Odin with your words. You are loyal and wise as always and I shall strive not to push you to give answers that would have you betray your confidences."

Thor stepped up next and hugged Harry in a huge bear-hug. "Brother, it is good to see you again! You are barely ever around anymore!"

"Hey, bro," Harry quipped, using Thor's own words from when he had known of the adoption before him, "You really should come visit more often then. And don't give me an excuse," he looked between all of them as Thor made to object, "all of you have mirrors and could contact me anytime. Even when I'm at the office."

Frigga seemed to be unable to make eye contact. It seemed she had been trying to guilt him into coming to Asgard for a visit. Did she have something planned, again? He'd just have to get Natasha to feel her out for him. He glanced next to him and sure enough, she was there and seemed to have picked up on it as well.

Then the guard walked up and extended a hand at Harry. Harry took it and shook it, when a very familiar voice said, "Happy birthday. I decided to keep my presence hidden for the time being. Heimdall informed us of who all would be here." Loki had apparently decided that a disguise would put people's minds at ease.

Harry smiled and said, "It's probably just as well. Until you save earth from certain disaster, there will always be those that would try to shoot you on sight."

The 'guard' smirked, nodded and stepped back. Harry would have to arrange a drink for him. Loki could maintain an illusion of a guard and enjoy a drink at the same time after all.

Harry had a wonderful time, mixing with his friends. Seeing so many of them gathered together, reminded him of all the connections he had made since he arrived in this world. He spoke to all of them and thanked them for coming.

An hour later Tony was back and told Harry to start opening gifts, while Pepper and Natasha went off to talk, presumably about magic in the bedroom. Not many of the guests had known what to get Harry. Unfortunately, it was difficult to shop for a person who could literally snap his fingers and just make stuff.

Tony had reminded them all about his love for his Bar, though, so bottles of alcohol became the standard gift. Tony's own gift to Harry was an experiment he had worked on using some input from Bruce. They had decided to make a different kind of magical alcohol. Vodka. Harry would have to come up with whatever magical enchantment would go into it, but they had already worked out the effect with some magical ingredients.

Harry didn't waste any time and opened the large bottle immediately, pouring a round of shots, which halved the contents of the bottle. Once everyone had a shot, he lifted his and said, "Cheers!"

"To Harry!" Tony piped up and the rest of the group followed his lead.

Harry downed the shot and shivered. "That's cold!" he exclaimed, looking at the shot-glass and then the bottle.

"It's meant to be. We got the idea from one of the potions recipes in the library. Something that was meant to cool you off on warm days. Apparently it was used before comfort charms, like cooling and heating, became the norm." Bruce said with a smile.

"I thought that maybe we could work on a whole elemental range at some point, with earth, wind, fire and water represented?" Tony offered.

Harry cocked his head, "And what would this be? Cold isn't one of them." he asked.

Tony waved a finger, "But ice is a form of water and how else would you represent water when you're already drinking?"

Harry had to admit, he had a point. He could have fun with this too. "I can't wait to try a couple of cocktails with this stuff! I can already see it, 'Cooling Cocktails'." he mimed a sign in the air and willed a bit of magic to display it in sparkling letters.

"Well, you've got a couple of bottles at the Bar on the Beach." Tony informed him. "We've been thinking of names for it and so far we've got Iced Vodka and Loki's Breath."

Harry perked up and noticed the 'guard' look up as well. "Loki's Breath, you say? I think Iced Vodka will work for the standard stuff. We can use Loki's Breath for the final product we send to Asgard, like we did with Odin's Brew." Then he looked at the Asgardians, who didn't seem impressed, "We'll have to give it a good kick, though." He looked at Tony hopefully.

Tony had noticed the look, and nodded, "Sure. We can just follow the same steps we took last time for the firewhiskey, except stronger." Then he pointed at Harry, "But you'll have to figure out an enchantment first. Something like frosting up the glass or cooling down the room, when you take a shot."

Harry thought about it and had an idea, but he'd have to experiment to get it right. He'd leave that for later. "Thanks guys. This is an amazing gift!"

Bruce stepped forward, "Technically I only helped Tony on his gift. He went looking for ideas and found the Cooling Tonic on his own." Bruce reached into his pocket and removed a vial from his pocket. "This is my gift to you."

Harry took it and looked at the clear liquid inside, "What is it?"

"It's my mastery project." Bruce shrugged.

"Felix Felicis?" Harry was shocked. "I can't accept this! It's too valuable and must mean a lot to you!"

"Don't worry about it," Bruce said with a wink, "I've got more."

"Really?" Harry's eyebrows rose, as he decided to slip the vial into his pouch. "How long did it take you?"

"It was all one batch. I found a way to simplify the process, but it required that I make ten times more, which is probably why it wasn't done in the past. It would be quite expensive if you didn't have an island of willing ingredient donors." Bruce said with a smile. "That and it took twice as long to make as the original."

"What was that, Harry?" Odin asked having approached when he saw Harry's shock at the potion.

"Bruce's gift." Harry said. "He gave me a potion that took Masters back in my old world to brew."

"Oh," Odin's eyebrow rose, "And what does the potion do?"

"It increases one's luck." Harry said. "I only used one once in my life and it was like it led me to answers I needed to find when I wasn't even aware of how to go about finding them."

"Truly? It does sound like a marvel of magical brewing." Odin nodded and turned to Bruce. "How much would it cost me to commission one of these potions of luck?"

Harry left Bruce to speak with Odin. He smiled at the 'dear caught in the headlights' look he sent Harry. Bruce would have to start working on pricing for his potions at some point. He'd be able to use the income for funding, like normal Potions Masters did. Not that he had any financial constraints. Selling his wares to the King of Asgard, would definitely be a feather in his cap, however. Also, he might just barter for special ingredients or lost knowledge.

"I've been begging him for one of those!" Tony whined. Apparently Bruce had been very reluctant to give away his Masterwork Potions. Especially since it was not medical in nature. "I believe Jarvis has something for you as well," he spoke up again, pointing to the side where one of Tony's bots was trying to navigate the crowd of people. Harry smiled, but waited for the bot to get to him.

When it arrived it lifted a package to Harry. It was flat and rectangular. It looked like it contained a large tablet. Harry tore open the package and looked at it. It also looked like a tablet, but there was no on switch, that he could see. "What am I looking at Jarvis?" Harry asked the ceiling.

"That, Harry, is the first modern Pensieve. I took the rune schemes from the Pensieve you normally use and worked on it for a long time. Finding the correct way to use the intent on already carved runes was not easy, but I figured it out a couple of months ago." Jarvis said proudly.

"Really!? That's awesome!" Harry said holding the tablet up to see it better. He still could only make out the top, because it had a shallow indentation, where one would normally see the screen. "How does it work?"

Jarvis seemed smug, when he had to explain a magical device to Harry. "You put it down, face up and add the memory as you'd normally do. Then you can tap the edge to project the memory out or touch the repository to enter it." he explained, while Harry nodded, "But that's not all. Once a memory is loaded, you can show the memory on its face like any digital device. I used Master Stark's light runes with some rune-nerve connections to make the display and the touch-sensitive functions. There are one or two other features, including storage space, for multiple memories at the same time." he said smugly, as the robot reached down and picked up a booklet.

Harry took it and read the cover 'Pensieve V2.0'. "You're a comedian, Jarvis, but thanks. This will be really useful!" he gushed.

"Hold on. Did you just give Harry the first ever magical touch-screen?" Tony asked. "I wanted to make one of those first!"

Jarvis ignored Tony, but continued sounding smug as he reminded Harry, "I really suggest you read the instruction manual. It's got a couple of features you may want to know about."

"I will, Jarvis. Thanks again." Harry said as he stowed the Pensieve Tablet and its manual in his bag. He'd be looking into it the moment he had time. The rest of the party proceeded as one would expect. Tony kept on touching Pepper inappropriately, no matter where he touched her, until she dragged him away again. He was having way too much fun with this, Harry thought.

By the time people started leaving it was late in the evening and Harry was confronted by Odin and Frigga. "You must come to Asgard tomorrow." Frigga began, after Natasha had convinced her that one surprise party was enough for this year. "The people of Asgard would love celebrating your birthday with you. While we do not make as big of an event of it as Midgardians, you are still so young. Still a child by our standards."

"Hey, I know I look pretty young, but I just turned Thirty-Four, you know." Harry scoffed.

Thor scoffed, "Barely more than a babe. Even I am more than a thousand years old!"

Harry's mouth hung open for a moment. He had not realised. "Wow. You're looking good for an old man." Harry joked. He had known Odin and Frigga were old, with mentions of a couple thousand years before having their first child, but for some reason he thought Thor was closer to his own age.

"Do not worry about being judged by our standards. Midgardians tend to live shorter lives, so they achieve maturity much sooner." Odin said. "You have already proven yourself a man among men in Asgard. None will judge you poorly based off your actual age. In fact, most are impressed at how much you have achieved with so few years under your belt."

"When do we celebrate your birthdays then?" Harry asked.

"Every week actually," Odin laughed. "Did you not know that the very days of the week are named after us? Wednesday was named after a younger version of my name on your world, Woden. Thursday was Thorsday and Friday was for Frigga. Most of the mortals of Midgard don't even realise."

Harry heard the sound of glass breaking in his head as a preconception or accepted fact was shattered. "Oh, wow. Now I will never be able to hear those words without thinking about that." Harry said as he stared into space and touched his head. He would later find out about the sun and moon being responsible for Sunday and Monday and Tuesday being associated with another Asgardian. "Suddenly I wish I was drunk."

"Not too drunk, I hope? We still have some celebrating to do." Natasha purred in his ear.

Harry suddenly felt better, though slightly distracted. "There's not enough alcohol on the planet to keep me from that." he said as he lifted a hand and turned a portal to where Heimdall was waiting into being for the royal party. Then he focussed on them. "We'll be there for dinner. Will that be okay?"

"You'll be there two hours prior to dinner, young man! We have our gift to give and some things to discuss as well." Frigga said as she looked at Natasha and winked at her. "Until then, enjoy your celebration." Then she hugged both Harry and Natasha and stepped through the portal. Then Odin, Thor and the guard, Loki, said their farewells and left.

"Hey, Harry?" Tony started. "I have been contacted by someone who wants to meet with you. Are you aware that there is no record of any way to contact you other than through EPI and me? Apparently Fury refused to play messenger and passed them on to me."

"I was not aware. I'll have Hill setup a service for it." Harry nodded, still holding Natasha's hand.

"Since when is EPI and PI the same thing?" Tony asked.

"Since PI consists of you, Bruce, Hank and me." Harry retorted.

"And me." Jarvis interjected.

"Of course, Jarvis. Sorry. You're probably the one that does the most work for PI, since you're in charge of fabrication." Harry apologised.

"I've also taken over prioritising installation of new distribution centres and sending that information on to EPI, who have taken over installations from Stark Industries." Jarvis added. "At this point, all that Stark Industries does is deliver the WPTs, PMGs and IRDRs to a pickup site. They have access to the portals and can arrange installations much quicker. It's also been helping with the reputation of EPI."

Harry was amazed again, then he turned to Tony. "How far are you with the inertial dampening? We have a promise to keep to Jarvis, and as soon as you're done with your self-imposed mastery qualifier, I'm giving you all of Hermione's research. I want to keep my promise."

"Would it be okay for me to have access too?" Jarvis asked, hopefully.

"Of course, Jarvis! We're talking about your future here." Harry agreed easily.

"But not before me!" Tony quickly interjected. "I've been working at all this, for a long time now, with that as my goal."

"Of course, Tony. I would not do that to you. You've kept up your part of the deal." Harry agreed.

"While Master Stark works at that first, I'll start working on a couple of ideas I have for the space program." Jarvis said. "I've been looking at the current idea for inertial dampening and was able to extrapolate what I think will work for artificial gravity without needing to apply centrifugal force."

"Harry, if we don't leave now, I'm leaving and starting without you." Natasha whispered in his ear. He had started getting into his planning sessions again. Harry loved planning and dreaming of the possibilities of magic. He'd felt so stifled in his old world. Here he was able to dream and play. Natasha didn't want to take that away from him, but he had been teasing her all night and she was about ready to jump him where he stood.

Harry noticed the danger signs and quickly yelled goodbye, before apparating the both of them directly to the Island and their bedroom. The first thing Harry noticed when they had landed, was Natasha's shirt flying. The last thing he saw that night, or morning, was her sweat drenched body in a near-catatonic state of bliss, but with the biggest smile on her face. He thought he might look the same.

The next day they slept late. Natasha sometimes joked that their exertions in the bedroom might negate the necessity for exercise in the mornings. Only, that morning, it felt like the truth.

When they did get up, Natasha was the first to leave for the day. She had been working with EPI, ever since its founding, which kept her quite busy and had a use for her many skills. Harry couldn't be happier for her. She had been training her own squad of deep cover operatives. They were being trained for long term infiltration, using whatever magical assistance they might need. Natasha already had a couple of agents in the field and she was all of their primary contact. She had all the tools she'd need to get updates and monitor their progress, along with magical monitoring, which only she, Harry and Fury had access to.

Harry had refused to setup another monitoring solution like they had used for/on the Hydra agents. Only people that knew they were being monitored were added to the latest version, with a remote activated stasis portkey, in-case they got blindsided and/or kidnapped and wounded. They were also not permanently recorded, although there were cameras in Natasha's private office, which were disconnected from the EPI network, for her own records and monitoring when she was not in the office.

Another difference to this monitoring system, was that Natasha could communicate with her people without the need for using visible devices. They did have jewellery that performed the same function, but nobody would think to take them, since they were neither valuable nor flashy. Simple trinkets like beads on an arm-band or crystals on leather straps.

With Natasha no longer following Harry around, and his promise not to take any chances, they were working separately, quite happily, with Harry spending most of his days at his lab in EPI and only working at the Workshop whenever he was working on anything potentially dangerous or secret.

Harry was still working on his latest project, that of enchanting Vodka, when Natasha appeared in his office. Tony looked up from his side of the always active Mirror and greeted her before continuing his own work. She walked up to Harry and greeted him, before saying, "Come on, Harry. Frigga will have our hides if we're late."

"Just a couple more minutes? I think I've got this." Harry said as he finished the spell-work on a bottle filled with water. The enchantment would work on the magical liquor, but he didn't want to waste it when he was working, especially since he could just as easily drink water and test the effect. "There, I think I have it." Harry said as he poured a shot of the newly enchanted liquid into a shot glass. Then he held it out to Natasha. "Want to try it? It's only water, but the enchantment should work like Firewhiskey."

Natasha took the shot glass and looked over at Tony, to see him watching. She downed the shot, but left a bit on her tongue to breathe over. When she blew out, there was a light fog and what looked like ice crystals started raining down under where she blew for a couple of seconds. Natasha frowned. While the effect was good, the experience was somewhat marred by the fact that she only tasted water.

Harry seemed to know what she was thinking, "Yeah, I know, but imagine that effect with an ice-cold shot of Vodka."

"I see what you're going for, but don't you think it's slightly derivative?" Tony asked from his side of the mirror.

Harry smirked, "You've only seen half of it. I'll show you the rest when the time is right." He then walked around his table and smiled at his girl. "Thanks for coming for me." He took her arm and apparated them to their house.

"No problem." Natasha said with a smirk. "I was able to arrange the day off tomorrow, but we'll need to consider assigning me a staff with a new clearance level contract. I can't have my people out there with someone else watching their backs if I can't guarantee their secrets are kept."

"How is your project fairing?" Harry asked.

"I've gotten a couple of people into starting positions. Proper infiltration takes months to years, which is why I can afford to take time off so scarcely. We'll need that new contract setup soon, so that I can delegate some of my responsibilities." Natasha told him.

"Does Hill know what to look out for?" Harry asked as he donned the formal wear he had received from Frigga yesterday.

"Yes, she has already setup a shortlist for me. I just need to take the time, once you've done your part, to conduct the interviews." Natasha smirked as she got dressed herself, flashing him a couple of times in poses she knew drove him wild.

Harry, who was very aware of her attempts to distract him, focussed his occlumency for full emotional control. It worked well enough, that he could tell when she noticed her efforts were being resisted. She abandoned subtlety at that point and blew him a kiss. "Are you going to need anything for these interviews?" Harry asked as he finished his ensemble with a pair of thick leather boots. He'd have to look into tanning more Dragon leather. It wasn't like he had to worry about wear, but he didn't have much variety.

"I'll be using some of EPI's stock of Veritaserum, but they will have the option to take it. If they refuse, they will still have an opportunity to be hired, but not work directly with sensitive information." Natasha confirmed. "Though, with Hill in charge, I doubt that will be an issue."

"Sounds like you've got this all planned except for the contracts. Why am I only hearing about this now?" he said as he turned around to find Natasha dressed and waiting for him. "How are you always dressed faster than me?"

"Trade secret." Natasha smirked, "You'd have to earn that knowledge."

Harry's occlumency failed, but only because he really wanted it to. Her suggestive look suddenly had all the intended effect and he smiled as he summoned her to him and allowed her momentum to carry them onto the nearby bed. "Oh, I'm sure I could do that."

Natasha laughed as he played along for a bit, but then stopped him. "If we don't leave now, I'm telling Frigga it's your fault we're late."

Harry smirked at her, "And you think she'll believe you over me?"

Natasha lifted an eyebrow and smirked back, "The word of the future mother of her grandchildren?"

Harry's smirk faded. "Damn. Okay fine!" he said. "But just for the record, you did start this."

"You could have resisted me." Natasha countered.

"Who'd want to?" Harry asked rhetorically. He got up and pulled her off the bed, before kissing her again. Then he activated the portkey to Asgard.

The party was a raucous one. People congratulated Harry and drank to his health. Some of them came to congratulate them on the engagement again. All in all the party was a standard affair, though there were a few more dishes from Earth, including a giant four-layer cake, which Harry had to admit, tasted better than any he had ever baked. He suspected Frigga had added something from one of the other realms.

This led him to a discussion with her about obtaining spices and herbs from the other realms. He had provided so much from his home, but never considered the possibilities of the other realms, besides potions ingredients. Frigga promised to have a package put together for him by his next visit. Harry told her that she could come visit on the island as well, and that he'd have the royal gift situated with the protections in the next week or so.

Odin had a bit of a discussion with him about producing magical liquor for Asgard. Harry told him of a couple of plans they had and asked much the same question he had of Frigga. For some of what they planned, he'd need a few ingredients from Asgard.

Odin listened to his plan and smiled. "It seems like you might have been misjudged in people's estimates of your divine gifts…" he started, but noted Natasha shaking her head behind Harry, "or you may have another divine calling. You certainly know your way around making fine alcohol and food too! Perhaps something more all-encompassing?"

"The god of gluttony?" Loki offered up from his position beside Frigga.

Frigga slapped his arm, "Stop that!" then she looked at Harry with a kind smile. "If anything his divine attribute is Generosity."

Natasha seemed to consider it before nodding. "I think that if Harry were divine, that would definitely be one of his defining attributes."

"Indeed! What else would encompass all his virtues and deeds better than that?!" Thor exclaimed, taking another sip of his ale.

"Please people!" Harry said as he desperately tried to change the subject. "Why are we discussing something that doesn't matter? I am not of the Aesir, so I don't have a divine calling. I am a simple magic user with a love of helping people."

Frigga smiled warmly at him, "You may not be an Aesir by birth, but you have been blessed by Asgard and you are as divine as any of us here. Did you not know this?" she asked. "Surely you did not believe we were just speculating for entertainment?"

Harry was dumbstruck, so Natasha asked for him as she lay a hand on his knee, to offer him support, "What would this divinity entail?"

Odin decided to handle this one, "There is much speculation about the power of Asgard and its origins, but for all the theories I have found only one possibility that rings true after all my years. The power does not reside in the land as much as it does in its people. Their faith in its unbending will and its divine blessings, have given her those powers. Asgard is and always has been the power of faith and those who Asgard, as a people, chooses to believe in."

Harry frowned, after hearing this, "You mean to tell me you have divine power because people believe you do?"

Odin sat back and tried to explain, "It has to do with the nature of the universe. Ask yourself, if there was nobody to observe the universe, would it exist? Would it even matter, then? The answer lay in the study of existence and its purpose. The simple answer is no. Without anyone to observe it, the universe would not exist. That is the reason for the creation of immortal souls. Even in death, the dead perform the function of validating and causing existence to continue, even if all life were to be snuffed out.

"But that is not what we are discussing. The power of faith is well documented, even on Midgard. Miracles that occur, because of the power of faith, no matter the religion. People find comfort and purpose in their beliefs, so their combined will and faith causes those things to happen. On Asgard, we know this as well, but we have chosen what we wished to believe to bring it into existence." Odin finished.

Harry frowned, "So Valhalla and Hel?"

"All exist. I have seen both with my own eyes. It is one of the reasons why nobody is allowed on Niflheim. It is the residence of Hel, where those who do not die as heroes go." Odin said sombrely.

Natasha looked shocked and asked, "So your people either die as heroes or they go to an existence of endless pain?"

"You are thinking of the dimensions of fire ruled by demons, yes?" Frigga asked. At Natasha's nod, she continued, "You are thinking of a different Hell. The Hel of our people is not only a place to torture spirits for eternally. It is also the place where those who lived peaceful lives can rest. It is a place where those who pass on get what they deserve for how they lived their lives."

Loki spoke up, "The reason why most strive for Valhalla, is because it is a guarantee of what awaits us after death, rather than the uncertainty of whether our lives were good enough to ensure a peaceful afterlife."

"This is a lot to take in." Harry said, with Natasha agreeing internally. "I've never been one for religious discussion and research, but I think I'll have to look into this, if there's a chance it might affect my life."

Odin smiled at him, "Once again you show your wisdom, but I have an interesting possibility to raise to you, before we continue with the feast."

"Yes?" Harry asked with a hint of suspicion and apprehension in his voice.

"What if I told you that Magic, specifically yours, is a form of connection to the very power of creation and existence? Furthermore, what if I told you the reason you are so powerful is because of all the faith your people had in you, before you even knew your own destiny? The same counts for your enemy. The reason he could not die was because his followers started believing he could not die. That is my theory anyway, with the little information you gave me." Odin said.

To say Harry's mind was blown, would be an understatement. If Odin was right, it had so many implications. It would explain why he had suddenly become so powerful after the world saw him saving New York with the Avengers and why his island became so magical so suddenly when he started bringing sentient magical creatures to it. He had always believed that the concentration of magic in an area and the amount of power invested, would eventually lead to the land itself becoming magical.

He didn't consider that the inhabitants' very hopes and beliefs could be responsible for infusing the land with so much potential and attributing the land and its protection and power to him. He realised that he himself had put quite a bit of faith into what he was doing, what he was trying to achieve. He had essentially created a miniature Asgard, all without trying to. "Oh, no." he muttered to himself as realisation struck.

Natasha heard anyway. "What?" she asked.

Harry looked up at her. "The nymphs."

"What about them?" Natasha asked again.

"They practically worship me already. They were joking about making a sacrifice to me as their patron, when we were confronting that kid from Xavier's institute." Harry whined. "At least, I hope they were joking."

Loki's smile had been growing and growing until he couldn't contain his laughter anymore. "This is priceless!" he exclaimed through his laughter.

"What is it?" Frigga asked. Loki's laughter was contagious and she was smiling already.

Loki pulled himself together with some effort and explained, "Harry has a grove of Forest Nymphs on New Atlantis, which his people rescued from being hunted down and sold into slavery. They have apparently been worshipping Harry as their patron." Loki looked like he was going to lose the battle against laughter again, "Don't you see, Mother? Harry is being worshipped as a god and king by creatures who have been a source of lust and sexual desire for generations. They are the very incarnations of the sexual, the word nymph has become synonymous with it. Add to that the book he brought from his home world and how quickly the rumours of his prowess have been spreading…" at this Loki did lose the fight and broke down in laughter again.

Frigga seemed to be struggling with her own mirth. Odin chuckled softly while Thor had outright burst out in laughter. "It seems you've been set down a specific path, my son." Odin said, still with a smile on his face.

"But that wasn't my intention!" Harry whined as Natasha put an arm around his shoulders.

"At least you can control yourself completely around their allure." Natasha said to him. "Imagine you hadn't been able to when you realised they had all bonded to you. They'd all be pregnant by now."

Harry heard it coming, but had been unable to stop her. He buried his face in his hands as he heard Frigga's intake of breath. "You just couldn't resist could you?" he muttered. Though he couldn't see it, he knew Natasha had an impish smile on her lips.

"What did I just hear?" Frigga asked, dangerously.

Loki on the other hand had stopped laughing suddenly. "I concede victory to you, Harry. For even I, Loki the Trickster, could not trick you as well as you have tricked yourself."

Harry just groaned. It was a hollow victory. "Why does the universe conspire to make my life more difficult at every opportunity?"

"You will not ignore me, Harry!" Frigga demanded. "What does this mean? You are bonded to a grove of Nymphs?"

Harry sighed and looked up with resignation. "Actually, considering what I know now, they are more likely bonded to the land, which is bonded to me in turn. Also, they are not a grove, but the grove. As far as I can tell, they are the last of their kind. We have heard rumours but have been unable to find proof that there are more of them hidden on one of the other realms."

"That does not matter, Harry! You have all these connections and have not had your mother meet your new consorts yet!" Frigga said with disappointment in her voice. Thor and Loki winced as Harry experienced, for the first time, the feeling of having disappointed a devoted mother-figure. "You will remedy this at once!"

Harry winced, but Natasha came to his rescue. "You realise that they are Forest Nymphs, right? They cannot leave the place where their trees are planted, so they cannot come here." she explained. "As for them being Harry's consorts, we have, as of yet, not 'tasted their fruit', as they would put it."

Frigga's eyes narrowed. "I know some things of the Nymphs. You are not depriving them of any of their needs, are you?"

"As far as I know, they are perfectly happy. As long as they get to spend some time around me every now and then, they are quite content." Harry assured her. "And you can meet them when you come to the island again. You'd have met them anyway, after I set up your gift."

"Then you will do so tomorrow and I will come and meet them." Frigga stated, brooking no argument as she turned to her husband and whispered something in his ear. Harry did not like the smirk on Odin's face.

Harry's occlumency had started filing these kinds of happenings in a reasonably new category he referred to as 'Family Drama'. While he loved these people, they were sometimes quite exasperating. "Fine." Harry groused and hoped they were finished with this subject. He did not miss the twinkle in Loki's eye, one of mischief, but it was there most of the time these days, so he just let it go and made a mental note to be on the lookout for something unexpected.

The rest of the party was fun and full of laughs and stories being told by family and friends. Harry enjoyed it and made a mental note to try and spend a bit more time away from the office. After all, what good was living if there was no enjoyment in it?

That evening they spent the night in Harry's rooms and had breakfast with the family, before leaving for the island, where they spent their morning alone and uninterrupted. Just before lunch, Harry set to work on his latest project. Part of it had been on his mind for a while now, but because of his latest gift, he was forced to put it into action immediately instead of somewhere along the line.

So it was that he went to one of the greenhouses, a bit away from the others and cast a Fidelius on it. Then he started adding embellishments and decorations in gold, which he had gone to fetch from his vault. It was all golden leaves and vines, with fruit of all sorts that were enchanted to change colour every so often, going through the whole spectrum.

He then went inside and dug out a large deep opening, transporting the soil outside for later use. Then he started working over the remaining soil and adding a lot of fertilizer. He wanted this to be his most fertile piece of land, so he worked the dragon dung in deep, before compacting everything down again to level the ground, even if it was underground, and make it stable to walk on.

Then he returned to the house, to get something to drink and eat as Natasha had decided she wanted to be surprised. She had long since noticed he loved surprising people and would sometimes let him go at something alone so he could impress her with his efforts.

When lunch was over, he kissed her goodbye and apparated to the Nymph enclosure. "Good afternoon ladies." Harry said as he walked in. "Hope I'm not interrupting something?"

Xera was first to him and gave him a big hug, which he returned with good humour. Once they had learned of the custom, Harry had become the victim… recipient of at least two from each of them at every meeting.

So it was that Harry stood there hugging every one of them, even a very young one that looked like a young girl. She was apparently as old as she looked, at around five or six years old. She had autumn red/orange hair and very pale green eyes. Her name was Xamantha and she was quite adorable when she smiled. She had always stayed behind someone, when they had guests, and was the quiet type. Many times she had refused to come out of her tree, even.

Apparently she had lived in fear her whole life, but she was slowly coming around. The first time she had hugged Harry, she had refused to let go and he had had to carry her around with him as he worked on the enclosure adding space and redirecting water-flow as directed by Xera. Since then she always had a smile for him and inevitably ended up climbing on his back so that he could carry her around.

This time was no exception. She had at least waited until the nymphs had stopped greeting him before jumping on him. Harry smiled and shifted her to be more comfortable for him. "Okay, then. Hello to you too." He smiled at her before turning to Xera. "I have not just come to visit. I have a proposition for you and your people."

"What can we do for you, Lord Harry?" Xera asked with a smile of her own. She really liked Harry's effect on the little Xamantha. She had always been so shy and slow to trust. She still didn't speak much, but she bloomed like a flower when Harry came to visit.

"I have come to bring you good news and request a favour. First, I have set up a greenhouse for you and your sisters, right by the other greenhouses. As such you will have easy access to the pool and the bar, should you feel like it." Harry said.

"That is wonderful!" Xera exclaimed. There was an excited muttering from the Nymphs as well and all of them wore happy smiles.

"The favour I ask, is that you take care of and protect a very special new addition to the island, which will reside with you in the greenhouse." Harry said.

"Of course we'll do it! We'd love to care for any new residents on the island." Xera promised. "What is it that we will be responsible for?"

Harry smiled impishly, "That is a surprise. We will also be receiving a few guests, which is when I will present you with the new 'resident'."

"As you wish." Xera said.

Harry nodded and slapped his hands together. "Okay, so I'll be moving your trees. As we've been through this process before you should know what to do. All of you into your trees and don't come out until I tell you it's safe." He instructed. Xamantha slid off his back and skipped over to her tree, where she disappeared into the sapling.

Harry cancelled the magics of the room as he waited for them all to disappear, plunging the cave into darkness. Then he turned a portal into being above the grove, allowing the light in again. Above him he could see the domed glass roof of the greenhouse. Then he lifted his arms and, unlike before when he had transported the grove tree by tree, he lifted the very ground beneath the trees and hoisted the entire grove through the giant portal.

It took quite a bit of power, but Harry barely felt his reserves dipping as he lifted the grove through the portal. He quickly transported himself to the greenhouse, while maintaining his hold and then closed the portal once he could see he had the trees and ground lifted above it. Then he slowly set it down. He had not known that he had cleared out a bit too much earth, so he quickly had to take hold again as the loose earth started falling into the crevice.

Harry then made a full circle walking around the grove and transporting the soil back into the opening around the grove. When it was nicely compacted again and he had walked through the grove, twice, he called on Xera again. Slowly she exited her tree and looked around. "You moved us all at once?!" she exclaimed. "You truly are a worthy lord and a wonderful man." She turned around and called the other Nymphs.

They were as shocked as Xera and looked through the greenhouse and at its decorations in wonder. Some of them walked over to some of the enchanted fruit decorations and touched them and giggled when they felt Harry's power in them. As they explored the area, Harry started activating the little streams and making sure they were still running as they should.

"Everything seems to be in order here." Harry said as he exited the grove and walked over to Xera as Xamantha ran up to him and latched onto his leg. He smiled and lifted her onto his back again. "How is everything? Are you experiencing any diminished connection to the island? Is there anything you'll need here?"

Xera smiled at him. "You worry too much. Everything feels as it had. The connection may even be a bit stronger here, since we are closer to the source."

"I'm glad. Let me show you how to get back into the Greenhouse and then I'll go fetch our guests." Harry said. He led them all outside and then told them the secret.

As he went to leave he had to put Xamantha in Xera's arms to keep her from trying to climb on him again and then he apparated home. "Honey, I'm home!" Harry said as he walked in.

"It's about time," came the unexpected voice of Frigga from his living room, where she was apparently drinking tea with Natasha. Well, she was drinking tea, Natasha was drinking coffee. "I have been waiting for an hour!"

"Didn't I say I'd come fetch you?" Harry asked.

"You most certainly did not and I was not taking any chances, so I took the portkey. I suspect Odin would like to join us as well, so if you would please call him on the mirror?"

It was a short while later that Harry, Natasha, Frigga, Odin, Thor and Loki walked to the greenhouses. Harry could have transported them, but he felt that their coming here on foot the first time, somehow meant something. It helped that it added to the suspense even just a little bit.

When they arrived, Harry gave them all the secret and presented the greenhouse. "May I present the Nymph House." he said as he spread his arms wide and looked at the greenhouse for the first time without having something to do to it in hours.

"You have modified it to accentuate its appeal." Odin said. "You have quite the gift for artistic decoration. Is there nothing that you cannot do?"

Harry scratched the back of his head, "Actually, I do have a love for some forms of art, and I must admit to having copied heavily from some of the works I have seen in the past. I am no artist."

"Oh, that's good." Loki breathed out with relief. When everyone looked at him he shrugged, "It is good to know he's not good at everything he attempts."

Thor chuckled. Odin soon followed. Frigga was not so patient. "Where are these Nymphs?" she asked, excitedly.

Harry rolled his eyes and led them to the door, where he knocked and said, "Xera, I have brought the guests."

Xera opened the door from her side and bowed to the guested before stepping aside and letting them in. "Good afternoon. My name is Xera and I am the leader of the Nymphs of New Atlantis. Welcome to our grove."

Frigga walked in and inspected the Nymph with a critical eye, then turned to Harry. Her eyes seemed to be following something between them and into the back of the rest of the greenhouse where the grove was located. "Interesting." She muttered before smiling at Xera. "Hello, Xera. My name is Frigga of Asgard. This is my husband Odin and those are my other two sons Thor and Loki, who I believe you have met before."

Xera seemed to pale, before going down on one knee and bowing her head, "Queen Mother! Excuse my manners! I did not know who our guests would be."

"I'll have none of that. I am not queen here. That honour will one day belong to our Lady Natasha." Frigga said as she helped the Nymph to her feet and indicating Natasha. "Come, show me your home and let me meet your people. Maybe you can tell me about this connection I feel between you and my youngest."

And so, a blushing Xera led the Queen of Asgard into the grove with not so much as a backward glance as she started telling Frigga of her Lord and all he has done for them. At some point Xamantha, shy around the strangers, ran up behind Harry and hid behind him while holding onto his hand.

Harry looked down and smiled at her. "Come, meet my family." he said to her as he picked her up and held her on his hip. She hid her face in his shoulder and said nothing, but she'd look up with a shy smile when he started introducing her. "This is Odin and the father of our family. Father, this is Xamantha, the youngest of the grove." he said, turning so that Odin could see her and she could greet him.

Odin smiled at her and held out a hand to her. She shyly took it and shook it, as Odin said, "It is a pleasure to meet one of my son's people, and you are such a pretty little thing." he said as he tickled her lightly, eliciting a giggle from her. "Why don't you show me to where Frigga has disappeared off to, eh?" he asked her.

She turned to Harry, who nodded at her, "Go on. Odin will not hurt you. I trust everyone here." he said as he put her down. She took one of Odin's fingers and started leading him into the grove.

"You must be weary that mother does not see how you hold that little girl. With her red hair and green eyes she looks almost like she could be Natasha's daughter." Thor warned.

"Indeed. The way you held her and the way she holds on to you makes for a strong impression. You looked like a doting father." Loki agreed.

"She's just a shy little girl, who has trouble trusting people. She's not had an easy life." Harry said.

"That will only endear her to mother more easily." Thor said. "From the look on mother's face, there is more going on here than meets the eye."

With that they followed behind Odin and the little girl until they came to the clearing at the centre of the grove, where Frigga had found a thick root on one of the trees to sit on like a bench. Arranged in front of her were the Nymphs all sitting on the ground and introducing themselves to her. Xamantha let go of Odin's finger and joined them on the ground, not wanting to be left out. When time came for her to introduce herself, she ducked her head, not having thought that far ahead.

"Her name is Xamantha. She is a quiet one. I have heard her say no more than three words in the last couple of weeks and two of them were Harry." Xera said with a smile.

"Come here child and let me see you." Frigga asked with a kind smile.

Xamantha, however was suddenly very shy and scurried back to Harry, where she hid behind him. Shaking his head, he turned around and picked her up, before going to sit next to the queen with Xamantha on his lap. "Xamantha, this is Frigga, my mother. She is very nice and came all this way just to meet you and the grove." Harry said, introducing her.

Xamantha did not say anything, but lifted her head slightly to smile a shy smile at Frigga. "And it was worth the trip just to see that pretty smile." Frigga assured her with her own smile. She had not missed how Harry had handled the child. He would make a good father. Indeed, judging from the girl's burgeoning connection to him it was entirely possible that she had already assigned that role to him in her mind.

Frigga relished at the idea and decided that having an adopted Nymph granddaughter wasn't so bad. She reached out and tentatively took the child from Harry. At first she stiffened, but Frigga's gentle presence soon soothed her as she sat on the Queen's lap and started drifting off.

"We are here today to see a gift, which my son received, taken care of." Frigga spoke quietly to the grove.

"It was the anniversary of my birth two days ago and it is customary to give gifts on one's birthday and my family gave me something quite special." Harry said. When he saw looks of panic, he quickly assured them, "But it is only customary if you knew about it. Since you did not, you don't need to worry about gifts."

"But, my lord!" Xera started.

"No buts. If you really want to give me a gift, promise me you'll look after this." Harry said as he pulled a small box out of his pocket. He held it out in front of Xera and opened the box. Inside was what looked like a seed of some sort. "This is a seed from one of the apples of Idunn, otherwise known as a Golden Apple."