30. AFTERMATH

After Cull Obsidian left, Tony, visibly upset by the recent mess, turned to Harry and asked, "Harry, Loki, and that red Hulk, where did you keep them?"

Harry quickly shouted before disappearing, "STARK TOWER."

Suddenly, Harry found himself on the top floor of Stark Tower. To his relief, both Loki and General Ross were still there, petrified as he left them.

Now, Harry wondered how the alien giant managed to escape despite being bound by numerous spells and transfigurations.

Shortly after, Harry, Domino, The Avengers, and the Fantastic Four arrived inside Stark's penthouse. They sighed in relief upon seeing Loki and General Ross lying frozen on the floor. Loki, pretending to be asleep, was attempting some spell to undo his petrification and rise to his feet. However, Thor, with his keen sense, sensed Loki's ruse and pointed to him, alerting everyone.

Barton, not one to play mind games with Loki, walked over, and kicked him with all his strength, making Loki groan in pain and open his eyes to see the group hovering over him. His face bore various cuts.

The Avengers stood ready for a fight. Thor had his hammer, Steve his shield, Hulk growled menacingly, Tony stood armored, and Harry aimed his wand at Loki, its tip glowing bright red. Clint aimed an arrow at Loki, Natasha and Domino aimed the Chitauri army's blasters at the mischievous god ready to fire at any sign of trouble, while The Thing and Human Torch kept a watchful eye.

"If it's all the same to you..." Loki said, looking at them. "I'll have that drink now," he said to Tony, wearing a defeated look.

Having had enough of the ordeal, Tony limped towards Loki and asked, "Who was your big alien friend, Loki, and who sent you? And before you get any ideas, let me tell you, our big green friend over there will chew you out if you make any smart moves." Tony pointed towards Hulk, who grinned terrifyingly.

Loki, being Loki, wore his annoying smirk and said, "Do you think I, Loki, the god of mischief and prince of Asgard, will do whatever you tell me? Oh, you are so mistaken, Stark. You won't get what you want just because you defeated me."

In response, Loki received a red spell, causing him to roar in pain. The painful sound made everyone step back and look at Harry. Harry undid his spell, realizing everyone was watching him, and said, "What?! Blimey! I've had enough of this nonsense. I want answers. If I get another load of rubbish, you'll experience the same thing again, mate. So, speak careful now. Let's start again. Who was your big alien pal, and who sent him?"

Everyone could sense Harry's anger, more intense than any of them. Loki's voice quivered as he answered, "He is Cull Obsidian, one of Mad Titan Thanos' adopted children. He was sent as my assistant to complete this plan. His order was to bring the Tesseract along with him, the main objective of this invasion, other than my personal goal."

Thor, the only one acquainted with the name of Thanos, asked Loki, "Why does Thanos covet the Tesseract, Loki? And why are you aiding him in his quest?"

After recovering from the torture spell, Loki chuckled and said, "Oh, brother, why do you think I know everything? What Madman wants to do with the Tesseract, I don't know. But he wants all the Infinity Stones, not just the Tesseract. So, be ready to taste defeat at the hands of Thanos. This was just a small display of his power. Even I would say I fear crossing his path."

Captain America, growing impatient with Loki's banter, turned to Thor and asked, "Thor, who is Thanos exactly? Is he that powerful to be worried about, aside from his army, and what exactly are those Infinity Stones?"

Thor, well-versed in galactic conflicts, began to enlighten everyone about the menacing figure of the Mad Titan, Thanos. "Thanos, a galactic warlord of immense power, He traverse the galaxies, subjugating planets by eradicating half of their populace. His might is extraordinary, and he commands a legion of Chitauri soldiers and the Black Order, his adoptive Children. In a bygone era, I harbored a desire to confront him, yet my father, in his wisdom, restrained me, deeming my strength insufficient. To face him would court disaster for Earth, even in the unlikely event of triumph. The very existence of Earth would be imperiled, for Thanos relentlessly seeks the Infinity Stones."

"Infinity Stones, potent gems when united, possess the capability to annihilate people, planets, and entire solar systems—a cataclysmic power. Six in number are these Stones: The Space Stone, the Reality Stone, the Power Stone, the Mind Stone, the Time Stone, and the Soul Stone. Should Thanos lay claim to these cosmic jewels, our prospects of victory dwindle to a mere wisp."Thor explained, his tone serious.

Harry immediately interjected, "So, we're gonna lose anyway, is that what you're saying, Thor?"

Thor then delved into the story of the Infinity Stones' existence. "I have heard tales that Odin, in his prime, once wielded these Stones to vanquish a formidable adversary upon Midgard. This battle, fought upon Earth, prompted the withdrawal of all gods to their respective realms, forsaking this mortal domain."

Thor continued, ""Aye, Seidr of Earth, I shall not coat my words with saccharine embellishments. look upon the destruction caused by his army , It will be much worse than this." He gestured towards the view of the ruined city from Stark Tower. The attention of the Avengers and the Fantastic Four shifted to the casualties and debris of demolished buildings in the vicinity of New York, with most of the damage concentrated in the area where Hulk had been fighting. Press helicopters were flying around which were recording the state of New York.

The revelation of Thanos' quest for the Infinity Stones and the potential devastation they could bring left an ominous atmosphere hanging over the assembled heroes. As they grappled with the magnitude of the threat, the urgency to find a way to prevent Thanos from obtaining the stones became paramount.

In the solemn atmosphere of Stark Tower, as the heroes contemplated the impending threat of Thanos and the destructive power of the Infinity Stones, Harry felt a surge of determination. The memory of the overpowering sensation from the scepter lingered in his mind, and he decided to take an unprecedented step.

With a firm grip on the scepter, Harry shouted the seemingly underrated spell from his magical universe, "REPARO!" His veins began to glow with a brilliant blue hue as if drawing magic from the scepter to fuel his spell. A luminous cloud of blue dust enveloped everything—Stark Tower, New York City, and its citizens. When the dust finally settled, the once-devastated Stark Tower and the city had been restored to their pristine states.

The transfigured vehicles returned to their original forms, and even Tony's armor was fully repaired. Harry, panting from the exhaustive effort, turned to Thor, his green eyes gleaming. "We're gonna win, no matter who shows up. Absolute victory, mark my words."

Thor, who had previously painted a grim picture of the situation, burst into laughter at the spectacular display."Hahahahahahahah! Well spoken, my Seidr companion. Victory shall be ours, regardless of the odds. By Odin's venerable beard, when have I ever been a coward to cower before a formidable foe?"

Loki, witnessing his brother's apparent madness, interjected amidst the merriment. "You are all fools. The most peaceful resolution would be to give Thanos what he wants and submit to him. You know it, Thor. Once he finds those stones, not even Allfather will be able to stop him."

Captain America, always levelheaded, posed a crucial question after Loki's ominous statement. "Well, Loki, what's the guarantee that Thanos will peacefully let us go after we surrender to him?" The question left Loki silent, his encounters with the Mad Titan reminding him that peace was not an option in the warlord's mercy.

Tony, with the support of his now-repaired armor, walked without assistance, though his complexion betrayed mental exhaustion. He decided to intervene in the discussion. "Everyone, I think that's enough for me today. This whole debacle took a toll on me, as you can see, and I would like to meet Pepper before resting. Now that our Merlin has taken care of cleaning up the mess in quite a grand way, I would like to lie down. My tower has a lot of free space today, so you all can crash at this place." Tony turned towards Bruce Banner, who stood there in his human form instead of the Hulk. "And, Banner, my friend, you should stay here. I'll need your help."

Tony, expressing genuine gratitude, turned toward the elevator to head into his living area. Before leaving, he addressed Harry, "Harry, I am truly thankful to you. I don't know what would have happened without your help today. I owe my life to you. And everyone, I suggest locking up these fellas, and we can talk about our big problem tomorrow."

In response, Harry took out his Elder Wand, directing it toward Tony, and cast EPISKEY to heal his injuries. He repeated the healing charm for the other team members, stopping at Domino, who had no scratches on her. Domino waved at Harry, acknowledging his attention.

Feeling healed, Tony expressed his gratitude once again and left to meet Pepper. The Fantastic Four also decided to retire for the night after their intense battle. Richard, representing his team, stated, "We are also going to retire for the night. Tony is right; we will talk about our warlord problem tomorrow here. I will message Tony before coming to the meeting. For now, keep our prisoner locked up; we need information, and only Loki can provide that information." With that, he left, and the other members followed suit.

Steve, once again posing an important question, asked, "They left, but where are we going to keep them?" pointing towards the prone General Ross and the petrified Loki.

Natasha, who was in communication with Fury on her comms, relayed the information, "Fury is coming, and he said he will handle them both. He'll bring Loki to the meeting tomorrow. He's also going to be present in the discussion."

Harry nodded in agreement, "Alright, we need his advice in this chat. I'm knackered too, today's been a real whirlwind."

Barton took this opportunity to ask Harry, "Now, Harry, the spell you used to repair the city, can you repeat that phenomenon anytime?" Barton remembered the feeling of his spell washing over them. It was like electricity was passing from his body and It was a pleasant kind of feeling.

In response, Harry said, "That 'REPARO' spell was supposed to be a simple one, you know? Just for fixing up broken stuff, can't do a thing with electrical devices or anything running on electricity. But this scepter, it's something else. Not only does it fuel me with energy, but it amps up my willpower, my imagination, my intent, and the effectiveness of my spells. It's like I'm the input device, and this scepter is the powerhouse, giving me the juice to perform magic beyond the usual."

Domino, who was most curious, continued the conversation with another question while looking at Loki, "So, what is this scepter exactly?" Loki, who was shackled and bound, replied while lying on the floor, "Well, what do you think it is? At the helm of this staff is the gem so powerful that it can control even powerful beings, it is the only mind stone given to me by Thanos. I wasn't able to draw its full power. Even your wizard who seems to have an affinity for these stones will not be able to draw the full power of these stones. Granted it's already impressive that he can use the stone to this extent. If it was any other mortal being, he would have died using these stones that's how powerful they are."

Steve, Barton, Natasha, Domino, Banner, Thor, and Harry were shocked by this information, and they all have one thing in their mind they have already got the mind stone and the Tesseract is the other stone sought out by Thanos.

Harry thought eyeing the scepter in his hand- 'I reckon I'll need to become more powerful than ever now. Every spell in my repertoire, every bit of knowledge in my arsenal, all of it will be crucial to boost my strength. Gotta rally others to do the same. And that scepter... it gives off such a potent and addictive vibe. If I could lay my hands on that stone, maybe I could take down Thanos or whoever it is, all on my own. Back at Hogwarts, dealing with Voldemort would've been a piece of cake, if I had that stone. One battle after another, But no rest for Harry Potter, it seems. Sigh.'

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