Earth-200007, C.E. 1036
The refugees had heralded her arrival. They came from small wizarding towns that dotted the countryside, with each huddled group hailing from further north than the last.
The Goddess of Death was drawing closer. The knowledge sent fear through Hogwarts. How could she know where they were? Could she penetrate the wards? What were they to do? It had been one of the earliest refugees, a pupil of Salazar's, that had explained what happened, and the fate of one of school's founders. He had gone to face the Goddess, but whatever spell he had used seemed to only make her stronger. After his curse had struck her, Hela had torn through the hamlet in seconds. Salazar himself had bled out alone, on the cold ground.
Rowena had certainly had her differences with him, as had Godric and Helga, but she had never wished such a fate on him. Part of her had still assumed that they were bound the mend their friendship, and that Salazar would eventually return to the fold. It was not to be, and it was only with his death that Rowena realized how flimsy that assumption had been. Indeed, it was possible that none of them would live to see the morning.
It had been Godric, as always, to cut through the noise. At his barked orders, the horde of students and refugees transformed into a militia. The younger students were hidden away while the older prepared to defend the castle. Barricades were created and enchanted, traps were rigged, spells were prepared and wards were strengthened. Then the reinforcements arrived. Helga, so adept with negotiation in a way the she and the brash Godric were not, had parlayed with the merfolk of the lake and the centaurs of the forest. A tentative peace existed between the magical races, but if Hela was coming to Hogwarts, she would not spare any of them. It was only together, Helga had said, that any of them had any hope.
Frankly, Rowena felt that if the Goddess of Death were to break through the wards, both Godric and Helga's preparations would come to nothing. If she truly were that powerful, none of the normal methods could stop her. Which left the abnormal methods, the dangerous, foolish methods. The magics that, under any other circumstance, she would have screamed murder at the suggestion of using. It was worse than Dark Magic, what she was contemplating, it was unknown magic. At least with Dark Magic, you could understand it and account for it.
She had 'collected' the amulet on a journey she'd made to the east, when she was younger and hadn't a castle of students to tend to. She'd been drawn in by whispers of the secret to eternal life, a method of becoming young again. She'd been curious, yet skeptical… and then she'd been horrified.
If there was a secret to eternal youth, this amulet was not it. This amulet did not heal, it controlled time itself. Such casual use of such power had already taken its toll, and it was apparent to her the moment she had entered the city. Time moved at whichever pace suited itself, sometimes faster, sometimes slower. Other times it stopped entirely, or even ran in reverse. The chaotic nature of time within those walls had turned the city into a twisted labyrinth. Rowena had take great care in her navigation to avoid being caught up in any such... events. Many were not so fortunate. Some had been trapped, frozen in a moment. Rowena pitied them, but not as much as she pitied those who had become trapped in a loop. A workman eternally loading a cart, not noticing that the bales of wheat disappeared when he placed them in the cart, and the pile he drew from was never reduced. A woman, dancing forever in a town square with a partner who was no longer there. This city had reproduced one of the cruelest punishments ever conceived- the myth of Sisyphus brought to life. Most disturbing of all, when she'd inquired about the condition of these tormented people, it was revealed that this was not an intentional punishment, but a complete accident.
It had been her duty to relieve the irresponsible sorcerers of this artifact. And though she'd been chased out of the city, as she ran it seemed time itself had turned to her side. The pace of her pursuers had slowed to a crawl, allowing her to leap ahead, dodge carts and unsuspecting guards until she'd cleared the walls and disappeared into the foliage. Rowena could only hope that in time, the city would be set right. Ever since, she'd kept the amulet hidden away, in the hope that knowledge of its powers would die with her.
That was not to be.
She suspected that trying to kill the Goddess of Death was a foolish venture. But what if… what if she could be captured without killing her. What if she'd had the perfect weapon hidden away, all this time?
With purpose, she spread her hands apart, drawing open the amulet and unveiling the green stone housed within. Whatever consequences using the Eye of Agamoto would have, she would pay them if it meant saving her people.
-----
"I was worried, for a moment." Hela said as Harry stepped through the portal. "Killing everyone on this planet until I got to you would have been awfully dull."
"Is that what you did last time?" Harry asked her. Keep her engaged, don't let her get an edge on you. In a flash she launched blade at him, Harry vanished it before it reached him. He responded with a pair of blasting curses that, as he expected, did little damage to Hela directly, but kept her focused on him. "Kill people until you reached a wizard?"
"It normally didn't take that long." She said coolly "Sometimes even the threat of death was enough to get the commoners to expose their neighbors."
"Bet you got a lot of non-magical people that way, too- or is that a side benefit for you?" She let loose a volley of blades, and Harry parted them to either side of him. He responded with a gout of fire that Hela sidestepped as she lunged towards him. Harry would have apparated, but Stephen had warned him that she always responded by targeting someone else. Instead, he blasted apart the ground beneath her feet, sending her tumbling back. When the dust cleared, she was ruffled, but no worse for wear save her dignity.
She glared, hatred rolling off her. "Your powers are an abomination, an unnatural blight upon this world." She spat. The next wave of blades had Harry harder pressed. It was odd... it felt like his wand was fighting him. It hadn't been apparent until he'd attacked with his off hand, but now that he had a comparison, it was unmistakable. Even now, his shield charm could barely hold up against a few impacts. It didn't make sense… unless…
He was saved, just as planned, by Shuri's arrival. "Holy shit!" She cheered as she landed, smashing the ground beneath her. "This is fun."
"Focus." Natasha said tensely.
Shuri, however, was on a dopamine high. Harry had heard bits and pieces about the new suit that she and Tony were putting together. He'd had a hand in some of it, creating whichever runes they required. He'd gotten a brief, but slightly more complete rundown from Tony during the hurried preparations for this battle.
The God Buster had been inspired by Madame Hydra and Zola's robotic creations that had so vexed the team. Created from Vibranium, powered by the Arc Reactor, protected by runes, and sporting the best tech that Wakanda and Stark Industries could offer, it was the best that human technology and ingenuity could offer. The suit was unrefined (according to Tony, it was still a prototype), but undeniably imposing. Runes crisscrossed the chassis, glowing white-blue against the silver of the armor, only outshone by the Arc Reactor itself.
So, Harry couldn't blame Shuri for her enjoyment. He imagined it must have felt like his first time on a broom, to her. And while the timing was bad, the results were undeniable. Shuri easily deflected the incoming blades away. Cuffs formed around her wrists, allowing her to fire an energy weapon of her own design in retaliation. Hela, again, sidestepped the attack and in blink was upon Shuri. However, even in close quarters her armor was impenetrable, and closing the distance left Hela open to the unibeam. It was the most powerful weapon in Tony's arsenal, if unwieldy, and the pillar of light that erupted from Shuri's chest blasted Hela back into the mountain.
He walked up to Shuri and put a hand on her shoulder "You good?" He asked. He wasn't too concerned with pressing the advantage. Their goal wasn't to kill her outright, but to keep her distracted until Wanda was in position to subdue her.
Shuri giggled and nodded "Yeah."
"Good, there's more where that came from." Hela was already pulling herself free from the crater she'd created. Harry tucked the Elder Wand back into his suit. Thor made his entrance, making sure to keep his hammer close at hand, using it to knock aside Hela's blades and launch lighting in return. Wanda was no doubt getting into position at that moment. Strange was still keeping his distance, it was best if the person able to reset time wasn't in the direct line of fire if they could help it.
This time, Harry met the onslaught of blades with his unassisted magic and found batting them away much easier than it had been with the wand. It made sense, in a way. Wands could recognize their rightful owners, and while he certainly had a claim to the Elder Wand, a Goddess of Death certainly would as well. He should have suspected that a Deathly Hallow would be less effective against her.
A Deathly Hallow… less effective…
No.
Frantically, he looked for Wanda, stretching out his legitimacy to her, but Hela found her first. Shuri enthusiastically charged Hela, but the goddess was able to use her own momentum against her, tossing her backward. Then, her eyes darted to a spot of empty air to her side. Harry caught the motion, but was too slow to stop her from sending a lone, precisely aimed blade.
Harry apparated to Wanda's side moments later- first her cry giving her away, and then the flash of red as the cloak slipped from her. The spear was lodged in her shoulder, and Harry quickly vanished it and applied healing magic with one hand, using the other to shield them. Stephen had evidently called in reinforcements to keep Hela distracted- the Hulk and T'Challa- but Hela was laser focused on her downed quarry. Thor, after following Strange's instructions to engage her at a distance so well for all of one minute, got in close, and after a few exchanged blows, he went down, groaning. His hammer clattered to the ground heavily.
Too late, Harry realized he had needed to get them out. Hela was standing above them, and for once, she took her time. She grabbed his neck, her mouth stretching with glee as she lifted him up. "I'm going to enjoy this, very much." She gloated, squeezing, cutting off Harry's air.
Somehow, it had all gone wrong again. Even with their best laid plans, she had gotten the advantage. Unthinking, Harry reached out, for what he didn't know, just something. Yet somehow, like Fawkes' intervention in the Chamber of Secrets, his plea for aid was answered. With a thud, Hela was sent off balance and Harry feel to the ground, gasping. Poised above him was Mjolnir.
After only a moment's hesitation, Harry took the hammer.
Oh.
The Elder Wand wasn't the only weapon in this world that could channel his magic. Thor's hammer had been something he'd thought about, idly, but he'd never wanted to test it. He'd been convinced he wouldn't have been worthy to begin with- what with a lifetime of mistakes under his belt-, and even if he had been, and if he could use the hammer for magic, it wasn't like he could just take it off Thor's hands. Mjolnir was Thor's , and Harry wouldn't try to take it from him, except perhaps temporarily in case of emergency.
This certainly qualified.
"You… dare wield Mjolnir? That weapon belongs to my people." Hela snarled, outraged and offended.
"The Asgardians don't belong to you, and neither does this hammer." Thor said, limping to his feet "And frankly, I think they'd all much rather Harry wield it than you."
"Lies!" She snarled, slashing the air with her hand and with the motion, summoning a blade "I'll be welcomed when I return. I'll bring glory to Asgard, a glory that the people have been denied by weak, feckless, cowards."
"Do you mind?" Harry held the hammer out for Thor's approval.
"Please, be my guest."
The sword in Hela's hands transformed into a massive snake. It snapped at Hela, who crushed its midsection in her fist. However, even as the snake fell, it was already reforming, into two snakes, each grown from one half of the original's body. Cut off one head, and two shall take its place. Who said he couldn't borrow a little thematic flair from his enemies?
Hela formed another blade to slice at the twin serpents, but Harry merely transformed that one as well. The goddess scoffed and glared at him even as the snakes multiplied around her. She put on a burst of speed, ignoring the throng of reptiles snapping at her heels. They had done their job, however- it had bought them time. Stephen had taken Wanda away with a portal, leaving Harry free to gather magic into the palm of his hand. Hela charged forward, heedless, and Harry propelled himself away at the last moment, leaving the ground where he'd just been standing impaled with two blades. Then he unleashed his counterattack, a focused beam of energy that just missed her head but cleaved through one of her horns like a plasma torch.
Hela pivoted away from the beam and attempted to close the gap again, with Harry countering by rotating the ground beneath her feet. The shift tripped her up, but she was still too fast for Harry to hit her his imperio. Her stumble turned into a fluid roll that had Harry's curse sailing over her. This game continued for minute or so, Hela attempting to close in on Harry, but Harry hemming her in with walls of stone and harassing her with flung boulders and spell-fire. This ended when Hela propelled herself over Harry's stone barricade and used it as a platform to launch herself at him with frightening speed, but Harry had been prepared for this eventuality and rebuffed her with a banishing charm that sent her rocketing back, crashing the wall, rolling, and finally skidding to a halt against the rugged terrain.
He knew that if she had gotten to him, he wouldn't have lasted long. She was too strong and her ability to summon blades from thin air was too deadly. Thankfully, Hela obliged him and began lobbing blades in his direction from a distance. This suited Harry much better, and he vanished them at his leisure "I thought you were the Goddess of Death, not the Goddess of minor Annoyance!" He goaded her- keeping her attention while Stephen- he hoped-worked out a backup plan.
Predictably, his taunting was met with a truly staggering hail of blades. Before Harry could react, Stephen came through again, intercepting the onslaught with a portal and raining it down up her from above. That was move they'd discussed, the trick would only work once, but it would very temporarily incapacitate her. They had to make it worth it.
Two of Hela's own blades pierced her midsection, and moments later the Avengers sprang into action. Ropes of magic lassoed the goddess- courtesy of either Stephen or one of his sorcerers. Simultaneously, Shuri landed behind Hela and wrapped her in a grapple, the arms of the suit locking into place around her. And Harry- Harry finally acquiesced to what Mjolnir had been nearly begging him to do since he'd unintentionally summed it to his side. Lightning.
The magic came naturally to the hammer in a way that other forms of magic did not. Mjolnir didn't just accept his magic for this task, it soaked it up greedily. Harry didn't fight it, offering up all the magic Mjolnir required. The power welled up in the hammer, until it felt like he was gripping a live wire. Hela saw it coming, her eyes wide with terrible understanding as she saw the arcs of electricity rolling off Mjolnir and the sparks raining down. There was nothing she could do. Shuri's suit had locked up, vibranium struts clicking into place, preventing the joints from being moved.
"Shuri." He gasped "Brace yourself." God, he hoped she'd be alright, but there was nothing else to do. He let go.
It was, in many ways, the perfect storm. Harry had been building up his magical power with years of training with wandless magic, and his recent time with the Elder Wand had brought him to new heights. Not only was Mjolnir nearly as good of a channel as the Elder Wand, its affinity for lightning was potent. Perhaps even too potent.
Harry's vision went white, and he felt a scalding heat on his face, as if it had been pressed into a hot stove. He couldn't scream. The air was knocked from his lungs as he was thrown back into the air, the runic protections of his suit activating to protect him from the worst of the blast. The acceleration was momentarily so intense that Harry nearly passed out. He felt the rush of wind against his back, and then, after enough time for Harry to get his bearings, he crashed into the ground. The runic protections flared again, cushioning his fall, allowing Harry to roll unceremoniously along the ground until he came to a rest.
His face felt raw, and his vision was still swimming. He noticed that his hand felt quite hot, and he looked down at it. He was still holding Mjolnir, but the hammer was glowing faintly red from heat. With a squawk, Harry dropped the hammer. If his suit wasn't so marvelously heat resistant, that would have been very painful.
He knew that wands could overheat if they were overused, but it was a frightfully rare problem, and usually only happened if someone tried to force too much magic through a wand that didn't recognize them as a wielder. Had he really pushed Mjolnir that hard?
Harry tried to get up, but his legs turned to jelly beneath him, sending him toppling face first in the dirt. It hurt.
"Guys." He slurred, hoping that his mic was still working and that he sounded even remotely coherent "I think I overdid it, just a bit."
"No kidding." Nat deadpanned. Harry let out a sigh of relief. Thank Merlin, or thank Stark, he supposed. He had made sure all their tech was ridiculously durable.
"Is… Shuri okay?" He asked. The adrenaline was no fading and wooziness was taking over "And is Hela not okay?"
"Holy shit, Harry." Tony said "You're telling me you could have done that all this time?" That wasn't an answer, and Harry forced himself to focus. He rolled himself over, much less pain on his face, and the clouds looked nice.
"Is everyone alright?"
"Shuri is not responding, but her vitals are fine." Natasha said. "Probably got knocked out, but nothing life threatening."
"The suit was already in lockdown mode, so that would have helped, and the Arc Reactor has borderline unlimited storage capacity. The fact that it was an electrical attack meant that it should be able to absorb it with minimal loss to heat." Tony explained. Yeah, no. No way was Harry going to be able to follow that right now. He let his eyes drift shut.
"Don't tell me we're worried about efficiency right now." Clint jibed.
"Oh, I am, but not in the way you're thinking. If the Arc Reactor was anything less than ridiculously efficient at converting electricity into stored power, Shuri would be cooked right now. So, you're welcome."
"Great…" Harry managed "That's... great. And Hela?"
"No visual yet, but here's hoping." Nat answered him "Harry, are you alright?"
"Like I said… think I overdid it." With his face out of the dirt, his position was much more comfortable. "Tired."
Whatever was said next faded from his awareness as sleep claimed him.
-----
"Interesting." Was all he said. It was the second time that the recorded battle had been played for them, and Thanos had offered little in the way of commentary. The Black Order knew better than to offer up their own thoughts in case they conflicted with Thanos' own. Being Thanos' trusted children did not make them immune from punishment.
"Certainly." Ebony Maw offered "It is surprising that the residence of such a backwater could defeat an Asgardian."
Thanos shook his head "My child, they have already done that once before, that is not the surprise." He turned back to the projection "I ordered these scouts deployed because I suspected the existence of an Infinity Stone on Earth."
"And the Mind Stone wasn't used."
"It was not." Thanos waved his hand, and the image reverted to the beginning of the battle, when the Asgardian Goddess first confronted the Avengers.
"Checkpoint." The sorcerer said, with a motion of his hand over his wrist.
"Is… that?" He hesitated to say it aloud.
"Indeed it is. The Time Stone. On Earth." Thanos said "And in use. I suspect the sorcerer reset time, attempting different strategies until they found one in which the battle worked in their favor."
"Is this a problem?" Ebony asked. Such a strategy would be difficult to defeat.
"Perhaps." Thanos mused, grinning wickedly "But I think of it as more of a challenge."