Harry was bemused to find that their meeting room had been expanded to fit representatives from Wakanda and Thor's contingent. With the new members, however, there was a new tension between them.
It hadn't been like this with the Avengers. There had been disagreements and arguments, sure, but at the end of the day there had been a tight bond between them of shared experience and trust. Here, it was clear that they were a bundle of disparate factions, each only here because they had few other options. Harry wanted to be able to unite them, but he wasn't sure how. He'd never had to deal with factionalism on this scale before.
Harry winced as Ron stumbled into an argument with Thor. His redheaded friend was generally suspicious of the Asgardians, and their true loyalties. While Thor had promised Harry that he'd try to build bridges, he wouldn't tolerate anyone questioning the loyalty of his people. Harry had a hard time being upset with Ron, Harry knew just how many people he had lost to Hela and her followers, but it didn't make his job any easier. Meanwhile, T'Chaka had not been humbled by the loss of Wakanda, and seemed dead set on blaming the misfortune of his people on anyone but himself. It stung that he had at least something of a point- that if not for Harry's connection to Shuri, Hela would not have targeted them. That argument, though, had set Ginny off. As amusing as it would be, Harry didn't want the king of Wakanda to have to suffer her bat-boogey hex.
Harry rubbed his temples, feeling his frustration rising. Natasha cast him a knowing look and nodded. That was permission enough for him. "Enough!" Harry snapped. Instantly, the bickering died. Harry stood from his seat, looking around at the assembled allies in turn- Ginny, Ron, Neville, Peggy, the Ancient One, Wong, Thor, Loki, Korg of the Kronans, T'Chaka, Ramonda, T'Challa, Shuri, T'Chone, Lily, and finally on Harry's other side, Natasha.
Harry let out a breath, calming himself. "I'm not here to listen to you bicker. If you want to do that on your own time, fine with me. We need to figure out what we're doing and get on the same page." He said. Amazingly, everyone listened.
"What do you have in mind, Harry?" Natasha asked, teeing his answer up for him.
"We can't keep being reactive. It's good that we were able to evacuate Wakanda, but we have to hit our enemies where it hurts. The way I see it, we have two targets." Shuri took her cue and activated a holographic projector. He'd missed the technology from his time with the Avengers. He waved his hand, pulling up a video of one of the Iron Man suits in action over Wakanda. "Look familiar, Shuri?" He asked.
"Tony Stark." She said.
"Who?" Neville asked. "I've never heard of him."
"Oh, he'd hate that." Natasha chuckled.
"Tony Stark. He was an Avenger, a friend of mine." Harry said. "But here, it looks like he's working for Hydra."
"The arc reactor in the suit's chest is a dead giveaway." Natasha nodded. "It has to be his work."
"What is the significance of this man?" T'Chaka asked. "Surely we can provide more advanced technology."
"Can you invent time travel?" Harry asked. "Because Tony did, in like a week."
"I'm sorry, but did you just say time travel?" Peggy leaned forward. "Could we go back in time, and fix everything?"
"I'm afraid it doesn't work like that." Harry shook his head. "You can't change your current timeline, but you can hop into a new one, either to retrieve something or someone of importance, or to stay, I suppose."
"Are you sure you can't figure this out, Shuri?" T'Challa asked.
"I appreciate your faith in me, brother, but I was unfortunately dead when Stark came up with it. And without my lab, I'm up a creek." The destruction of Shuri's lab had been a blow to them, for multiple reasons. For Shuri, it was almost personal, like losing a limb. "Probably the only place on the planet left with a similar capability is Tony Stark's workshop." Harry knew that this was hard for her to admit, and was grateful that she was willing to set aside her pride for his sake.
"What would we do with time travel, practically?" Loki asked shrewdly. "If strangling Hela in the cradle won't solve our problems." It was a little odd working with Loki, but it helped that he didn't much resemble the man Harry had known. The Loki of this world had been raised on Jotenhiem, and though he was short for his race, there was no mistaking him for an Asgardian. Whether raised Asgardian or Frost Giant, though, Loki still had a cunning and ruthless personality- the perfect Slytherin. Fortunately, it was being harnessed for good in this world.
"At the very least, we could retrieve Steve Rogers." Harry said, and Peggy's breath caught. She was at attention, hanging onto his words. He nodded to the Ancient One, who explained the encounter Steve had had with another version of herself.
"He has multiple Infinity Stones with him." She concluded. "And is likely stranded in the void. We can save him if we can replicate Tony Stark's technology."
Harry gestured with his hand again, bringing up more footage of Wakanda, this time of Carol. "With the resources in Stark's lab, we should also be able to break the brainwashing Hydra has on its super-soldiers." He pitched this as a pragmatic measure, but those close to him knew just how personal it was to him. He needed to save Carol. The strategic advantages were undeniable, but not his true motivation.
"Problems." Natasha redirected, as they'd planned. "We have no idea where Tony is, or how to find him."
"Tracking spells aren't reliable on top Hydra people." Neville said. "Their bases have protections."
"Hela's protections will block Heimdal's sight as well, though I will have him keep an eye out." Thor added.
"Which leaves?" Harry pitched.
"Good old-fashioned sleuthing." Natasha said. "It's been a long time since I've been with Hydra… but I might be able to come up with something." Harry knew that there was only one contact that she could possibly have left- her sister. Tracking her down would probably be the easy part. If Natasha could win her over, and she uncovered something…
"How likely is it that Stark would even be cooperative?" Loki asked.
"Hydra operatives do have a tendency to carry cyanide pills." Neville added darkly.
"I don't know." Harry said. "I'd like to think he's been coerced into this, or that we can win him to our side. If not, we'll do what needs to be done." He didn't relish the prospect of using the imperius curse on one of his friends, and hoped it'd never come down to it.
"Also, if we go after Tony, we need to be prepared to fight Hela again." Ron said. "I reckon we need a better strategy, and more firepower."
"Which leads me to option two." Harry pivoted. "Hogwarts."
"Only you, Harry. Would try to paint attacking Hogwarts as the safer, easier alternative." Ginny said, amused.
"Not 'attacking'." Ron rallied. They'd been working on this plan, on and off, ever since Harry's fateful vision. "More like a prison break."
"The Wizarding Order has a number of prisoners." Harry said. "We know they have Hermione Granger and Luna Lovegood, two of the brightest witches I've ever known. They also have one of Thor's people." He nodded to the Asgardian.
"I wouldn't be opposed to a strike at the Order." The Ancient One said. "But it seems that finding Stark would be more rewarding." He could tell that not everyone was on board. Peggy was dead set on any action that would save Steve, naturally. Shuri simply wanted to get her hands on a proper lab again. There were more than a few, though, that looked more than tempted at a chance to strike at the wizards.
Harry had to admit that the Ancient One was right about the potential rewards, but he couldn't just ignore his friends. Worse, they were on a time limit. They needed to strike before the Order and Voldemort's machinations on them came to fruition. "This isn't an either-or situation." He argued instead. "We don't know where Stark is, but we shouldn't sit on our hands while we work on finding him."
"You know that I am in favor." Thor said solemnly. "What is your plan?"
"We still have some things to work out." Harry admitted. "We need a way to slip someone, anyone, into Hogwarts without drawing suspicion."
"The old secret passages have been blocked, and every entrance is heavily warded and patrolled." Ron said. "But there is a secret room in the castle that can create another passage and give us free movement." He was referring to the Room of Requirement. That was all they needed, really. One person in the Room of Requirement could give them access to any part of the castle. If they were lucky, they could grab artifacts, books, and prisoners in a just few minutes. Even if they got caught, the Room would give them an easy escape.
"Because of Hogwarts' wards, only witches and wizards would be able to enter, not without putting a lot of effort into breaking the wards, which everyone would notice. But a diversionary attack could happen simultaneously." Ron continued. "If we could have, say, an Asgardian, attack one of their bases, it could draw a lot of attention off of our infiltration."
"Uh, dad?" Lily piped in. "Hogwarts is a school."
"Yes. We were planning on infiltrating it at the start of term, when the staff would be distracted…" He trailed off, realizing the implications. He hated them, most of all because it made too much sense. "No."
"What is it?" Ginny asked.
"Does Hogwarts take older students?" Lily continued.
"No." Natasha echoed him.
"Well…" Neville's eye- his normal one- glanced apologetically at Harry before he answered. "Yes. The Order has a very hard time reaching children in areas protected by Hydra. It's not uncommon for students to escape and start in their teens."
There was a moment of silence while Lily sat back with a self-satisfied smile, which was broken by T'Chone. "I want to go too!"
-----
"Harry." Ginny's voice stirred him from his thoughts. As much as he hated to admit it, Lily and T'Chone really were their best bets at infiltrating Hogwarts. He worried, though. What if someone discovered that they were infiltrators? What if Riddle noticed the family resemblance? There were so many unknowns, but not many other options. "We need to talk."
He looked up, she seemed apologetic. Ron and Neville were behind her, looking uncomfortable. "What is it?" He said.
"We didn't… I'm sorry." She tripped over her words. "It's just…"
"Whatever it is you need to say, say it."
"Your mum's alive." Neville said what Ginny couldn't, in his typically blunt manner.
Harry gaped. "What?"
"She's the charms professor at Hogwarts." Ron said.
"Why am I just hearing this now?"
"I didn't put the pieces together at first, not until after I started recovering memories. And then, I didn't know how to tell you." Ginny said quietly. "After everything… its just one more thing on your plate. And there wasn't anything we could do about it anyway, not until…"
He'd honestly hadn't thought about his parents. There really had been just so much else to worry about, and so little time. It hadn't been much longer than a week since he'd arrived in this world, still… "You should have told me sooner." He said without edge. "Especially you, Gin."
Ginny looked down. "I know. I wasn't trying to lie to you, I was just… putting it off."
"Why?" He didn't understand why this would be a conversation to put off. His mum was alive. Sure, she didn't know him, and had never had him in this world, but it was good news, wasn't it?
"Well, she's working for Dumbledore, for one." Ron said. "And she's married to Snape." Harry's face twisted in disgust. "Yeah." Ron agreed. "He's every bit as much of a bastard this time around."
"But... that doesn't mean she's irretrievable." Harry said. "You three worked for Riddle. We're going to try to win Tony over. We're trying to get Carol out from Hydra's thumb. Maybe we can convince her. I mean, what's she like?" The question held far more longing than he'd intended. He'd had just a few conversations with his mum, all of them brief. He'd dreamed of getting to know her for so long. The three cast uncertain looks at each other.
"Well, she is a brilliant professor." Neville said. "Charismatic, talented. Any witch who made it as far as her would have to be."
"Hermione idolized her." Ron said.
"That makes sense." Harry hummed.
"She's close to Dumbledore." Neville continued. "Almost like she's his apprentice."
"Harry…" Ginny's voice was hesitant. "I don't know if we can reach her."
"What makes you say that?" He said doubtfully. He just couldn't see it. His mother had sacrificed her life for him. She'd appeared to save him from Death, and told him to never give up.
"She's very… enthusiastic. About the war." Neville answered. "Riddle always had her pegged as a diehard Dumbledore loyalist, and he'd know."
"Oh, you're going off of Voldemort's judgement now?" Harry scoffed. "Come off it. I mean, of course she's enthusiastic about the war. You were fighting Hela and Hydra. What other options were there?"
"We found one." Neville said.
If this was the talk they'd wanted to have with him, he could see why they'd put it off for so long. Who wanted to try to convince someone that their mother was irredeemably evil? "I'm not giving up on anyone, least of all her." Harry said. He knew, without a doubt, that his mum would never have given up on him, if their situations were reversed. He wasn't about to abandon her when she might be saved.
"Alright, Harry." Ron said, placating. "We just wanted you to be prepared. In case."
Harry sighed, and uncomfortable weight in his chest. "I'm sorry." Ginny said again.
He didn't know if he was more upset with her for keeping this from him for so long, or for what she was arguing. He knew how hard it was to break bad news to people. After all, he'd tried to lie to Ginny and Natasha about the Horcrux inside him. But he wasn't ready to grant her absolution, not just yet. "Excuse me, I need to talk to someone."
-----
"Harry Potter, it is nice to see you in person." Heimdall said.
"I take it you've been watching me."
"Since you emerged from the Time Vortex, I've been keeping track of you." He admitted. "Events… seem to be revolving around you."
"Its an incredibly useful ability, one that might have saved my life." Harry said. "Thank you."
"As Thor said." He sighed. "I won't be able to see inside of Hogwarts, or in Hydra's most defended bases."
"That's not why I'm here." Harry said simply. Heimdall raised an eyebrow.
"I have other friends out there." He elaborated. While his parents had barely crossed his mind over the past week, Skye and Wanda were frequent visitors. He at least knew that Wanda was alive, and with family, and it comforted him. But he had no clue where Skye was, if she was alive or even safe. "I need you to find someone for me. Her name is Skye."
"I will need to know more about her." Heimdall said.
Harry grinned faintly. "Do you accept memories?"
-----
Hela looked across the rubble strewn landscape, as if she could piece things together through sheer will alone. "When did this start?" She asked.
"Well, that's hard to say." The officer, who she didn't bother to remember the name of, said. She cast him a look, and he quailed. "What I mean to say is that while we only noticed major disturbances in the past couple days, there have been… minor irregularities in the past week that make sense now."
"I see." She said. "I don't suppose those 'minor irregularities' started after Harry Potter's appearance?"
"Perhaps?" The man offered.
"Hm." She hummed, reaching a hand forward idly. A week ago, the ground they were standing on would have been unreachable. The collapse of the time vortex couldn't have been a coincidence. Harry Potter had the Time Stone, clearly- he had used it in the battle at Wakanda. It must have been what fueled the vortex in the first place, and without it, the storm was unravelling.
Further ahead, drones had found that the pace of time was only somewhat slowed. Only the very core of the vortex, the heart of London, remained nearly frozen, and that area was shrinking by the day. Unfortunately, that was exactly where she needed to be. The battle at Wakanda had been a wakeup call. Too many of her enemies were assembling - the Wakandans, the Sorcerers, her infuriatingly persistent brother, and an unsettling number of wizards, and they were all gathering around the worst person possible. Harry Potter knew far too much- about her, about the Infinity Stones, and about the Hallows. If he managed to ally with the Order…
Well, she needed to prepare for the worst. She needed more power. And as much as she'd like to rip the Deathstick from Grindelwald's bare hands, she'd had a hard enough time with him and Dumbledore on their own. She didn't want to give Potter the opening to swoop in, save the day again, and gain more allies.
"What do you make of this, Goddess?" Erics asked deferentially.
"Make sure the heads of Hydra don't eat each other until I return." She said.
"Return… from where?"
Potter wasn't the only one with allies, and she knew that the key- or rather the door- lay in the heart of London. Without another word, she tapped into the Space Stone, and launched herself forward.