章節 34: 34. DECISIONS.

"Doth mother know you weareth her drapes?" —Tony Stark, upon meeting Thor in The Avengers

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In a dimly lit room, two naked bodies lay entwined beneath a bedsheet, their breathing synchronized after an intense cardio session. Domino wore a contented smile as she rested her head on Harry's chest, lost in dreams. But their peaceful slumber was interrupted by the loud ringing of Domino's phone.

She reached for the phone, groaning. She kept the blanket around her as she said, "Hello?""

"Hello, my name is Pepper Potts. Can I speak with Harry Potter?" came the voice on the other end.

Glancing at the sleeping Harry, she replied, "He's sleeping right now. If you want to leave a message, I can pass it on."

"Who am I speaking with?" Pepper inquired.

"I'm Domino, his personal assistant."

"Alright, this message is for you as well. The meeting at Stark Tower is scheduled for 12 pm, which is in about two hours. This is a message from Tony."

"Got it. We'll be there on time. Thank you for letting us know."

"See you at the meeting. Bye."

Pepper ended the call, and Domino turned to look at Harry's peaceful face. She gently ran her fingers over his scar, causing him to stir and open his eyes.

"Sorry to wake you, Harry, but we need to get ready for the meeting at Stark Tower," she said softly.

Harry nodded, blinking away the remnants of sleep. They both showered quickly. With a flick of his wand, Harry changed their clothes into suitable attire. They got ready in no time.

The only thing left was the awkward silence between them. It was a leftover from the previous night. Domino broke the silence, her voice filled with regret. "Harry, about last night. I'm sorry for pushing myself on you. I should have controlled myself."

Harry sighed, interrupting her apology. "Domino, it's not all on you. I know I've been avoiding the issue. To be honest, I enjoyed our time together. Let's see where this goes. I like you, and I want to continue this. So, don't blame yourself."

Relieved, Domino smiled, and they prepared to leave. Harry picked up the scepter, held Domino's hand, and with a swift motion, they teleported in front of Stark Tower. The building stood pristine, thanks to Harry's powerful Reparo spell. Shield agents stood around the perimeter. The pair entered and were guided to the meeting hall. There, the other Avengers were already seated around a circular table.

Captain America, Iron Man, Hawkeye, and Black Widow were there. So were Bruce Banner, Nick Fury, Maria Hill, and Phil Coulson. Coulson had fully recovered thanks to Harry's magical help. Harry and Domino took their seats beside each other.

Captain America greeted him, "How are you, Harry? I hope you had a pleasant night because we have a lot to discuss today."\

Harry chuckled. "I'm good, Steve. I had the best night of my life."

Tony interjected with a grin, "Good to see you, Merlin. Now we're just waiting for the Fantastic Four. We'll start the meeting once they arrive."

As if on cue, the Fantastic Four entered the room. After greeting everyone, Fury began the meeting with an important announcement.

"I have some things to discuss with you all. After the battle, you've become even more famous. Everyone knows the Avengers fought for us. Before we continue, I need to ask: are you all willing to be Avengers?"

"I'm up for it," Steve nodded, not surprising anyone.

"Me too," Tony agreed. "I think we did good work out there."\

"I would also like to join," Thor said. "I'll be returning to Asgard soon, but I'm more than willing to offer my aid when I return to Midgard."

"I...can I join?" Bruce asked hesitantly. "I mean, I'm still being hunted by..."

"No," Fury interrupted. "You're officially listed as an asset for S.H.I.E.L.D., which means you're off-limits. If you join the Avengers, the same applies. We can't have a team member worrying about being hunted by the government."

"In that case...I'm in," Bruce said, relieved.

"Great," Fury nodded before turning to Barton. "Will you be joining?"

"Yeah," Barton said after a moment of thought. "Why not?" He shrugged.

Natasha smirked and said, "I suppose I'll have to join if only to keep the rest of you in line." Then she turned to Harry. "Harry, are you in?" Everyone looked at Harry, who had just finished his drink.

Harry sighed and walked over to the bar, refilling his glass. "I'm not sure if I should."

"Why not?" Stark asked, echoing the disbelief of many in the room.

"I have a few concerns," Harry said, leaning against the bar. "I know this might sound harsh, but these are genuine issues. First, what about our jobs? Many of us have other commitments. Does this require us to quit our jobs? It sounds like a full-time gig."

Fury shook her head. "No, you can keep your jobs. For example, Barton and Romanoff can still work for S.H.I.E.L.D. They can either spend more time here or focus on the Avengers. The choice is up to them."

"That might work, but for this to be effective, everyone needs to put in the effort," Harry replied. If we're just doing this part-time, we might as well work with S.H.I.E.L.D. But part-time could work. We probably won't be active every day. Another thing: are the Avengers working for S.H.I.E.L.D. or with S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

"With S.H.I.E.L.D.," Fury answered. "You have the authority to act as you see fit, but you'll collaborate with us. You'll need to make reports for me. If that's not satisfactory, it's open for discussion. Any other concerns?"

"Yes, actually," Harry nodded. "How is this team supposed to work?"

"What do you mean?" Thor asked.

"Well, what's the system here?" Harry clarified. "Who's in charge? Who's leading?"

"Cap is in charge," Tony said immediately.

"Is he?" Harry asked. "Look, Steve is a great guy, but he's not exactly up-to-date. Does he even know who Beyoncé is? Or how to use a laptop? Plus, he tends to be overly hopeful."

"What do you mean by that?" Steve asked, sounding unsure if he should be offended.

"From what I've seen, you want to save everyone and do good at every moment. That's admirable, but not always practical for a leader. Let me give you a scenario: You have to choose between saving a baby or a ten-year-old. Which do you choose?"

"I know we can't save everyone," Steve said heavily. "I don't like it, but it's a fact. Still, I'll try my best to save as many as possible."

"That's a good answer, but my point remains. Stark, you can't lead either. You lack field team experience. Same with Banner. Thor can't be the leader because he's part-time at best unless he plans to stay on Earth for good. And even then, he knows less about this world than Steve. I have no interest in leading, and I assume Clint and Natasha don't either, right?" Harry asked, looking at Clint and Natasha, who both nodded.

"Can I suggest something?" Fury interrupted gravely.

"I'm all ears," Harry shrugged, and everyone else looked at him.

How about making Captain America the leader for now? He has experience. But, also appoint one or two advisors." He suggested. "If it doesn't work out, you can change it later."

"That sounds reasonable," Susan commented. "Any other concerns, Harry?"

Harry thought for a moment before shaking his head. "No, that covers my concerns for now."

"Great," Fury said. "Let's move on to the next item on the agenda."

The meeting continued. Everyone felt more at ease. They were ready to face the challenges ahead as a new team. Then, Harry spoke up again after taking a sip of his drink. "I have one more thing to address. While we did well in the battle, I can't help but point out how different we all are. Banner is a brilliant scientist but has his fears. Thor is a prince from Asgard. Stark is a genius playboy with expensive armor. Cap is a soldier from WW2. Widow and Hawkeye are S.H.I.E.L.D. agents with their complex histories. And I'm a wizard from another world."

"Wait, what?! You're an alien?!" Reed blurted out.

"No, I was born in a different world, you might call it a different dimension or universe."

"Wow," Johnny whispered. "Are you kidding me?"

"No," Harry continued. "I was in a world with other wizards like me. I was born at the end of one war and a second one started when I was fourteen. I began fighting when I was fifteen."

"You were a child soldier?" Susan and Pepper gasped. The others looked surprised and even sympathetic, apart from Natasha who remained neutral.

"I wasn't a child when the war started," Harry clarified. "I've been fighting and killing since. That's my point—we come from different worlds, with Thor and I literally from other worlds. We worked well together in the battle, but does that make us a team? Can we be consistent? We've already argued over what to do with Loki and had conflicts with the helicarrier. Can we truly be consistent, or is this just something to enjoy while it lasts?"

"I think this can work," Steve said after a brief silence. "You're right about needing consistency. I suggest we train together. We can get to know each other and become friends. We can also understand one another. Then we can decide if this works. Is that all?" he asked Harry.

"I have one last thing," Harry sighed. "If we do this, I don't want any government involvement."

"Wait, what?" Coulson asked.

"You heard me. No government involvement. If there's government interference, we might as well scrap this idea and just work for S.H.I.E.L.D."