Author: Black Dragon on the Rocks
Rating: T
Pairing: None so far, mentions of past Harry/Ginny and Steve/Peggy
Summary: Steve never thought being a good samaritan would reveal he had someone to anchor him, give him a purpose, and help him fit in the new world he had to live in. He had a son, a special 7 year old son, who was practically a mini him.
Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers, or Harry Potter. They belong to their respective owners/creators and companies that comercialize them. I do own any OC which appears on the story, and which will always be a bit or secondary characters.
Warnings: NOT SLASH, Alternate Universe for both Avengers and Harry Potter, Violence, Master of Death Harry, mentions of child abuse, child neglect, and mentions of sexual abuse of a minor (nothing descriptive), Parent Steve, De-Aged Harry, Molly bashing, Ron bashing, Ginny bashing, Wizard Steve.
Timeline: Pre Avengers, Post Captain America: The First Avenger, Post The Deathly Hollows but no Epilogue (Gods I HATED it, since I am NOT a Ginevra fan).
Now according to the Marvel Cinematic Universe Wikia, Steve was born in 1918 and his father died in that year during the last of World War One. He enlisted on June 14 1943, was injected with the Super Soldier Serum on June 22 of the same year, and the battle of the Valkyrie took place on March 4 1945.
Steve was found on April 14 2012, regained consciousness on April 17. The Avengers met on the Helicarrier on May 3, and the Battle of New York takes place on May 4 2012. Those are the dates I'm taking as canon.
I did change one date from what's in the MCU Wikia, in this story Steve was born in 1925, not 1918, since he was seventeen when he enlisted for Project Rebirth. This also changes the date his father died, which was in 1932 when Steve was seven.
No one commented on the fact I made Steve a nineteen year old in chapter two, but I wanted to point it out because his age will be mentioned in later chapters.
As to the Harry Potter timeline, it remains the same for this story.
For those wanting to know when Steve and Harry first met, it's on April 19, and Harry regained consciousness on April 22.
Author's Note: I know it's been so long since I posted a chapter, and this one is not a long one, but I think the story is finally moving along and I can get unstuck. I'm adding another note at the end of the chapter to avoid spoilers. You might want to read it for some explanations.
I don't know when the next chapter will be ready, because it's actually the part which had me stuck for so long, but I'm working on it, and be assured I don't plan to abandon this story. The chapter is not beta'ed' so any mistakes are my own.
Total words without notes: 3,059
Chapter 04
Limbo had not needed to induce a trance, the natural sleep worked even better for his purposes. It also worked on their favor, as the spy in the vents got bored of watching them sleep, and did not notice anything amiss.
The spy did get to be a member of the select group of people who had ever heard Rogers sing, which was embarrassing for the soldier. The human really had no reason to be, he was really good, although his voice was more suited to modern styles than those of his time.
Anyway, by using natural sleep instead of a trance, Steve Rogers obtained more time for his body to adapt to any physical changes, like muscle memory, resulting from his experience in the In Between.
There was also the actual rest the human would get, as he had certainly not been sleeping much since he was defrosted; and even before his last mission. The Captain had had much weighting on his mind, heart, and conscience.
There was too much grief, a whole lot of confusion, and more than a bit of anger at the hand Fate had dealt him as well. With time Henry would help his father deal with those problems and leave them at manageable levels.
When Henry was in the In Between it appeared like time on Earth stopped, until he went back, and resumed its pace. In reality it was simple Time Travel and the equivalent of an Anti-Aging Ward. Limbo knew the young wizard was intrigued, and wanted to know how it was done, but he was not inclined to tell Henry until he figured it out on his own.
He was a very smart wizard, and sooner or later Henry would figure it out. In the mean time, Limbo got a bit of amusement at his expense. The combination of the Time Travel and the Anti-Aging Ward was how Limbo would be able to transfer so much information into Steve's mind without overwhelming him.
The plan was to go slow with the transfers, allowing the older wizard to adapt, as well as assimilate the information. It would probably take at least a couple of years, not that either of them would notice it.
Spending time in the In Between would let Henry share the full story of his life with his father, and let them get to know each other. For his part, Steve would also get the oportunity to grieve all he lost privately, without SHIELD observing his every move and gesture.
Everyone, and everything, Steve had known was practically gone. Less than a handful of the people he had known were alive, but it was not the same. They were old, frail, at least three were in nursing homes suffering from alzheimers or dementia, and one was lost. Steve needed to come to terms with his loses in order to move on. But Limbo could provide him with all the time he needed.
Steve did not realize he had fallen asleep, until he woke up... on the hospital bed in the middle of an empty, and vaguely familiar train station. He blinked, rubbed his eyes to clear them, then blinked again. Then he pinched his arm and felt it. At that he heard a childish giggle, and a deeper chuckle.
"I did that too the first time I found myself here," Henry said still amused. "Of course you got lucky, you're on a bed, and fully clothed."
"You weren't?" Steve asked sitting up and finally seeing Harry, who looked the same as he had in the hospital room. A small clone of himself.
"No, I wasn't. In fact I was lying butt naked on the floor," the man standing besides Harry responded, while the little boy giggled at the words.
He was a short man, probably no more than five feet five inches tall, he was lean but looked quite fit. His hair was short and messy, he had the same emerald green eyes Harry had, but shaped differently, with long dark lashes. Those eyes watched him amused from behind thin metal framed glasses. There was a lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead, and frankly he reminded him of someone.
"Charlie?" That was who the man reminded him of. Charlus Potter, albeit one who was probably in his early thirties.
"No," Henry responded, a soft smile on his face. "But his son, James, was my adoptive father. This is how I looked all my life, well until six months ago, nearly a clone of James Potter."
"He's me, and I'm him," Harry said moving closer to his father, who was still on the bed.
"I was you squirt, but now you have Steve to take care of you. So I know you won't be me," then he added softly as he patted the little one's head, "and I'm glad."
"Was your childhood that bad?" Steve asked sadly, and at the same time angry at those who hurt the both of them.
"At times it seemed so," he admitted, "but we can talk about that later." Hopefully the meaning of 'when Harry is asleep' would be clear. "Come, KC was kind enough to provide us with a replica of my home through gate six..."
"With gardens?" Harry asked excitedly, practically vibrating in place.
Harry liked the house Older-Him had lived at very much. He enjoyed playing and running in the gardens, as well as flying on the training broom Limbo provided for him. Harry only ever visited KC at night while he slept, if he needed help, or comfort from Henry. So he did not often get the chance to enjoy the gardens.
"Yes, this time he got the whole manor, quidditch pitch, and pond included," Henry told Kid-Harry.
"Yay!" Harry said and took off running towards the appointed gate. Too fast to hear the two adults chuckle.
"He seems more care free now," Steve commented as he began walking, falling into step with Henry.
"He is safe here, and knows it." Henry had a wistful smile on his face. "He trusts me because I was him, and he's willing to trust you. Believe me, it's great progress, I did not trust as easily when I was his age."
"What is this place?" Steve asked after a few moments to ponder the information about himself Henry had provided. A subject change seemed like a good idea, and he was curious.
"This is a replica of how London's King's Cross train station looked in 1991, the first time I went to Hogwarts." It had taken him two visits to figure that out, to Limbo's amusement.
"And is this also your mind?" He asked looking around, a bit amazed at the place.
"The full answer requires a bit of background information, but we'll get to that at the manor. To give you an idea though, part of it was indeed in my mind, or Harry's as was the case.
"The area were you awoke in is the entry point. We are now in another realm. It has no real name, but Harry and I call it the In Between, because it is actually the place between life and death."
Steve stopped short. "So we're dead?" He could not help sounding slightly alarmed.
"No we aren't, so don't worry Steve," Henry said a bit sheepish. "But normally those who visit this place, which is different for everyone else, are indeed, dead. I believe you met Albus Dumbledore during the war, yes?"
"Yeah, he was a powerful wizard, if a bit... odd." Frankly there had been no other way to describe Dumbledore and those blinding color combinations he preferred for his robes. They were never able to get him to blend in with the non magicals, although Charlus and Dorea did learn how. "He was leading the British Wizards against Grindelwald's forces."
"Well, he remained odd, and if anything, he got odder if you can believe that. He was the Headmaster at Hogwarts when James and my Mum were there, and later when I attended. He was also the leader of a faction against another Dark Lord.
"A Prophecy was made, pointing at me being the one to defeat said Dark Lord. James and my Mum were killed because of it, and I got the lightning bolt scar on my head, and became famous for surviving a Killing Curse when I was fifteen months old."
"You survived an Avada Kedavra too?" He asked shocked.
Steve never told anyone, and he had been lucky no one lived to tell the tale, as it was too... Creepy, and frankly no one would have believed him anyway. He was a muggle, or if Charlie had been right, a Squib. But Steve had been hit with a few Killing Curses during the war. They left him sore for days, and feeling like he had the worst case of the flu ever. But by the third time he did not even loose consciousness anymore.
Henry stared at his... father and gaped. "You were hit by an Avada Kedavra and lived? Why is there no record of it?"
~He has survived more than one Henry.~ Limbo chose to intervene in the conversation. ~As to why there are no records, well it was war. None of the casters survived, and there were no other witnesses.~
"Who was that?" Steve asked looking around for the one who spoke.
"But... but HOW?" Henry could not hide his shock.
~The Super Soldier Serum, and a slight mixup with the Vita-Rays he was irradiated with.~ Limbo responded. ~There will be full explanations later, once you both have enough information to understand them. As to who I am Captain Rogers, Harry and Henry call me Limbo.~_
"He's... a companion of sorts, a friend, better than a library, and a pain in the arse at times," Harry explained. "He's... tied to Harry and me, thanks to Dumbledore meddling in things he should not.
"Limbo is actually the one who's going to catch you up on all you missed Steve. He can transfer knowledge directly into your mind, and while here we have all the time in the world, so you can assimilate it. We can stay here the equivalent of years, and back there it would be less than the blink of an eye."
~It will be longer this time Henry,~ Limbo informed them. ~Some of the knowledge I plan on transferring comes with muscle memory, so Captain Rogers' body will need at least a couple of hours to assimilate it, and for the magic to adapt it.~
"I see," Steve said more than a bit curious as to what the strange entity planned on teaching him. "May I enquire what kind of knowledge requires muscle memory?"
~Certainly, there are now more fighting techniques available than there were in your time. A good number come from the orient, and are widely used. There are also a large number of weapons, and vehicles, which would benefit you to know how to operate.
~Specially if you continue your association with SHIELD. I'm sure this type of knowledge will come in handy on the long run. SHIELD will want to take advantage of having Captain America as an asset.~
Steve sighed at that. "Yeah, I got the feeling they will ask me something like that."
~I will make sure you have other options as well, in case you no longer want to keep fighting. You are a talented artist, and have a brilliant mind as well. There is more to you than just being Captain America.~ Limbo~ said the last in a gentle tone of voice. ~Remember, you owe them nothing Captain.~
~Do not let them tell you otherwise. In fact, it's the world who owes you for what you sacrificed to stop the Red Skull. Johann Schmidt and Arnim Zola were an even a worse threat to the world than Hitler ever was.~ He did not tell him Zola still was, even after death. Much as he wanted to warn him, Fate would nag at him for eternity if he disrupted her plans.
"Thanks Limbo, I'll keep that in mind." And he would, because Steve did feel he had given the world his all already. It did not mean he would not fight if he was needed, because he would, but he was not going to be guilt tripped into it.
"Going back to how are we not dead, and to make a long story short, and you'll get the full version later. Dumbledore meddled in things he should not, and inadvertently contrived to make me the first an only Master of Death.
"So this is my domain," Henry told his father, "and I can control who I bring here. I decide if whoever I bring can return to the Land of the Living, or who moves on to the Realm of the Dead. In your case, because of our relationship, you have a free pass. You can come and go from my domain at will."
They made the rest of the way to gate six in silence as Henry allowed Steve to assimilate the information he had provided. It also let him come to terms with the fact his father had survived several Avada Kedavras, and it was most likely because of the Super Soldier Serum. Which he inherited, and that would explain why he survived two of them... they had immunity.
His house had been Potter manor, it was a beautiful, stately, if rather big home. Too big for just one person, but he had come to like living there, with the many Potter elves, as well as the portraits of all of the Potters. Unfortunately they were not active in the replica KC created. He suspected Steve would have liked to speak with Charlus.
As they approached the manor, Harry zoomed past them on the broom Limbo had procured for him at break neck speed. Henry swore, they could not die while in the In Between, but they could get hurt. They had both broken bones while doing things they should not, or by not being careful. Henry actually cracked his skull when he fell while taking a shower not long ago.
Limbo made it that way so they would not forget their shared body was still vulnerable back in the Land of the Living. It was also why Limbo provided them with food and drinks. So that kid was going to break something if he was not careful.
Henry had been about to yell at the kid to slow down, but Steve beat him to it. In a way it was better, as Steve would be Harry's authority figure, and man did he have a tone of voice that demanded obedience. It was probably because he was in the army and had led men into battle.
Harry had come down looking scared, being yelled at by an adult (usually Vernon) ended with him getting a beating. He also knew better than to disobey. Henry said nothing, since he wanted to see what Steve would do. This was actually a good test on their father's parenting abilities.
Steve had lectured the kid about being careful, and not putting himself at risk. He then confiscated the broom, grounded him, and warned the child he would get a couple of swats if he did it again. Poor Harry had stared wide eyed, and even asked if he was going to be beaten, which in turn horrified Steve.
"I will never beat you Harry, I swear it," he said firmly while crouching before the small boy to look him in the eye. "The swats are to make a point, so you understand I am serious, but they are not meant to cause you harm beyond a stinging backside for a few minutes.
"My Ma used to give me a wallop with her sleeper when I misbehaved, or swore, and my best friend's mother had what we called the wooden hairbrush from hell," he smiled sadly at the memories his words brought. "Bucky, who was my best friend, and I were always getting into trouble, and Mrs Barnes was an expert with the thing.
"Mrs Barnes loved her son and cared about me, she did not want to hurt us, and the same with my Ma. They would leave us with a sore behind so we learned the lesson, but never with bruises. They both only wanted us to be careful, to be polite, and be good men, which is the same thing I want for you.
"Frankly, you scared me with the way you were flying kid. I thought you were going to hurt yourself, and I don't want you to get hurt. Do you understand?" He said and Harry nodded. "I'd like to hear you say it aloud Harry."
"I understand Steve," Harry said still wide eyed; and he actually did.
The Dursley tended to punish him just because they wanted to, as there usually was no reason for it. He was sure they liked hurting him, and the same with the foster parents he had been left with.
But Steve... His Dad had bothered to tell him what he did wrong, and why it was wrong. No one ever cared if he got hurt, besides Henry that is, but they were sharing the same body, so he did not count.
"Good, now come," Steve said standing and picking up the small boy. Harry had squeaked surprised, but wrapped his legs around his waist and his skinny arms around his neck. "Henry was about to show me the manor, so you can tell me what things and rooms you like best." Steve signalled for Henry to lead the way.
Henry had a soft pleased smile on his face. The way Steve handled his younger self was better than expected, although he had been worried for a bit when he mentioned the swats. The explanation put everything into perspective, and he understood it was the way Steve was raised, and the way things were done in the 1920s.
They had a leisure tour of the manor's grounds, including the quidditch pitch, the orchards, the gardens, and the pond. Then the trio went inside the manor, where Henry told Steve to choose a room from the many available, and not to worry about clothes... Or anything really, Limbo would provide him with whatever he needed.
Author's Note: I decided to add this note here to do a bit of explaining at the mention of spanking. The fact that I have Steve threatening Harry with a couple of swats, does not actually reflect my opinion on the subject.
What I am trying to portray is simply how some things have changed in time. How Steve, and a good number of people from that age, were raised, as opposed to the modern views on child rearing.
Many people now do not believe corporal punishment is the way to raise children, but it was not so in the past. Back then it was not only acceptable to give a spanking to misbehaving children, it was actually expected in some circles, and rather common.
Steve is only showing he's the product of the age in which he grew up, as well as his own circumstances. He does not see anything wrong with a couple of swats to make a point, as his mother did the same to him, and grew up all right to become a good man. But he does see the difference between disciplining a child, and beating one. He had been subjected to both when his father was alive.
Well, I hope this little rambling explanation help, if not feel free to comment and I'll try to be clearer.