AN: I do not own either HP or Avengers.

Loki woke up in the realm of Death, blinking his eyes open, his heart beating fast. The last thing he remembered was looking at Thor, seeing his brother beaten, bruised and bloody. Heimdall dead after having sent the Hulk to Earth, warning the planet. Valkyrie having been thrown out of the Asgardian refugee ship early on in the battle.

"Hey, mate. You look like shit."

"You look like you've been through hell." Laughter followed in two other voices and Loki glanced up at the speaker, seeing a shock of red hair. For a second he thought it was Romanoff, the Black Widow, before he realized he didn't recognize any of the people around him.

Crowds milled around him, people aimlessly walking about, their bodies, their souls, transparent and see-through. The big building around him looked to be a castle, a gloomy, stone thing that even Odin's throne room had dwarfed. Eerie light shone through the glass windows, shining between colors as it lit up the great hall he was now in.

"I reckon Harry will want to see you, mate. You best get up there. Gods dying… That's a bit of bad business."

Loki shivered as a cool breeze flowed through the hall, cooling off the sweat on his arms. The suit of armor that he had on was slashed into pieces, big gaping holes spread throughout it and as he looked down, he could see bruises covering his skin. He took a deep breath and immediately began to cough, clutching his chest and pulling on his magic… Only to realize his magic was gone.

Loki took another breath, his eyes going wide. He had never had to deal with the loss of his magic before and now, with his brother's shocked, bruised face in his memory… He inhaled sharply, coughing and spat out blood, ghostly blood.

"Loki, dearest…"

"I'm here now."

Arms came around him, familiar, warm arms and he let out a strangled cry as his mother embraced him. Frigga's eyes were soft and worried as she looked him over before pulling him into a tight hug and he sucked in another surprised breath. His ribs cried out at the pressure but he didn't care. He was dead and his mother was here.

"Oh, Loki. I did not mean to leave you two alone," Frigga whispered, her voice steady and familiar in a realm of death. "But you have done wonderfully. I am so, so proud of you."

Another sob left his throat unwillingly and a cloak settled onto his back, warm and secure. Power radiated from the cloak, unlike the one worn by the sorcerer back on Earth, the one that had kept him falling for thirty minutes. This one was feather light and had no scent attached to it.

"What happened?" Another voice. This one male and unfamiliar but… Loki could hear the power in it and… worry.

"Harry. My son just died. I do not know what happened."

"Your son?

"He is my son," Frigga remarked, a hint of steel in her voice, threatening whoever the man was. Loki grinned but sighed heavily, grief at her death filling him and guilt at his role in it.

"Mother, I am-"

"Loki, you couldn't have known. It is understable. Just don't do it again," Frigga added, pulling away to look at him. "What of Thor?"

Loki stiffened, his breathing hitching in his chest and his heart skipping a beat. "I… left him there. I didn't… I couldn't…"

"Breathe."

A hand cupped his neck, warm to the touch and… he relaxed into it. Into the touch that was so very unlike how Thanos had gripped him just before he had crushed his neck. Shivers rode through his body and phantom pain howled through his nerves. His heart raced and raced before the fingers started to rub soothing circles onto his skin.

"You're okay."

Magic curled around him, foreign, ancient and powerful. Loki sank into it, leaning against the man behind him. He heard a sharp intake of breath before an arm wrapped around his waist, gentle and tentative but steady.

"Loki, what are you looking for?" Frigga questioned, looking at him with a fond smile on her face, her eyes twinkling like she already knew who he was looking for.

"I read… something in one of the scrolls," Loki said, enjoying being held in the man's arms. He didn't know who the man was but he felt like could trust him. "In the library. The Master of Death? Hela mentioned the god too. This… person, entity, could probably take on Thanos."

He felt a low, quiet laugh from the man who was all but holding him, the cloak still wrapped around him.

"You have found him already, dear," Frigga murmured, before standing up and helping him up too. "Harry Potter, Master of Death."

Loki froze, holding his mother's arm and tugging her back a step. The cloak fell off his shoulders and down to the ground and the man behind him flicked a wrist, the cloak flying up to his outstretched hand. The man who had held him looked… human, with long, shaggy black hair and glowing green eyes. The scar on his forehead was shaped like a lightning bolt, branches of raised scarring forking down along the skin. The flutter of wings filled the air and for an instant, Loki saw wings, black feathered wings that hovered behind him.

"Who are you."

The man took a step towards them and Loki glanced to Frigga, seeing her dip her head in a nod.

"I am the one you are searching for, Loki, Prince of Asgard, Odinson, Rightful King of Jotunheim. The God of Mischief. I have as many titles as you but you may call me Harry."

Loki raised an eyebrow and shuddered as the man's full power came to him, ancient, powerful and surrounded by death. It was almost intoxicating as Loki's knees buckled under the force of it. The man closed the distance between them, reaching out a hand to help him stay standing. Their hands touched and Loki could feel the calluses on the man's hand and the warmth.

Their eyes caught, bright green meeting blue and held.

"If you wish it, I will take you back to a time where you can make a difference. Thanos has been irritating me since the beginning of time."

"I had thought you might take me back now."

The Master of Death-Harry shook his head, their hands still entwined. "Time is set now. The Avengers lose this battle. I cannot interfere now. The future was still forming four years ago."

Loki's heart skipped a beat at his words. He had been through entirely too much in the past two weeks that he couldn't remember what happened four years ago but he trusted his mother. And his mother trusted this being. "Does Thor die? I can't lose my brother. Not now."

Harry's eyes glowed even brighter and then he again shook his head. "No. He does not."

Loki idly nodded, glancing around their surroundings and taking even more in. "Is Father here?"

"Which father do you speak of? I banished Odin temporarily a few months ago," Harry remarked, shrugging. "He… did not make a good first impression and Laufey… is a whole other story."

Frigga sighed beside him. "Odin can be stubborn when he decides on a path."

"Stubborn, hmm. That is one perspective. What of your choice, Loki?" Harry questioned, crossing his arms and looking at him intently. "Stay or go back?"

"Go back. I choose to go back. I can save you, mother."

Frigga's lips twitched up into a small grin. "Be sure of your choice, dear."

"Thor received a second chance. I deserve one too."

"You already earned one from me," Harry offered quietly, wrapping his cloak around his shoulders and holding out an arm. "Besides, I'm due for a little time in the mortal world. Hedwig!"

An owl popped into existence in front of them, hovering in mid air. Harry raised an expectant eyebrow at the snowy white bird. "Hedwig, just pick a form and be done with it."

The owl chirped angrily at Harry and Loki watched in amused disbelief as the two talked, with only one side of the conversation heard.

"Hedwig, I think you're pretty whatever you choose!"

"No… I swear, I didn't laugh at you, girl! I was laughing with you!"

Harry swore in an entirely new language under his breath and then sighed. The snowy white owl let out an irritated chirp and the light flashed around her. One minute there was an owl and the next… A brilliant, white phoenix hovered in the air the next, white sparks of fire skipping through her feathers.

"At least, you won't be that flashy," Harry muttered, the glow in his eyes disappearing and the shadows around him vanishing.

Hedwig, if that was the bird's name, flared and the white fire on her seemed to explode. Harry shook his head in bemusement and then once again held out his arm, gesturing for Loki to take it. Loki looked at it suspiciously, his eyes narrowing.

"I don't bite," Harry remarked, winking at him. "At least, not until you want me to."

Loki blinked, his cheeks reddening, as he absentmindedly laid his arm on Harry's. It had been a while, a long while, since he had lain with someone. They disappeared between one second and the next, black taking over Loki's vision.

The next thing Loki knew, he was looking out of a glass cell as it closed around him. His body trembled as his memories flooded his mind, remembering where he was and who the man outside of the cell was too. The man… Nick Fury, if Loki recalled correctly, glared at him. Loki glanced up and took in his surroundings, remembering the fight in New York and the tesseract. Remembering the forming of the Avengers.

The camera on the ceiling turned to look at him.

The sound of wings once again filled the air next to him and Harry appeared in the cell right alongside him, the beautiful white bird flashing into existence on his shoulder. Harry Potter, the Master of Death, had just arrived, his cloak sitting on his shoulders like it belonged there.

Nick Fury blinked, his eyes widening as he called for guards to come in. Men came racing in, guns in their hands, and aimed right for Harry.

Loki remembered what had come afterward, hearing Thor tell the story after his past self had gotten captured, his army defeated. Then came the Dark elves and learning what Thor had been up to. HYDRA. The Winter Soldier. Dr Strange. Valkyrie. The Infinity Stones.

The Captain and Thor raced in, with Anthony Stark not too far behind. The Russian spy followed them, with her weapons placed in hiding on her body. Not yet a team. Not yet a family.

He turned to the Master of Death, catching the man's eyes with his. Harry looked at him in excitement, perhaps the wonder of a new world. And… Loki moved his arms behind his back, made a small movement with two of his fingers and… His magic came roaring to him at a moment's notice, curling around him like a web. He grinned at the rush, seeing Harry smile.

"Shall we begin?" Loki questioned.

Harry winked at him and then turned towards SHIELD and the Avengers, bowing a little, and introduced himself as Harry. Just Harry.