A Brave New World

Where it all starts... Again!

AN: Here's my first crossover and my first work in both the fandoms! Hope you like this… Sorry in advance for any grammatical error.

Standard disclaimers apply to all chapters. I own neither the Marvel Comics, MCU or the Harry Potter Universe.

Happy reading!

Prologue

Harriet "Harry" Potter looked around solemnly at the destruction surrounding her, black flames burned nearly everything as far as her eyes could see. She was in an unplottable location near the Amazon forest. She had her phoenix feather wand in one hand and a small pouch hung from the waist belt of her dragon hide uniform.

"Expecto Patronum!" A regal projection of a phoenix emerged from her wand. "Mission accomplished." Harry relayed to her Phoenix. "To the big boss, Nix." The phoenix materialized leaving a trail of blue as it disappeared.

Harry transformed into her animagus form- a majestic jet black phoenix with intelligent emerald eyes. She flew up and watched on till the flames died down to reveal a huge crater in the place of what used to be a mysterious tomb. One which Harry had just examined, excavated to scour the place for anything of interest and value.

Harry, who would be turning twenty six in a day, worked as an independent curse-breaker for the Ministry. She had joined the auror corps after the 'Battle of Hogwarts' nearly a decade ago, but quickly lost interest in fighting battles she wanted no part in. She still wanted to help others and her 'hero complex', as Hermione always called it, was still strong; however, she was exhausted. No matter how hard she tried, there was no changing the world, much less saving it.

The crimes never ended. Even with Voldemort gone, the peace was short lived. Another rogue, uncaptured death eater had taken his place. He too was defeated in a few months, but the damage was done- muggles and muggleborns along with a few aurors became casualties. There were thieves, serial killers, abusers, rapists and so many other evil-doers; Harry couldn't save everyone.

There was no changing the world. The world didn't want to be saved. Peace was short-lived, even that always came at a heavy price.

Balance. For every positive thing in the world, exists something bad. Harry had learned that lesson the hard way- many times over.

Harry was just about to teleport when a voice rang behind her. "Wait!"

A strange orange portal opened and a tall aristocratic man, wearing a long red cloak seeped in magic stepped through.

"Are you the Master of Death?" The strange man inquired looking straight at Harry.

Harry ignored him but she was scared. She had no backup and this man had addressed her by the title no one except Hermione, Ron and Dumbledore (possibly) even knew of. She flew a bit further but he followed her by flying towards her. The man was powerful, Harry noticed, as he was capable of unsupported flight in human form.

"Please hear me out." The man said pleadingly. "I am the Sorcerer Supreme of a different dimension. If you're the Master of Death, I require a favor from you. It is of utmost importance."

Harry examined the man closely. He looked weary and worn. He looked to be healing from a big fight if the gashes on his cheeks bones, highlighting how prominent and angled his jaws were really, looked fresh. He looked earnest and desperate.

Something resounded within Harry and she decided to listen to his story. She transformed back to her human form after landing on the ground with the Sorcerer following.

"What do you require from the Master of Death?" Harry inquired with a quirked eyebrow.

"Uh, I suppose Mistress of Death would be more appropriate." He looked surprised.

"I'm Harry." Harry supplied amused.

"Strange." The man said casually and Harry frowned preparing tell him off for insulting her but he must have sensed it. "My name is Doctor Strange."

Harry slightly blushed realizing her mistake and smiled apologetically. "And what brings you here, Dr. Strange? Are you a doctor or a sorcerer?"

"Both actually." Strange replied. "I am in search of the Master, or rather, the Mistress of Death, as the world I come from has lost its best defender."

Doctor Strange explained how the Mad Titan, Thanos, had destroyed worlds and had wiped out half the universe. Harry listened with rapt attention, not willing to interrupt the most unbelievable story involving aliens, technological advancements fit for Sci-fi and time travel of all things.

"If I were to believe your story, what do you require from me?" Harry asked trying to process everything the sorcerer had retold.

The man, Tony Stark, sounded like a kindred spirit. He seemed to have taken the same road harry had once taken upon Dumbledore's instruction, sacrificing herself in order to save the world, as had this Tony Stark. Only there was no horcrux in his head to be destroyed, so he had stayed dead. He had a daughter as well. The little girl, unlike her, would grow up in a loving environment with superheroes surrounding her but she would never really understand why her father had to leave for a very long time.

"You are in possession of the Death Stone." Strange answered hesitantly. "I believe it can negate the powers of using the Infinity Stones."

Harry pursed her lips in disbelief. She had dropped the Resurrection Stone in the Forbidden Forest and had never thought much about it. To her, the Master of Death was just one of the many titles and monikers she had. It didn't mean anything. The most powerful was in Dumbledore's tomb, it would always be Dumbledore's wand to her. The Cloak was her family heirloom that she hoped to pass on to her children or godchildren she would no doubt be surrounded by.

"Listen, Doctor Strange, I'm afraid I have no idea how to use the resurrection stone. It is my responsibility to warn you of its many dangers. The one who used it originally became addicted to meeting the shade of the person he had lost. It drives you crazy. And I also believe it's quite cruel to the souls to be summoned as shades with no purpose other than to tempt them into seeing what they have left behind. The resurrection stone brings in nothing but trouble." Harry informed him seriously.

She had understood it at Seventeen, the only reason she had let go of the Stone was because she thought she was going to die and join her parents and Sirius. That it was of no use to her dead.

"I was led to believe that the one you call the resurrection stone was part of the death stone. Not the Death stone itself. You need three artefacts, possessed by the Master of Death, to bring a deceased one back to life, as long as it hasn't passed on to the other side, the Void, whatever you want to call it." Strange explained cautiously. "This dimension was the only one I could find where someone had become the Master of Death."

"All three hallows, you say?" Harry asked suspiciously. "And it can bring back anyone?"

"Not anyone, Ms. Harry." Strange said softly. "I only researched how to counter the effects of the Infinity Stones. There's no way to bring someone back from the dead- that I know of."

"Of course." Harry agreed sadly. "I still don't know how to help you. I know where the Hallows are- I want to be there when you use them. I really don't want them falling into the wrong hands, no offence to you."

"Only you can use the Death Stone." Strange informed. "There is a ritual you need to perform, I will summon the spirit energy, and the artefacts should merge into the Death Stone."

Harry thought his words over once again. This was a pretty bad idea. She might lose her beloved cloak. The only heirloom of her family, it was one of its kind. There was a chance, though Harry had gotten pretty good at reading someone's intention, that everything could go horribly wrong.

On the other hand, she wanted to help the sorcerer who was trying so hard to amend the mistake he had committed. Save a worthy life; give a little girl her father back, save the husband of a good selfless woman, give a bunch of people their friend back, save the mentor of a teenager who needed a father figure, and most importantly, bring back the defender of an entire dimension.

"Alright, I will help you." Harry said decisively. Strange gave a small relieved smile.

Harry apparated him just outside the Forbidden Forest. Strange barely even flinched.

"I dropped it somewhere inside this forest." Harry confessed worriedly. The only indication that Strange gave he was surprised was a slight raise of his brows.

"Most magical things emit energy which should be quite to track." Strange assured her. He weaved his hands in complex patterns and various symbols appeared gleaming in dark green. Harry wondered if Hermione would be able decipher them as Harry's knowledge of ancient runes was limited.

"Interesting." Strange muttered. "There seems to be multiple magical signatures all over the place. Human, animal and inanimate objects containing high energies."

Strange's magic grew darker when he gestured towards Hogwarts; it appeared blue when he pointed towards the Forest and when he scanned her, his symbols showed different colors. Strange's brows knit together showing his confusion.

"Um, I thing I know what the problem is." Harry smiled sheepishly. "There's too much magic around us. Can you track, like, specific energies?"

"There's a Sanctum here?" Strange asked interested. "Our Sanctum is in the middle of London. And yes, I can track the other artefacts if they have the same energy."

"Here's the Cloak." Harry handed her Cloak of Invisibility carefully. Strange examined it for a second before weaving his hands in complex motions making different symbols, Harry still didn't know, appear. "What's a sanctum?"

"It is a place of teaching, healing and a line of defence against magical and dimensional threats." Strange explained distractedly, his concentration fully on the Cloak.

"How interesting." Harry commented. "Then you were probably asking about Hogwarts. It's a school that teaches magic. It's the school I went to when I was eleven."

"Eleven?" Strange asked in surprise. Harry briefly explained about witches, wizards and Hogwarts. Strange listened intently without even slowing down whatever magic he was doing. Harry rambled about Hogwarts and the magical world for a few minutes anxiously. The distraction mainly for her sake as she had little idea what was happening. The second he did anything to harm her Cloak, she was attacking him with her most powerful spell.

Finally, there was beam of light from the halo of what looked like a compass of some sort. Harry was impressed as it pointed towards the direction of Dumbledore's grave.

"It looks like one of them is that way." Strange commented slightly out of breath. "From the look on your face I suspect you already knew that."

Harry shrugged unrepentantly and showed him the Elder wand she had apparrated to bring.

"I only told you that I had lost the Stone, nothing about the want." Harry reminded him. "Can you find where it is?"

"Of course." Strange said slightly offended. "The problem is that there appears to be a multitude of magical species on the way with no way of finding out which ones are hostile." Strange looked at Harry with narrowed eyes. "Unless, of course, you already know how to get past them."

"Assume all of them are hostile." Harry piped in. "So we have two ways to do this. Either I go with my Cloak and hopefully get the Stone without letting anything know I'm in there; or I fly there and land in a safe spot to grab the Stone."

"You mean we have one option. You fly and get the Stone back." Strange said annoyed. "I will know when the beam extends that you have decided to make a run for it."

Harry hummed noncommittally and transformed into her Phoenix form. She followed the golden beam emitting from the compass and finally reached the middle of the forest clearing where she vividly remembered the shades of her parents and godfather she had desperately summoned. She picked up the Stone with her beak not trusting her human self with the Stone still. Willing herself not to think of her deceased loved ones, she flew towards Strange as quickly as possible.

Harry transformed back and laid the three hallows together.

"It would be better to do the ritual where it is unlikely we will be disturbed." Strange said without preamble. Harry agreed quietly.

"Would my house be ok?" Harry asked. "It has the best wards and protection." With a hesitant nod from Strange, Harry put the Hallows in a small pouch that had another undetectable extension charm and apparated them outside Grimmauld Place. She took a piece of paper with the address and told him how to get past the Fidelius charm.

As the old grandfather clock of her Godfather's house chimed twelve times, signifying the start of Harry's Twenty Sixth year, they started the ritual. Strange had briefed her about the ritual over a glass of pumpkin juice and leftover treacle tart.

Strange began the ritual and Harry carefully did her part. It took only a few minutes before the Hallows merged into one brilliant oval black stone. One might mistake it for a random pebble if not for the purple energy almost electricity surrounding it.

Harry held it in her hands uncertainly. Strange gave her an encouraging nod.

"I wish to summon Tony Stark from the dead, please." Harry ordered like she was at a restaurant. She grinned cheekily as Strange rolled his eyes exasperatedly. Harry was about to try again but the place grew colder and there was darkness everywhere.

A lone figure emerged from a cloud of smoke. It almost looked like a male human if not for his glowing gold eyes unnaturally gleaming from his dark face, black matted hair, his eight foot body encased in black and gold armor, a helmet with gold horns and he held a sword emitting the same purple energy as the new Stone.

"You summoned me, my Mistress?" He asked in the deepest voice Harry had ever heard. "I am Heimdall, also the newest God of Death."

Harry looked at Strange who appeared just as shocked as her. What had she gotten mixed up in now? I hate my birthday, Harry complained in her head loudly.

AN: Do let me know what you guys think!