His parents knelt and enclosed him in a hug "Am I dead, again?" He asked, unsurely returning his mother's embrace. His mind flashed to his last moments… the pain.
He didn't want to die. There was a time where he wouldn't have minded, but he had so much to live for now, and there was so much good he could have done. Dying now felt like leaving his life unfinished, unfulfilled.
"No, you aren't." His father said "And you never really were. That's why we're here." Their hug around him grew tighter, protective.
"We don't have much time." His mother rushed to explain "She won't take long to realize that you've crossed back over into her domain."
Harry felt something cold shudder down his spine, the mere allusion cutting through the warmth of the hug like a cold wind through a jacket. He nodded into his mum's shoulder, letting her talk, and as his parents spoke it quickly became clear that this was no mere reunion, it was a warning.
"Dumbledore ensured that you would be able to collect all of the hallows." His dad said, his voice grave "He thought it would help you defeat Voldemort, but he made a mistake. Collecting the hallows can give you power, but it also painted a target on your back."
"She knows exactly what kind of power you could have, if you wielded all the hallows against her. You became a threat, and she's trying to eliminate it."
It was clear that they were talking about 'Death'. He'd already guessed as much from the vision Wanda had uncovered from his mind. "I don't understand, why send me here? How?" Was it because this universe didn't have a version of the Deathly Hallows? Why not just kill him and be done with it?
"When Voldemort hit you with the killing curse, he didn't kill you, not entirely. You should have been able to return and live your life." He could hear the tears in his mum's voice, and he felt his own eyes sting. He had been… meant to go back? To his friends (family)? For a moment, he could almost taste it, reuniting with Ron and Hermione, late nights with Ginny. A life he'd never have. "You held all the Hallows, so she couldn't bring you past the veil without your permission. But you weren't fully alive either, so she was able to divert you."
"We don't know what her plans are for you here." His dad continued "But it's nothing good. Dumbledore was right about one thing, there are fates worse than death." Another chill, much more powerful, flooded through him, like the arctic gale dispelling the mere illusion of warmth.
"James." His mum hissed. "We're out of time. Harry, please, don't agree to anything with her. No deals, no pacts, and whatever you do don't-" Her words were lost on the wind, and moments later his parents faded away.
He felt her arrive as much as he saw her appear. Her very presence had a weight, like a boulder that strained against his mind. She was too much almost to even look at, let alone contemplate. He could describe her- bone white skin, ebony dark hair, lips, and eyes, and a dress that seemed sculpted to her body- but he could pick up almost no details of her, like someone had turned the contrast all the way up on a picture. "Death, I presume?" He asked boldly. As boldly as he could. Part of him wanted to cower at the sight of her, but he wouldn't show weakness.
"Well, this is inconvenient." She said casually.
"I know better now. Whatever you're planning." He said, "I won't fall for it."
"Is that so?" She crooned, sauntering over to him "Enlighten me." Her hand cupped his cheek, and it felt bitterly cold, like he was right next to a Dementor. He shuddered but managed to push the words out.
"I won't deal with you, not like the brothers did."
Her thumb gazed his lips, he could tase decay in the air. "Harry, Harry, Harry. You will." Finally, words died on his tongue. "You will give yourself to me just like you did in that clearing in the forest. Willingly, knowingly, with clear eyes."
She pulled back and suddenly he could breathe again, he hadn't even noticed that he'd stopped. He opened his mouth but found he still couldn't utter a word for the life of him. Dread pounded through his chest like the tide crashing against the coast, seeping through and drowning him bit by bit.
"It's in your nature Harry. You will."
-----
Harry sat bolt upright, chest heaving. In contrast to the chill of the vision he'd just received, he felt hot, and he tugged at the thin gown over his chest, tearing it open with surprising ease.
Something was beeping in alert. He wasn't wearing his glasses, so his surroundings were blurred, but it didn't look like he was in a traditional hospital. It was odd- mentally he felt completely alert, full of adrenaline, completely unlike his other experiences waking up after being hospitalized. He quickly concluded that Shuri and T'Challa must have saved him using Wakandan technology. He'd been reckless, burning through all his magic while injured was incredibly stupid. But it had also been the only way to save T'Chaka, he couldn't regret it.
Calming down, Harry slowed his breathing and began to feel around his surroundings. His hands brushed over his glasses, and Harry gratefully took them. His vision clarified, and he was somewhat surprised to see Shuri slumped over a table. It featured a console and equipment that Harry couldn't make heads or tails of, but at the moment it was only used as a very uncomfortable pillow.
Harry's heart warmed. It was nice, knowing someone was watching over him, had wanted to watch over him while they worked. Hell, knowing her, she might have helped treat him. He considered waking her, though he didn't want to disturb her, sleeping like that couldn't be comfortable. The decision was taken away from him, as the beeping from Harry's monitor slowly roused her. She mumbled something, in what must have been Wakandan, but as the beeping refused to relent she was drawn further into wakefulness. Her eyes drifted open, and Harry could pinpoint the exact moment that she registered that he was awake, because she suddenly she jumped in her seat. "Harry!" She exclaimed, her eyes bugging out.
Harry smiled. "Hey Shuri." He paused, momentarily at a loss for words, and Shuri didn't seem to hurried to fill the silence, she just gaped at him like she'd never seen him before. "…is everything alright?"
"Yes!" She said loudly. "Well…" She deflated "Things are as good as we could expect. You… saved our father. He recovered more quickly than you did."
"I'm glad to hear it. What about the others?"
Shuri looked away "We were able to save most of them."
"I'm sorry… what happened with me?"
"Your body was damaged at the cellular level." She said "I've never seen anything like it, and I have no idea how you managed that, but it was a miracle you survived. We had to resort to drastic measures."
"Drastic measures?" What did that even mean? "Is that… bad?"
"It depends on how you look at it." She looked positively sheepish, and was still looking discretely away from him. Harry finally thought to look down. He wasn't sure what he'd expected- some sort of scarring? He certainly hadn't expected to see a musculature every bit the equal of Steve Rogers'.
"Okay." Harry said, equal parts impressed and weirded out "I can see that whatever you did has had some… effects. Care to explain?" Shuri turned back to him, very deliberately meeting his eyes and looking nowhere else. Now that Harry was paying attention… was she blushing?
He put that observation to the back of his mind. Now wasn't the time, and while Shuri was great, he already was involved with three people. More just seemed decadently greedy. Even if her interest was more than casual attraction, there wasn't a point pursuing a cross continental relationship with a princess. No, that was just asking for trouble.
"What we gave you wasn't technology; it was a sacred herb. Normally it is only granted to the king or his heir."
Harry considered the gravity of this. "And you gave it to me, an outsider."
"I wasn't going to let you die, Harry." She said, dead serious "You risked your life for us, saved me, saved my father. Wakanda owes you a debt, and even if it didn't, I owed you. I'd like to think that you are a friend. Saving you was the least I could do."
"Thank you."
"No, Harry." She shook her head, smiling "Thank you."
"So, this herb." Harry glanced away "It has healing properties?"
"Among other things." Shuri explained "It enhances healing and durability, along with strength."
"Thus the muscles." Harry noted. Shuri nodded, blush flaring up again. "Sorry about the gown, I was hot."
Shuri snorted, muttering to herself something that sounded like agreement, before pivoting. "It also has a religious significance for us. It allows the user to ascend to the astral plane, and commune with their ancestors."
"Ah." Harry uttered, going cold. "So that was what that was." Shuri looked intensely curious, but to her credit didn't pry. So that was why Madame Hydra had been after it? Super strength was one thing, but astral travel? The ability to communicate with the dead? That was rare, frightfully rare. Something else tickled at his mind. This was the closest thing he'd found to a magical plant in his time in this world. He wondered…
"So, I have super strength now?" He offered weakly.
"Unfortunately, you won't be keeping the powers from the herb." Shuri shook her head, by her tone, she didn't fully agree with the decision "Father wouldn't hear of it. You have to understand what the herb means to us."
Harry cut her off "I understand. I certainly don't need super strength or a six-pack. What do we need to do?"
It turned out that Harry would be taking a potion. It was almost a nostalgic experience for him. And while Harry would not get to keep the super-strength, the six pack would, in fact, be there to stay.
-----
"He agreed to it." Shuri said "I told you he wouldn't need convincing."
"He's certainly proven his character." T'Chaka agreed. "It is good that he made a full recovery." It would make the coming discussions much easier. "The timing couldn't be better."
Giving the herb to an outsider had been completely unprecedented, practically sacrilegious. But it hadn't been T'Chaka's call to make. When he'd been awoken, he'd been presented with a fait accompli. His children had formed an unshakable a united front in defense of their new visitor. He couldn't exactly argue against it in any case- T'Chaka owed Harry Potter his life. Saving his in return was just recompense.
That didn't mean he wasn't eager for Harry Potter to take his leave. It was… uncomfortable, having a foreigner inside Wakanda. It was one thing reaching out to the outside world but letting the outside world in… that was something else. He hadn't lost sight of the larger picture. Wakanda's cooperation with the Avengers had drawn Hydra's attention to them. The tighter their ties to the outside were, the more risk there was. But at the same time, Wakanda simply could not take this lying down. Those who would attack Wakanda needed to face justice. Wakanda's people were reeling, demanding retribution. And somewhere out there was a threat, an organization that could infiltrate their defenses turn Wakanda's own soldiers against her, and now had access to looted vibranium and Wakandan technology.
There was no way around it. Wakanda was going to put every available resource into hunting down the attackers, neutralizing the threat, and finding justice for those they had lost. That meant they had to work with the Avengers. How to do it without compromising Wakanda's security further… that was the question.
Navigating this situation was… trying. It didn't help that both of his children were clearly enamored with the Avengers. Shuri was particularly taken with Harry. He'd made a point of given both T'Challa and Shuri responsibility- T'Challa as Black Panther and Shuri with her lab. It had allowed them to take control and navigate a crisis, but it had also lead to unintended complications.
Such as the one that they were facing now.
"The timing, father?" Shuri asked.
"We have visitors, meeting with T'Challa at the border right now." He told her. Shuri paled, and he hurried to relieve her concern "The Avengers." Her expression tightened. She had handed out details of Wakanda to outsiders, and while it had been necessary in the moment, there would be consequences for their nation.
"How many?" She asked.
T'Chaka shook his head. It wasn't a matter of a lone Avenger, or even a small team. "All of them."
-----
"You're an idiot." Were the first words Natasha said to him, moments before throwing her arms around him. "What the hell, Harry? I can't leave you alone for a minute without you running halfway across the world and nearly getting yourself killed."
"Sounds like he needs a chaperone." Tony quipped. Harry rolled his eyes, even as Natasha was doing her level best to choke the life out of him.
"You… didn't all need to come." He managed. That all of them had charged across the world for him… he didn't have the words. It was the sort of thing that Ron and Hermione would have done, and it was beyond touching that somehow, he'd found more people willing to go to those lengths for him. They'd been housed in a small facility near the border and had refused to leave until they could personally confirm Harry's safety. Harry's first job after having the Black Panther's powers removed from him was to go assure his team that he was in fact alive and well.
"We're a team, Harry. Of course we did." Steve said. "We're supposed to work together." Harry didn't miss the not-so-subtle reprimand in his words.
"Like hell we didn't." Natasha muttered, reluctantly disengaging, so that Skye could take her place. Except Skye didn't have to hide the nature of their relationship and was free to kiss him silly. When she pulled back, Harry was left feeling somewhat dazed.
Then there was Wanda. She didn't rush forward to hug him, or tell him off, but there was something behind her eyes, something strained, distressed.
"I'm sorry." Harry said, to Wanda, to Natasha, to Skye, to all of them. "I know I worried you guys, but…"
Wanda frowned "You'd do it again, wouldn't you." It wasn't a question.
Harry could only nod. His only regret was that he hadn't been good enough to apparate to Wakanda without complications. Perhaps that was something to add to his training regimen…
It would also be nice to be able to side-along people, if he'd been able to take backup with him, the situation might have been completely different. No way would anyone else had survived the trip to Wakanda with him, but if he'd been better…
No one was exactly happy with his position, but it was hard to argue with it either. Tony and Steve had both blatantly thrown themselves to their death for others in the past and charging headfirst into danger was practically a requirement to being an Avenger. The following hour was a whirlwind, as revolving cast of Avengers and Wakandans were thrown in with Harry. The discussion quickly moved from the events of Madame Hydra's attack to plans for the future. Every Wakandan they'd talked to was out for vengeance, their new allies would be beyond enthusiastic.
But as important all that was, Harry found himself tuning out. Despite himself, he found himself drawn back into the numbing cold of his vision. Death's promise and his parents' warning echoed in his mind. In the moment, he'd been certain he'd never make any sort of deal with Death, but with even a moment of self-reflection, he could see that wasn't true at all. Sacrificing himself was second nature, he couldn't stand by while others were suffering, not when he could do something to help. He had no idea what plans Death had in store for him, what the stakes would be and what price there would be to pay, but he couldn't say he'd never give himself over.
He looked around at the Avengers, his friends, his newfound family. He couldn't bear to tell them of his vision, he didn't want to worry them any more than they already were. He knew without a doubt he would die for them. He wondered what it would take for him to face a fate worse than death.