ripped at every edge (but you're a masterpiece) (Hp x Mcu) by Lissy

Chapter 25: caught in this wicked game

Summary:

Tony finds himself viewing Hari's memories, courtesy of Loki.

Chapter title:
Mad World - Within Temptation

Notes:

Timeline:
[x] (2012) The Avengers
[x] (2013) Iron Man 3
[x] (2013) Thor: The Dark World
[ ] (2014) Captain America: The Winter Soldier; Guardians of the Galaxy; Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2
[ ] (2015) Avengers: Age of Ultron; Ant-Man
[ ] (2016) Captain America: Civil War; Spider-Man: Homecoming
[ ] (2017) Doctor Strange; Black Panther; Thor: Ragnarok
[ ] (2018) Avengers: Infinity War

Wisps of green magic slowly unfurl from Loki's hand, a devilish grin twisting his lips upward. The image does not calm Tony down in the slightest. He grips his suitcase armor tightly in his hand, every muscle in his body tense and ready to strike if necessary.

He should have come down wearing the suit. It's great to have a portable suit, there's no doubt about that, but the time it takes for the armor to cinch around his body is too long. When he gets back to Earth, he'll need to make it smoother, faster, better.

But he's not on Earth.

He's on Asgard, and he's standing down because Hari asked him to trust her.

And Tony does. He trusts her so completely that it honestly scares him a little. She's a powerful witch, but Loki is a Norse god. Specifically, he's the god of mischief and chaos. Tony knows he has some sketchy shit up his sleeve, he knows that Loki is gonna try to weasel his way out of this deal.

Hari is pretty crafty herself, but Loki has been doing this for so much longer.

They should have tested the truth potion first and subjected Loki to it before any deals were made. It is an oversight that they are going to pay for.

Still, Hari doesn't look alarmed at all. In fact, her arms are crossed in front of her chest, utterly nonchalant and bored. Tony can see her hand touching the holster strapped to her right arm; it won't snap her wand into her hand, not in this position, but her hand still touches the smooth handle. The green magic lazily drifts to her, twisting and turning not unlike the Aether had. Hari cocks an eyebrow at the show, the straight line of her mouth showing just how unimpressed she is with it.

Oh, how he loves her.

The magic suddenly washes over her, seeps into her skin. The sudden movement makes Tony's grip on his suitcase armor tighten, but Hari doesn't show any reaction.

For a few moments, nothing happens.

Tony's eyes dart from Hari who looks unconcerned, to Loki who looks like the cat that got the canary, to Thor who looks breathtakingly confused. The tension is so thick and palpable, and Tony can feel the hairs at the back of his neck stand at attention.

And then the magic bursts out of her, so blinding that Tony flinches back and throws a hand in front of his eyes even as he squeezes them shut. He can vaguely hear Thor cry out in alarm, but the god of thunder is the only one to utter anything.

When the light fades, they're not outside of Loki's cell anymore.

They're in a house. It's a modest house with at least two stories, given the staircase just to the left of him. Pictures litter the cream-colored walls, showcasing a family of three. There's a blond, chubby kid featured prominently in nearly all of the photos. Standing next to the kid in at least half of the photos are two adults, assumedly his parents, and he doesn't recognize any of them. The woman is tall, on the thinner side with blonde hair, and the man is unbelievably obese with a bushy beard that inexplicably reminds Tony of a walrus.