*Chapter 13*

June 3rd, 2007 Hogwarts Express

Harry was a bit grumpy if he was being honest with himself. When they had finally been let out of the castle to go home, Harry had wanted to just flash out of there but Daphne had asked him very politely to accompany her on the train. Of course, he immediately refused her request. He wasn't one to bow before one's request just because they wanted him to. Daphne, however, seemed quite persistent. She just kept talking and reasoning to him about why he should do it. His ears felt like they were bleeding until finally he just told her enough and that he would go with her on the train. She seemed pleased by this and skipped away to go and finish packing. So here he was, sitting on a train that he shouldn't even have to take because an 11-year-old girl had almost literally talked his ear off. How far the mighty had fallen.

As he sat down in a compartment next to her and her friend Tracy, he remembered that he had another reason for not wanting to depart by train but for the life of him, couldn't remember why.

'Oh well. Probably wasn't important.' He thought to himself as he prepared himself for an 8-hour sleep.

"Why did you let the female flesh bag convince you to take this infernal contraption? We could have been on the island already and I could be feasting on rodents.' Sammy said indignantly

"She wouldn't stop talking," Harry said back, totally ignoring the fact that he had company who was now looking at him oddly.

"You should have ignored her then," Sammy hissed back angrily.

"Perhaps. Now be quiet Sammy. I've had a long week and need to rest up before we get home." Harry said as he tried to go to sleep.

"Harry why are you hissing?" Daphne asked carefully. Harry looked at her and suddenly registered that others were indeed here. He sighed and hissed for Sammy to come out. When she slithered out he introduced her to the stunned girls.

"This is Samael or Sammy as I call her. She is my snake and familiar. She is a black mamba so don't touch her fangs. Fill free to touch her and say hello. Now I'm going to sleep so please keep it down." Harry said as he turned over after introducing Sammy. Sammy knew not to kill them so everything should be fine.

"Oh and lock the door and close the blinds. Don't want little Arthur to come knocking." Harry said. He heard the lock click before he closed his eyes and dozed off.

The next thing he knew he was being shaken awake. He opened his eyes and saw Daphne standing over him with Sammy wrapped comfortably around her neck. He raised a single eyebrow.

"We are 30 minutes away. Thought I should wake you." She said. He looked at her strangely.

"You're telling me that I slept for 7 ½ hours?" Harry asked as he looked at her. She nodded back.

"That's exactly what I'm telling you. You must have been quite tired." She responded back.

"How long do you normally sleep for?" Tracy asked.

"I suppose I usually sleep for at most, 5 or 6 hours before I get up and start training," Harry said as he cocked his head to the side thoughtfully.

"How are you not tired all the time?" She said back to him with a baffled expression on her face. Harry shrugged.

"I am used to it, after so many years," He responded as he looked out the window and waited for the train to arrive at the station. When he finally felt the train start to slow down, he got up and unlocked his compartment to leave. Daphne and Tracy followed.

"Harry, it's been bothering me for quite a while now, but do you not have any more clothes? You wear the same thing every day." Daphne asked. Harry just looked at her.

"Of course I have other clothes. I just don't change often since I can clean my current ones over and over again at any point. Besides, when I first came here I was hoping not to have to stay at Hogwarts long. Seems Dumbledore is really committed to making sure I don't leave." Harry said with a sigh as the train came to a full stop. They were among the first to get out and Daphne immediately started to lead them to the farthest right corner. When they got there, Harry saw two people: a woman that looked like Daphne's older sister and a younger girl that had the same face but differently colored eyes and hair. Harry immediately deduced who they were, but decided to grab some brownie points.

"Daphne you didn't tell me you have an older sister as well?" Harry said with a confused look on his face. The older lady immediately smiled in delight as she looked down at Harry.

"Ohh. I like your friend already, Daphne. My name is Angelica Greengrass, Daphne's mother." She said with amusement as she held out her hand to Harry.

Harry took it and bowed to kiss the back of it smoothly.

"My dear lady, I'm not sure I quite believe that last part, but I'm charmed to meet you, none the less. And who's this young lady?" Harry said as he turned to the younger girl. She immediately eeped and hid behind her mother's legs to hide her embarrassment.

"It seems you have charmed both my daughters, Harry. Although, seeing what a gentleman you are, I am not surprised." Angelica responded.

"MOM!" Daphne yelled with a red hue on her face looking everywhere but at Harry. Harry cataloged that for later. He coughed politely in his hands.

"Yes, well, I actually have to go somewhere. I'm late because someone decided I needed to ride the train. So I must say farewell for today," Harry said as he did an over-the-top bow to them. Daphne gave him a slight glare before telling him that she would write to him. Harry nodded before reaching around her neck and taking Sammy and letting the snake slither back into his clothes. He then bade them farewell before walking away and leaving them. He was just about to step into the portal so he could flash away without anyone watching when he heard someone call out to him. He turned around, wondering where the call had come from. Immediately, he saw a red-headed woman trying to make her way towards him through the crowd. Harry immediately turned back around and continued walking.

"Nope. Fuck that," Harry said as he continued through the exit. As soon as he came out the other end, though, hands reached out and grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back in. He prepared himself to counter-attack the person who was touching him but was immediately pulled into a hug and into what he assumed was the chest of a female or at least a really fat guy. He would have hoped for the first if he didn't have a good idea who was hugging him.

"Woman, cease your infernal hold upon my body!" Harry exclaimed as he struggled to get loose. After a few seconds, he finally broke free and immediately backed up. He then glared at the woman who was looking at him with hurt in her eyes.

"Harry, I-" she tried, but he cut her off.

"No. Whatever it is you want, the answer is no," Harry said as he once again debated on what the quickest method out of here was. He didn't want to show his flashing technique here and have everyone know that he could perform such a technique.

"Harry, please just listen," She begged. By now, Harry had noticed that James and Arthur were behind her, a few feet away, with the little girl in their arms.

"I'm not coming back to live with you and that's final. No amount of begging and pleading will change my mind," Harry said as he regarded Lily coldly. She looked heartbroken. At this point, James stepped in.

"Harry, we can't just leave you to fend for yourself on the streets, no matter how much you dislike us," James said, trying to get Harry to see reason.

"You keep talking like you have a choice in the matter of where I stay in my free time. Let me assure you that you don't. The only reason I'm even going to Hogwarts is that I have to. I'll be damned if I have to go live in a stranger's house as well." By this point, James had put the girl down so he could approach Harry. Harry immediately took several steps back.

"Don't come close to me," Harry said coldly. Before James could respond, Harry felt a tug at his side. He looked down to see the little girl that was with the Potters looking up at him curiously.

"Are you my other older brother?" She asked in an innocent, child-like voice. Harry's eyes softened when they met the little girls.

"I'm sorry, but I am afraid you are mistaken," Harry said as he tried to tear his eyes away from the adorable little girl.

"Nu-uh. Mommy and Daddy said you are, so you must be," Rose said to him. Harry regarded the little girl for a second as the whole Potter family watched quietly.

"What's your name?" Harry asked her finally. She smiled up at him.

"Rose, I'm 5," She said as she held up 5 of her fingers. Harry couldn't help the twinge of his lips in an upward motion as he saw the cute display.

"Indeed you are. Well, Rose, believe me when I say that the situation is most complex." Harry said, trying to get the little girl to go back to her parents. She just looked up at him with a confused expression.

"Huh?" She said, confused by Harry's vocabulary. Harry sighed.

"While, yes, we both have the same parents by blood, I don't recognize them as part of my family any longer, meaning that in my eyes they are no longer my parents and I am no longer their son," Harry said, trying to explain the situation more clearly to the obviously too young girl.

"How come you no want them as parents anymore?" She asked with a confused expression.

"They were already my parents once and it did not end well, so they don't get a second chance," Harry said, now taking a knee to talk at eye level with the girl.

"So they're not your parents anymore?" she asked, trying to clear her confusion. Harry nodded at her, glad that she was finally understanding.

"Okay, but you're still my brother," She said as her expression changed to one of determination that only a child could pull off. Harry looked at her with a hint of surprise.

"How do you figure?" Harry asked tilting his head to the side while looking at the girl.

"Well, I still recognize you as my brother, so you're my brother," She said with a nod to herself at her, in her mind, perfect logic. Harry chuckled quietly.

"What a strange little girl you are," Harry said as he stood up and patted her head. Rose pouted in return.

"Hey, I'm not weird!" Rose said in protest.

"Sometimes being weird is a good thing," Harry said with a smile.

"Now, go back to your parents. I really do have to go, you know," Harry said as he prepared to leave. Rose latched back on to his leg.

"No! I don't want you to go!" She said angrily. Harry sighed. This adorable girl was fun to talk to, but he did really have to go. He had an appointment to make after all.

"Fine, how about I come and visit you sometimes?" Harry asked, trying to appease the girl. She looked at him and held out her pinky finger.

"Promise?" she said, giving him puppy dog eyes. Harry gulped. He absolutely did not break promises he made. He really didn't want to go back to the Potter's or ever just set foot on their property, but it seems if he wanted to get this 5-year-old off him without resorting to violence, he would have to agree. He held out his pinky and wrapped it around hers.

"Fine. I promise," Harry said solemnly. Rose beamed up at him instantly and let go of his leg before running over to her mother and waiting to be picked up by her. Lily did while looking astonished by the turn of events. She never thought Harry would agree to such demands. Maybe Harry had a soft spot for children? Or did he want to make a connection with the one family member who never betrayed him? It was hard to tell while looking at Harry's face, which had returned to being blank and emotionless.

"It seems that I will be visiting sometime this Summer. I will not stay, so don't expect me to. I do, however, keep my promises, so I will visit her every once in a while," Harry said, before turning around and leaving through the portal and disappearing from the Potter's sight. All three of the older Potters look dumbfounded at these change of events.

"Daddy, can we get some ice cream on the way home?" Rose said as she threw the puppy eyes at James. James looked at his daughter and gave her a bright smile.

"Of course Rose, in fact, today you can have as much ice cream as you like," James said as both Lily and Arthur finally exited their stupor.

"Yay!" Rose exclaimed.

Later that night, New York City.

Harry was extremely angry and confused. He got tricked into going to the Potter's by a little girl who didn't even know she was doing it. He would need to cover this up as best he could, lest his reputation is ruined. He, Harry Potter, defeated by a five-year-old. He sighed in annoyance as he reached his destination. It was a sports bar and quite a loud one at that. The host was waiting by the front.

"May I help you?" She asked when she saw an 11-year-old walk in the doors by himself.

"Yeah, I need a booth if you don't mind, and make it fast. I'm expecting a guest any minute now," Harry said as he slid the lady a hundred dollar bill. The lady's eyes widened before she cleared her throat and gestured for him to follow. She left him in a nice corner booth, away from all the idiots that were crowding around the TV's watching whatever sport was on. He immediately opened the menu to find anything that might interest him. A few minutes into this, he heard someone slide into the seat across from him.

"You are a hard person to find," A smooth feminine voice said from the other side of his menu. He didn't even put the menu down as he addressed her.

"Only to my enemies," He responded coldly.

"We only just met and you are already deciding we're enemies?" the woman said softly, in a sweet voice.

"You are most definitely someone I should consider my enemy until proven otherwise," Harry said as he finally put down the menu and calmly looked over the table at the woman sitting across from him. She was extremely beautiful, with curves that other women would die for and a face that looked as if it was carved by angels. Of course, what stood out most was her beautiful red hair.

"What is the infamous Black Widow doing, looking for little old me?" He said calmly as he stared at her. The now-identified woman smiled back.

"Oh, just curiosity, mostly. I had heard someone was using Nick's old contacts and taking contracts, using the same methods as him, as well. I figured it must have been the partner he mentioned. Never figured you would be so young, though," She said with some amusement.

"I don't know why you find that surprising. From what I hear, you started just as young like me," Harry said back, now looking down at the table and drawing imaginary circles on the wood.

"That's true, but that was a time of war. Things are different now," She said.

"Oh, are they? We both know that isn't true. The politicians just got better at disguising the wars by using people like us to fight them, instead of armies," Harry said nonchalantly. The woman nodded.

"I suppose you're right," She said. She might have said more, but a waitress came up to ask them what they wanted. Harry ordered just a sprite while she ordered nothing.

"So, what's the other reason you decided to seek me out?" Harry said as he looked back at the woman.

"What makes you think I came for something else?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"The fact that you are now part of a secret government organization whose focus is world security, and that, since you have only been recruited recently, there is no way they would let you come here without them wanting you here. So, do I need to ask again or are you just going to tell me what you really came here for?" Harry said in a bored tone.

Natasha's eyes widened for less than a split second before returning to normal. This boy was good to have such information on her, especially since she only agreed to join a year ago. He had obviously taken Nick's contact system to the next level.

"Alright, since you already know about that, I'll be frank. We want to recruit you." She said, holding her hands together in front of her and gaining a serious look.

"Impossible, I refuse," Harry said, looking away. He started scanning the bar to pick up the hidden people lying in wait to back her up if need be.

"You won't even consider?" She asked after hearing such a quick response. The waitress finally brought him his Sprite, which he immediately started to sip.

"There's no reason to. S.H.I.E.L.D. has absolutely nothing I want," Harry said back as he continued to sip his drink.

"No? How about a clean slate? You've done a lot of bad things in your life, Harry. Stuff that can get you locked up forever, if not killed. If you accept this offer, then we'll wipe the slate clean and even pay you for your work," She said, trying to convey what type of situation he was in. He seemed to not care at all.

"I pick who my targets are. I won't have S.H.I.E.L.D.'s BS code of ethics get in the way of me killing a scumbag. I don't care about their rules. I only live on my own. I have a feeling that won't work for S.H.I.E.L.D. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to take a piss." Harry said as he got up and started to walk away.

"That won't work. We have all exits and windows covered," She called after him.

"You think so, do you?" He called back over his shoulder and entered the bathroom. Natasha sighed. There was nowhere for the boy to go, even if he wanted to. He was good, but he wasn't that good. After a couple of minutes, she got concerned about why none of the teams had notified of his capture already.

"Widow checking in. What's the status of the target?" She asked into her earpiece.

"Still in the bathroom. Hasn't left through any exit yet," A voice said back. Natasha shook her head.

"Something's wrong. He should have been back already. I'm going in," She said as she got up and made her way quickly to the bathroom. She calmly opened the door and looked inside. No one was inside. She fully went into the room and checked every stall and still found nothing. She was about to issue an alert to find him when she saw a paper previously hidden on the back of the door. She walked up to it and read its contents.

Guess it wasn't as secure as you thought. Better luck next time, Red. I'm sure we will see each other again.

-Harry

Natasha couldn't help but smirk as she took the note from the wall and folded it to put in her pocket. She then spoke into her earpiece again.

"This is a Widow. Target has escaped. Form a perimeter immediately," As soon as she said it, she heard voices start giving orders frantically on the other end. She turned off her earpiece and leisurely walked out of the bar.

'That kid is one hell of a guy,' Were her last thoughts as she left back to her post