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"Ah, Mister Potter, thank you for joining us," Nick Fury greeted as a young man with wild black hair entered the briefing room. "Please join me up here. We're waiting on Miss Romanoff, and then we can begin."
"Thank you for having me, sir," he replied as he moved to the seat indicated by the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Steve watched as he quietly sat down and looked at the people assembled before him and Director Fury. When the young man's eyes made their way to Steve, the Avenger was barely able to contain the gasp that bubbled up his throat at the green orbs that stared back at him. He would never forget that particular shade of green.
They were Peggy's.
Steve knew his eyes widened in surprise when the other man raised an eyebrow at him. His suspicions could wait, but at some point, he was going to have a talk with this Mister Potter.
The Avenger's conversation with the newcomer ended up not happening for weeks, so he was left to wonder if they really were related. But when the two men were able to sit down and get to know one another, their conversation left Steve floored.
Not only were they related, through Harry's mother's father, but the other man knew. Had known for years who his grandfather's biological parents were, but he didn't find out until it was too late to reach out to Peggy and he had no idea how to reach out to Steve without the possibility of having the door slammed in his face.
Being able to meet Steve was one of the reasons he took this assignment instead of delegating it to one of the people he oversees as the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
"Runs in the family, apparently," Steve joked when he found out what Harry did for a living.
Harry agreed with a nod and a laugh.
It was in the same conversation that Steve learned of the history between his great-grandson and his favorite master assassin. They grew up next door to each other and other than his stays with Mrs Figg, she was his only friend. Even if their friendship was in secret and away from the prying eyes of his aunt, uncle, and cousin.
It was that same master assassin who refused to speak with Harry alone, but that his descendant seemed to have learned how to deal with the opposite sex better than he ever did.
"You can thank my best friend and wife for that," Harry had gone on to explain, "if it weren't for the two of them, I would've hightailed it out of here as soon as I saw Talia. Now, if I could just corner her somehow without either Barton or your friend Barnes around her."
Steve thought about what Harry said for a moment before he grinned. "I might be able to help you with that. Give me a couple of days."
Harry quietly sat in the breakroom of the Avengers headquarters waiting. He had heard from his great grandfather only a few hours ago and was hoping that he had been successful. Harry was glad for the suggestion of meeting in the breakroom as the temperature in other parts of the building seemed to be heating up as the temperature climbed outside. Tony and J.A.R.V.I.S. were working hard to fix the problem, but they were not having much luck.
At the sound of the door opening, Harry's head shot up. He stood from his chair to greet the newcomer, but one look from the redhead and the sound of the door slamming in her wake was the only thing he heard.
He winced at the loud noise but didn't waste time in following after her.
Sprinting after the angry woman, he called out to her, "Talia! Please wait!"
She disappeared around a corner.
Harry followed her around the same corner, only to find himself slamming right into her. "Oomph," he wheezed as he stumbled backwards.
"You have no right to call me that name," she hissed at him.
"What?" Harry questioned as he straightened himself back up.
"You lied to me!" The look in her pale green eyes stopped him short.
Harry stared at her, confused. "When did I ever lie to you?"
"When you said you had been accepted to some boarding school in Scotland," she replied.
His confusion deepened. "But I was."
"Why didn't you tell me what kind of boarding school it was you went to then?"
"Because I couldn't until the International Statute of Secrecy was overturned otherwise I would have," Harry explained. "I could have been thrown in jail if I had said anything and I was already on thin ice with the British Ministry because of a house-elf."
It was her turn to look at him confused. "A what?"
"Not important," Harry replied, waving his hand. He levelled his own green-eyed gaze at her. "You lied to me also."
She opened her mouth to dispute his claim, but at his raised eyebrow, she snapped it shut. The clack of her teeth echoing in the corridor.
"I deserved that," she relented.
Harry sighed as he stepped closer to her and reached out to grasp her hand. "Talia," he whispered. "Talia, I'm so sorry for not being able to tell you the truth sooner."
When she didn't say anything, Harry cupped her cheek with his free hand. "Talia, please. I miss my first friend."
As he continued to look into her eyes, he could see her resolve wavering.
Finally, she gave him a small smile as she murmured, "I miss my first friend too."
"Thank Merlin," Harry breathed as he pulled her into a hug.
"Merlin?"
Harry laughed. "Don't ask." He sobered. "Thank you for listening to me."
"Thank you for not letting me keep pushing you away."
Pulling back, Harry winked at her. "Pot."
She gave him a withering look, but at his infectious grin, she relented. "Kettle."
"So you're the one," a voice said from down the hall interrupting anything else Harry might have said.
The two childhood friends turned to face the newcomer. Clint Barton was slowly making his way towards them.
"The one what?" Harry questioned.
"The one who had my best friend and partner in such a pissy mood these last few weeks," Clint clarified.
"It was a miscommunication on both our parts," Harry told the other man.
"Whatever it was, if you hurt her again, one of my arrows will find you," the archer warned.
At the serious look on the other man's face, Harry bit down on his lower lip to stifle the smile trying to make an appearance. "Duly noted."
"It goes both ways," Captain Rogers said from behind Harry and Natasha.
Harry groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose as Clint and Natasha turned to face Steve.
"Of course it does, Cap," Natasha agreed with a perplexed look on her face before turning to face Harry.
"He's just doing his great grandfatherly duty," Harry muttered.
Clint and Natasha turned to face Steve again, eyes wide.
"Well, that's new."
"You're telling me," Steve chuckled.