Magical Marvel: The Rise of Arthur Hayes

The next day, Arthur sat in his study examining Dumbledore's collection. The variety was impressive—everything from simple transfiguration texts to rare tomes on alchemy and battle magic. There were even books on Dark Magic that had been banned for centuries.

Yesterday's raid on the Headmaster's office had been more than worth it.

He now possessed the Elder Wand, knew the location of the Resurrection Stone, and had acquired enough learning material on magic to last him for years. 

Arthur set aside a book on soul manipulation. Next on his agenda was retrieving the Snitch—and the Resurrection Stone within it—from Dumbledore's vault. He didn't expect much difficulty. His combination of astral snooping and direct Apparition had yet to fail him.

The goblins weren't as formidable as some fanfictions believed them to be. They were fierce warriors with their own brand of magic, certainly. But not invincible.

If Quirrell possessed by Voldemort could break in, if three teenagers could infiltrate their vaults, then their security couldn't be that impressive.

Certainly nothing that could stop him.

He needed to move quickly though. The Ministry would soon take control of Dumbledore's effects for "processing" before executing his will. He had two days, maybe three, before the vault was cleaned out.

But just as he began plotting his Gringotts visit, a different kind of alarm chimed in his mind.

The Skrull detection ward.

Two years ago, during the Captain Marvel incident, Arthur had recorded the Skrulls' unique signature. He'd then woven that signature into detection wards around all Phoenix Group properties. Insurance against shape-shifting infiltrators.

Now that ward had triggered.

A Skrull was in London. And had been near one of his buildings.

The Gringotts trip could wait. This suspicious development was more important. As per his knowledge, Skrulls should be in space searching for a new home planet with Carol.

—

A few hours later, a peregrine falcon launched itself from the roof of the Hayes Manor, catching an updraft over the sprawling city. Arthur wanted to search for the Skrull signature while enjoying an afternoon flight over London.

He expected a difficult search, a faint needle in London's haystack of mundane and magical energies.

He was wrong.

It wasn't a needle; it was a bonfire. Multiple Skrull signatures clustered in one location. Too many to be coincidence.

Arthur landed in a grimy alley reeking of rotting garbage. He shifted back to human form, and with a wave of his hand, the Invisibility Cloak settled over him.

The building was an old warehouse converted into some kind of social club. Security was nonexistent. He slipped through a side door without a sound.

As he searched the building, familiar voices from one of the rooms made him pause.

"—know this isn't what any of you signed up for." Nick Fury's unmistakable growl. "Earth isn't your home. But it can be a safe harbor while Carol and I search for somewhere you can build new lives."

Arthur moved closer, peering through the doorway. Fury stood with Talos, clearly in the middle of negotiations.

Making promises you can't keep, Fury?

Arthur knew finding a new planet for the Skrulls was a lost cause. Habitable planets were rare treasures. Even if they found one, it would likely have inhabitants already. Unless Carol or Fury planned genocide, finding a home for the Skrulls was nearly impossible.

"You ask much of us, Fury," Talos said, his expression grim. "This looks like you're taking advantage. Can I really trust your promise that you and Danvers will find us a home?"

"We will find you a home." Fury's tone softened from commander to confidant. "But it will take time. Until then, you can help me keep my planet safe. The one that's keeping you safe."

Talos sighed—the sound of a leader carrying his people's fate. "We are hunted. We have nowhere else to go. I will place my faith in you, Nicholas Fury. I pray you do not fail us."

He gestured toward the main area. "But the others... you will have to convince them yourself."

Fury gave a sharp nod. Arthur followed as they moved into a larger space where dozens of Skrulls had gathered. Families huddled together. Children with haunted eyes clung to their parents.

They were refugees, plain and simple.

Fury addressed the crowd with practiced authority, mixing hope with harsh reality. Talos stood beside him, lending support with his own speech. He framed the alliance not as servitude, but as partnership for mutual survival.

The Skrulls, broken and desperate, agreed.

Arthur stood silently, invisible, considering his options. It looked like this was the moment Skrulls joined SHIELD and started working for Fury. 

However, it was a powder keg waiting to explode. When Fury failed to deliver—and he would fail—these desperate shapeshifters could become Earth's greatest threat. They could infiltrate any government, any organization.

If they ever reached the nuclear arsenals...

As Arthur was thinking, a Skrull woman with a gentle face approached Fury, a young boy at her side.

"This is Gravik," the woman said, her voice carrying the distinctive Skrull resonance. "He escaped alone when the Kree found his settlement. His parents… they didn't make it."

Arthur watched Fury kneel to the boy's level. His one good eye was filled with a surprising softness.

"That took courage, son," Fury said gently. "Getting yourself here. You're safe now."

The boy, Gravik, stared with hollow eyes that had seen too much.

As Fury spoke with the woman—Varra, Arthur caught her name—something shifted in the spy's demeanor. The hard edges of Agent Fury smoothed away, replaced by genuine warmth.

There was history here. The way Fury and Varra looked at each other, how Fury's perpetual guard dropped around her. Was this the beginning of something? A secret the master spy would keep from everyone. Even the Avengers.

So you do have a heart after all, Fury.

After that small episode, Fury continued organizing the Skrulls with military efficiency. Building a network of shape-shifting spies right under everyone's noses.

It explained how a mere field agent could rise to Director of SHIELD in just a few years. No political connections needed when you had an army of perfect infiltrators. They could dig up blackmail on anyone, be anywhere, replace anyone.

But had Carol agreed to this? Had she sanctioned turning desperate refugees into Fury's personal intelligence network?

If yes, Arthur would stay out of it. If not... he couldn't let this continue. The Skrulls might not threaten him personally, but they were a clear danger to Earth.

However that was for later, now, it was time to make an appearance.

Arthur shifted into his Merlin persona, the same disguise he'd used during the Captain Marvel incident and then let the Invisibility Cloak slide from his shoulders, folding it into nothingness.

"Agent Fury," he said calmly, materializing in the center of the room. "Talos. Long time no see."

The reaction was instantaneous.

Weapons appeared from nowhere. Skrulls shifted into defensive stances, some revealing natural armor beneath human facades. Fury's hand snapped to his sidearm with decades of muscle memory.

Recognition dawned a heartbeat later.

"Merlin?"