A/N. This story develops in 2015 (after CA: TWS events), which would make Hermione 36 years old. That didn't suit my purposes for this story, so I decided to change it, making Hermione ten years younger. Enjoy!

PS. Thanks to the reader who pointed out how the dates didn't make sense! I made a mistake while writing, the story starts March 16, not March 26 as it was originally posted (I keep trying to write your name, but FF deletes it when I post the chapter)

Sometimes serendipity is just intention unmasked ~ Elizabeth Berg

March 16th, 2015
New York

The loud 'CRACK' puts him on alert, quickly spinning to where the noise came from. There's a young woman there. He's fairly sure she wasn't there a few seconds ago, when he chose that alley to hide. He hasn't heard any steps, or any noise that gives away her arrival, except for that 'CRACK'.

That fact alone is enough for him to consider her a threat. He has her against the wall in a second, his metal hand closing around her throat.

Her eyes widen in surprise when she manages to react, and her hands go to his, trying to remove it from her neck. He knows she won't be able to, and she seems to understand that few seconds after, because she stops.

"Who are you?" he growls at her.

"I… Her-Hermione."

He's never heard that name before.

"Are you HYDRA?"

It's probably a stupid question to ask. He knows no HYDRA agent would willingly identify as one in front of him. But he wants to see her reaction to the question. He's found out he's good at reading people. The woman's eyes widen, and he knows she recognises the name.

"I'm… I'm n-not," she manages to answer, the grip on her throat making it hard for her to talk. He doesn't loosen the grip, though. "But you a-are."

Her eyes are on his metal arm, particularly on the red star right below his shoulder. The answer surprises him, and she takes that moment to make a move. He hears the 'CRACK' again, and suddenly she's not there, his hand closing on thin air.

"I have nothing to do with HYDRA."

He spins quickly when he hears her voice right behind him. Her hands are up, as if she were trying to prove him she's no threat. Now that she can properly talk, he notices she has British accent.

"Are you S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

She shakes her head. "I have no relationship with any of those," she promises. "My name is Hermione Granger."

"I'm… Bucky?"

Hermione blinks at him. "Are you asking me?"

"I don't… The guy on the bridge called me that."

He honestly has no idea why he's explaining that to her. She seems honest when she tells him she's not HYDRA, but that still doesn't make her unthreatening. He should grab his gun and point it at her, just to be sure. He has no idea why he doesn't.

"But you're not sure?" she insists.

"I don't remember. I think I knew him… from before."

She nods. "Before what?"

"Before them."

She looks at her arm again. "HYDRA?"

When he nods, she takes a step toward him, her hands still up. He takes a step back almost at the same time, and she stops moving.

"You worked for HYDRA?" He nods. "But you don't anymore."

He shakes his head.

"I'm gonna grab something from my back pocket," she warns him. "It's not a gun."

"Do it slowly," he orders.

She nods, and then her right hand moves very slowly until it reaches whatever it is she wants to grab. When the hand moves again and he can see it, there's a wooden stick on it, that she places between them, making sure not to point it at him.

"Do you know what this is?"

He does. "It's a wand."

"It is," she confirms. "Did HYDRA talk to you about us?"

"You're a witch." He's heard about them. "HYDRA fears you."

The way she squares her shoulders and stands a little taller makes Bucky think she's quite proud of that fact. And she should.

"The guy on the bridge." she asks. "Is he your friend?"

"I think he was. He was smaller."

She looks like she has no idea what he's talking about, but she nods nonetheless. "Is he the reason you're not HYDRA anymore?"

Bucky nods, finally sure of an answer. "He knew me. He said he didn't want to fight me."

"But you wanted to fight him?"

"He was my mission," Bucky explains to her. "But I didn't want to. I failed my mission."

"And you left."

He nods again. "They don't like it when I don't complete my mission."

Hermione winces, as if she knew what he meant by that. She takes another step towards him, and Bucky stills, on alert, but forces himself not to move. She offers him her hand, putting it right in front of him.

"This is my weapon," she explains to him. "Take it."

Bucky blinks, surprised. "Why?"

"I want you to be sure I won't hurt you."

He takes the wand. "But I'm evil."

Hermione smiles softly. "I don't think you are, Bucky."

"I've done bad things," he insists.

"Did you want to?" he shakes his head, vehemently. "Then you aren't. Do you remember things from before?"

He knows she's referring to before HYDRA.

"I remember some things. The guy on the bridge."

He can't stop thinking about the guy on the bridge. He called him Bucky, as if he was completely sure that was him. I'm with you 'til the end of the line, he told him, right before he fell on the river. He'd heard that before. He'd said that before.

"You were hiding in here. From HYDRA?"

Bucky nods. "I escaped. They want me back."

"But you have a place to hide?" His face must be answer enough. "You don't. You're just… running?"

"I have to. They can't find me."

"Why haven't you look for your friend? The guy on the bridge?"

Bucky shakes his head, his eyes wide in fear. "I don't want to harm him. I don't want to complete the mission."

"But you said you didn't."

He looks at her, hopelessly. "I don't know if they can make me."

Hermione seems to understand. She looks at him silently for a few minutes, and Bucky has the feeling she's trying to decide what to tell him next. He waits, patiently, until she finally seems resolved.

"Come with me," she offers. "I live near here. Alone. You'll be safe."

Bucky gives Hermione her wand back.

"I don't know if they can make me hurt you."

"You won't," she promises, taking the wand. "I'm not your mission. HYDRA doesn't know me, so I'm not a threat."

She's right, but he's still not sure. "What if I forget again?"

With a smile, Hermione takes another step towards him. She places her wand in her back pocket again, and her hand slowly moves until it's placed on his arm. His metal arm. He's so surprised by the gesture that he doesn't even flinch at the contact.

"I'll help you remember."

Hermione's house is just a couple of blocks away from the alley. They walk together, Hermione keeping her pace slow so he can search for threats every time they arrive to a corner.

The building she lives in seems new, and they take the elevator. It stops in the fourth floor, and Hermione lets him get out first to swipe the area. Then, she directs him to a door with a C engraved in the wood.

Before she opens the door, she looks at him. "Don't be scared if you see movement inside," she tells him. "I have two cats."

He nods, thankful for the warning. It would have been a really bad way of thanking her for her help, shooting at her cats.

When she finally opens the door there are, as she warned, two cats waiting for her at the hallway. One of them is black, with really bright yellow eyes. The other, a little bigger, is white. His blue eyes remember Bucky of the guy on the bridge. He had blue eyes, too.

"They're Snow and Onyx," she tells him. "Don't be offended if they hiss at you; they're not very open with strangers."

The white cat –Snow, he supposes- moves toward him, and Bucky prepares himself to be hissed at. To his surprise, though, the cat stops at his feet and scrubs his head against his trousers.

When he looks at Hermione for help, she's gaping at the cat. "That's…. new," she tells him. Then, she smiles. "I think he likes you."

As if to prove her right, Snow starts purring. The other cat –Onyx- seems a little more wary of him, and moves towards Hermione instead. She catches him in her arms, and the cat gently hits her arm with his head. When she starts scratching him, Onyx starts purring as well.

"Come on," she tells him, recovering from the surprise. "I'll show you your room."

She moves with Onyx still on her arms, and when Bucky follows her, Snow quickly runs until he reaches him.

Hermione guides him through the hallway until they arrive at the end. There are two doors there, and he supposes one of them it's the room he'll be staying in. When she opens the door at the right, he comes to a small room. It only has a bed, a bedside table and a wardrobe. It's more than enough for him, though. More than he remembers having in a long, long time.

"I guess you don't have more clothes that the ones you're wearing," at his nod, she tells him, "I could transfigure something for you to sleep on. More comfortable than that."

Bucky supposes she's talking about magic, but accepts. It'd be nice, not having to sleep in his tactical clothes.

"I'll let you install," she smiles at him. "I'll bring you the clothes in a few minutes. Get comfortable."

When she spins and walks away, Bucky looks down at Snow, waiting for him to follow her. The cat, though, follows him inside the bedroom when he enters. When he sits on the edge of the bed, the cat jumps on his lap. Bucky freezes, not knowing what to do. Then, Snow starts hitting his head against him like Onyx did with Hermione early, so he tries scratching him like she did.

The cat purrs in contempt. Bucky smiles.

A/N. I've been writing this story for quite some time now. It's already finished, although I'm thinking adding a couple more chapters, but it won't slow down the update schedule of my other story.

P.S. The scene where Bucky meets Snow and Onyx it's literally what happened when I introduced my cats to my boyfriend.