Writer's Notes: If you're wondering about last chapter, Walden Macnair was featured in the third movie. He was the executioner who lost his shot at killing Buckbeak. According to Potter Wiki, he was one of the Death Eaters, like Lucius and Narcissa, who got off by claiming he'd been Imperioused. There may have been more likely rivals for Lucius' leadership in Voldemort's absence, but his position in the Ministry made him a good choice for my purposes.
The fight that's going to start in this chapter is going to continue into next and will involve nearly seventy heroes and over a hundred villains. Yes. I'm crazy. What was your first clue? It's going to be one heck of a fight; one the heroes will be have a difficult time winning; one Manhattan may not even survive. Why did I do it? I guess you could say I got a little carried away. It should be fun, though.
Chapter Ten: "Developments"
Wanda and Logan didn't talk about what happened in Britain; at least not in Jamie's presence, but Ron told her what he overheard and showed her an article from the Daily Prophet that the twins sent him. There was a reason Logan was one of her favorite X-Men, along with her cousin, Jean, and Ororo. The man knew how to send a message.
A couple of days after the pair returned, Jamie found Logan in the Tower's kitchen and floated her chair up to him, moving herself into a vertical position, reached over and hugged him.
"What was that for?" He knew what it was for.
"You know."
He nodded. "Y'r welcome."
He paused. "How'd ya figure it out?"
She laughed. "Ron was listening in on the meeting you guys had while I was out and his brothers sent him an article from the Daily Prophet, the official newspaper of Britain's magical community. It was all about these anonymous same night attacks on the Macnair and Malfoy estates; and how both Walden Macnair and Lucius Malfoy were put in the St. Mungo's."
Logan laughed. "Guess they didn't wanna admit they got beat up by a muggle; much less a mutant."
She looked at him seriously. "Please be careful, Logan. You're the best there is at what you do, but fighting trained wizards isn't normally in your job description."
He nodded smugly. "Y'r godmother had my back. Came in handy, too. Malfoy's wife came in while I was wrappin' up an' almost caught me flat footed. I dodged her first attack, but takin' her out woulda been close if Wanda hadn't been there. Ain't sayin' I couldn't've done it, just it woulda been close . . . an' a lot messier 'n necessary. As it was, they got off easy. Th' three of 'em just lost their wands an' Malfoy lost his arm. I warned him that he'd regret it if he tried anything."
She hugged him again. "Unfortunately, magic can reattach the arm if they get it fast enough."
Logan's smile turned vicious. "Figured as much. That's why I took it with me. Got it on ice in case he decides t' cause trouble f'r us again. I may not be a wizard, but I've seen what sympathetic magic c'n do an' I know some folks who do that sort of stuff an' owe me favors."
Jamie's smile almost matched Logan's. "You're an evil person, Logan, and I love you for it."
He sobered. "Ain't lettin' nobody mess with you, kitten. They try, they get t' deal with me."
A little later, Jamie found and thanked Wanda, then found Ron to tell him what happened. He was appropriately impressed.
"Wicked. I'd've given my right arm t've been there t' see that."
Jamie laughed. "Draco's father did. Logan cut off his wand arm and took it with him. He told me he has it on ice in case Malfoy decides to cause trouble again. Apparently, he knows some houngans that owe him favors."
"That's nasty stuff." Ron scrunched up his face. "I almost feel sorry for Draco's family . . . least I would if they weren't all a bunch of stuck-up, pureblood prats."
"Anyway," she changed the subject. "No casting or even using powers for me for at least the rest of the week. That's going to be so boring. Steve's offered to take us out for a tour of MOMA. He said they had some kind of hands on thing going for kids. It could be fun, or at least distracting."
Ron shrugged. "I'm game."
Steve got them a couple of hotdogs for lunch from a street vendor he knew. Then they spent the afternoon at the museum. It was a lot more fun than Jamie expected it would be. Steve knew all kinds of things about art and artists. He confided in them that before the war, he wanted to become an artist himself.
The hands on event was crowded, but still a lot of fun. Jamie and Ron each made a piece of spin art the museum put in a cardboard frame for them. Jamie wasn't too happy with the way hers came out, but thought Ron's showed promise.
"Well," she laughed, looking critically at her small painting, "there goes my plan to become the world's next van Gogh. Yours looks pretty good, though, Ron. A lot better than mine."
"I don't know," Steve responded. "I think they're both pretty nice. Ron, yours does show an instinctive understanding of color, though. Besides, who wants to be the next van Gogh? One of him was enough. He created some beautiful paintings, but died a pauper and committed suicide. Not exactly someone you want to emulate."
Ron shrugged. "Guess I'll give it to my mum. She likes stuff like this."
Steve smiled. "I know Wanda and Sirius will probably get into a fight over who gets yours, Jamie."
She looked up at him shyly. "I was thinking I'd give it to you. If you want it, I mean. I know it's not much, but I want to give you something to say thank you for taking us out today."
He knelt down and hugged her. "I'd be honored to have it. Thank you, Jamie. I'll put it up in my room and think of you every time I look at it."
Jamie was pretty mature for her age, but she wasn't above wanting the praise and encouragement of adults she respected. Steve's response meant more to her than she would ever admit. Her ego and self-image had been flagging a bit since Halloween, but this small gesture went a long way to helping her recover.
After leaving the museum, Steve took the pair out to dinner at a favorite Italian restaurant of his; a little place that had been around since before WWII and was now run by the great grandson of the original owner. It was a wonderful, family kind of place with large portions of good basic food and reasonable prices. They knew Steve by name.
The next day, Tony and Pepper took them on a tour of a nearby Stark Industries facility. That's to say that Pepper did, since Tony got distracted by one of the projects about fifteen minutes in and spent the rest of the day on that. They were rather impressed with the outcome, however; a working, man-portable tactical laser.
After that, they visited the actual home where she, Sirius, Remus and Tonks all lived most of the time. It was a big, bright, warm, airy place on Long Island with only the slightest hint of pretentiousness.
Jamie showed Ron her room and her playroom, which doubled as a classroom. She even took him out into the large yard and let him climb up to take a look at her treehouse. She couldn't go up herself, but he was fairly impressed with it.
"It's a lot better than the one the twins made when we were younger."
Jamie shrugged and laughed fondly. "Padfoot and Moonie made it for me. At least that was the plan, by the time it was finished they had half the heroes in New York either advising or helping. Uncle Tony did the wiring."
"Wiring?" Ron blinked.
Jamie shook her head. "It had a big screen TV, a video gaming set up that would make most American kids green with envy, a computer; even a stereo. When I left for Hogwarts, I told Padfoot he should move the electronics into the house. I used to go up there all the time, but now . . . . I'll probably still use it when I'm here and I want to think or just be alone, but I really don't think I'll need much electronics."
"Wow." Ron tried to imagine the kind of treehouse Tony Stark would help design.
"Mr. Logan knows a whole lot about construction; just about everything practical, actually," she continued. "Cap learned some basics in the Army. So did Mr. Grimm, but he mostly sat back with a beer and 'supervised'. A lot of people chipped in and Aunt Wanda helped me decorate it."
"These people really love you, Jamie," Ron said with a tone of awe.
"Yeah," Jamie agreed a little wistfully. "They really do. I don't know what I'd do without any of them. They made my childhood something special."
She suddenly laughed. "I remember when Thor decided to chip in and tried to drive a nail with Mjolnir. We were still finding tiny pieces of wood as of last summer. He used a regular hammer after that, but was still driving nails with a single blow. He had to be careful not to split the wood. He's so sweet."
She sighed. "Wanda once told me why she thinks they all adopted me so easily. With their lifestyles, there's not a lotta chance most of them will ever have children of their own. I love them all so much. I want to make them proud of me."
Ron smiled. "They are. A blind man could see it. You're living in a fairy tale most kids would envy."
"It's great," Jamie admitted, "but it's not all grape sodas and lollipops. Try getting away with any mischief with most of the top superheroes in New York watching over you. If Uncle Clint was watching me, I could get away with just about anything, as long as Aunt Bobbi wasn't watching him. Him I could wrap around my little finger, but Aunt Natasha? Try to get away with lying to her, I dare you."
He shook his head. "I'll pass."
She paused. "I know it probably sounds whiny with everything I have, but as much as I love them, I'd trade them all to have my real parents back."
Ron blushed slightly at the raw honesty, then stammered. "Doesn't sound whiny at all."
He shrugged. "My folks drive me nuts sometimes, but I don't know what I'd do without 'em. I can't even imagine what it'd be like. Don't really wanna."
Jamie looked at him funny. "When did you start picking up a New York accent?"
He blinked. "I have? Wicked."
She hugged him and laughed. "And just that fast, it's gone."
By the afternoon of December 31st, everyone had pretty much returned to the Tower. The Stark gala was scheduled to start at about seven pm and last possibly until dawn and beyond. Jamie was going a little nuts not being able to do any magic or even use any of her mutant abilities, but this problem was solved when Thor's mother, Frigga, showed up to personally deliver payment of her husband's debt from the eating contest.
Even an inveterate tomboy like Jamie almost cried when Thor put the necklace around Jane's beautiful neck. The tender kiss they shared and the awe in her eyes were both just so sweet.
"Since I'm here," Frigga said before leaving, "let me have a look at you."
She wove a bit of Asgardian magic that raised the hairs on the back of Jamie's neck with wonder and anticipation, then pronounced judgment. "I hereby proclaim that you, Jamie Wanda Potter, are a healthy eleven year old. You need to remain in the brace for a few more months to allow your spine to heal, but otherwise you're cleared to return to your normal hijinks and troublemaking. May the gods have mercy on your caregivers."
Jamie squealed with glee and impulsively hugged the Queen of Asgard, who smiled and returned the hug. "Now, I fear I must go. If I leave Odin alone for too long, he might get bored and declare war on another realm or something."
"Thank you, your majesty," Jamie said respectfully, regaining as much poise as she could given she was eleven years old.
When Ron came down wearing the tux, he looked positively miserable. Jamie, however, looked rather splendid in a golden gown Jan, Jane and Pepper had helped her pick out. Everyone wanted to get pictures of the two of them together. Jamie loved the attention. Ron took it like a trooper.
"I tried to get a nap this afternoon so I don't conk out just past midnight," she admitted as she helped Ron adjust his tie so it was a bit more comfortable. "I failed miserably. I'm just too wired."
He moved his neck, grateful he no longer felt like he was on the verge of being choked. "I didn't even think of trying to nap. I wouldn't have been able to if I tried. Did you see the dress Miss Romanoff was wearing?"
Jamie laughed and nodded. "Jan designed it for her personally. It definitely fits her well. I wonder if I'll ever be able to wear something like that."
He grinned at the image. "If you tried to wear it in England, you'd probably freeze something off."
"I'd risk it," she said. "Thanks for not laughing too hard at the image, though."
"Who was laughing?" He countered. "I'm not a bloomin' expert, but I'm not blind. I can see the differences between First Year girls an' Seventh Years. Just take a look at y'r Mum when she was in her First Year an' seven years later."
"I hadn't thought of that," Jamie admitted.
"I'm a boy, Jamie." Ron laughed. "We don't like t' let on, but we notice stuff like that. Hard not to. Me brothers, now. These days it's like they can't think o' much else. Percy's always primpin' 'r somethin' an' moonin' over some girl. Even Fred an' George 'r goin' girl crazy."
Jamie had to laugh as well. "I didn't think the twins thought about anything but getting into trouble."
Ron shrugged. "Most th' time, they don't, but George's got himself a crush on Angelina Johnson. I saw a picture of her in her First Year. Let's just say she's filled out an' leave it at that."
He paused. "What I'm bumblin' 'bout tryin' t' say, Jamie, is y'r already pretty an' y'r prolly just gonna get prettier an' prettier. I could see ya someday wearin' a dress like Miss Romanoff's."
Neither Ron nor Jamie would realize it for some years yet, but his honesty with her was only possible because he saw her as a friend, rather than as a girl. For most girls, being seen as "a friend" by a boy isn't necessarily a something they want to hear. Jamie wasn't most girls, of course.
She reached up and pulled his head down so she could kiss him on the cheek. "That's probably the sweetest thing a goofus like you ever said to me."
He laughed and rubbed his suddenly warm neck. "Ah. Y'r gonna make me blush."
The Stark New Year's Gala was one of THE events of the social season. It was NOT to be missed. The attendance of at least a few dozen of Manhattan's premiere heroes were almost guaranteed to be in attendance. It was a chance for the hoi polloi of Manhattan to rub elbows with people who had real power. It also raised an ungodly amount of money for the Maria Stark Foundation.
This would be the first time Jamie would be allowed to attend. Understandably, there weren't a lot of children who went to these things. There were some, however; most the teen and tween aged young people who were either representing those being helped by the Foundation and some children of the wealthy who twisted their parents' arms into bringing them so they could meet their favorite super hero.
Jamie knew all the heroes who would be attending. The Fantastic Four would all be there. Professor Xavier, Scott, Jean, Warren, Dr. McCoy and Ororo would represent Xavier's and were even bringing Kitty and Peter. Jamie knew Mr. Logan was nearby, of course, with the chauffeurs and attaches. Sean Cassidy was also there with his daughter, Theresa, and his lady love, Dr. MacTaggart; so were Scott's brother, Alex, accompanying, Lorna Dane. Peter Parker was there, taking pictures for the Bugle, but also accompanying his wife, Mary Jane, a famous model and soap star. Dr. Strange and his lady, Clea, had agreed to attend this year, as had Dr. Drumm. That didn't even include Padfoot, Moonie and Tonks who were heroes in their own right.
Of the Avengers, Tony was there with Pepper, of course. So was Tony's friend, Rhodey, who was accompanying Monica Rambeau. Dr. Banner was there with his wife, Betty. Wanda and her brother, Pietro, were coming. Thor and Jane turned every head in the place when they entered. Jan Van Dyne was there with her husband, Hank Pym. Scott Lang was accompanying Hank's daughter, Nadia. Cap was there, of course, and had dragged his friend, James Barnes, out with him. Steve was accompanying Carol Danvers and his friend was accompanying Natasha. Hercules even showed up, accompanied by no fewer than five super models.
Luke Cage and Jessica Jones were there with Luke's friend, Danny Rand, and his date, Misty Knight. They even had their normal babysitter, Doreen, with them. Clint was going solo this time, or course, as Bobbi was seven months pregnant. Jamie also identified Moonie's werewolf friend Jack Russell. From Canada, the Beaubier twins, Jean Paul and Jeanne Marie, were there and likely accompanied by at least some of their fellow Alpha Flight members. From Britain, James and Meggan Braddock accompanied Baroness Falsworth, the head of WHO, along with several others Jamie couldn't identify. On the other hand, Jamie was sure she recognized Japanese hero, Shiro Yoshida, from some X-Men files she read.
From SHIELD, who were responsible for security, Jamie noticed Nick, Maria Hill, Daisy Johnson and Phil Coulson, but also identified at least a dozen other agents she didn't know personally disguised as guests and staff. She also saw Valerie Cooper there, so SHIELD wasn't the only government organization working security. She wouldn't be surprised if half the alphabet of government organizations were represented in the grand hall that night.
There were also a few people Jamie knew, at least by reputation, but definitely didn't like who dared to show their faces. Jonah Jameson, General Ross and Henry Gyrich weren't any hero's friend. Sebastian Shaw and Emma Frost of the Hellfire Club were downright criminals as far as Jamie was concerned, but just hadn't been caught.
All in all, Jamie counted more than sixty metahuman and mutant heroes in the Trump Tower ballroom that had been donated for this evening's soiree. Despite this, something was bothering her from the moment they entered the building. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something was wrong, she was sure of it.
Ron who was pretty star struck, even noticed something was wrong and asked her. "You okay, Jamie? You're not feelin' weak 'r dizzy 'r anything, are ya? Mr. Black made me promise t' let him know if ya started havin' any kind of trouble."
She smiled thinly. "No. It's nothing like that. It's just . . . . There's something wrong, Ron. I can't put my finger on it, but there's definitely something very wrong."
He looked around a little awkwardly, but of course, couldn't see anything amiss. "I can't see anything."
"Neither can I, Ron," she admitted, "and it's driving me nuts. Look, I'm going to park my chair in the lady's room and scout around for a few minutes. I just can't shake this feeling that something really bad is about to happen. Can you find Cap and Padfoot and Wanda and let them know. See if you can ask the Professor and my cousin to do some telepathic scans . . . see if they can detect something."
As soon as Jamie headed towards the lady's room, Ron started looking for familiar faces. The list Jamie gave him was one thing, but her godmother had asked him and Hermione to do something else two months earlier; just before she returned to the US following the Halloween disaster.
"The last time this Jamie accessed the power of Chaos," she told them, "she got a lot of new powers with it. In fact, before that, the only powers she had were some enhanced agility, limited telekinesis and the ability to turn invisible. Most of the rest of her fae and mutant gifts came from that event. Now I don't think it's going to be anywhere near that drastic this time around, but she could start finding she can do some things she couldn't before. If the power is subtle enough, she might not recognize it right away. If you see anything, please tell an adult as soon as you can; any adult who knows her."
Ron figured this certainly counted. He already knew that Jamie had some pretty scary intuitive abilities, but she insisted no one was sure if it was a power or not. If this was something related, he figured the more heroes who knew what was going on, the better. Thor and Jane were the first friends he came across.
"Excuse me, Mr. Thor," he said, still a little shy around a guy who was for all purposes a god. "I don't know if it's anything, but Miss Maximoff told me that if I thought Jamie was developing any new powers after what happened on Halloween, I should tell an adult. She started getting a little buggy just after we got here and just asked me to tell her godmother, godfather and cousin, as well as Cap and Professor Xavier, that something bad was about to happen. She's not sure what, but she just dumped her chair in the loo so she can try to find out."
Thor raised a concerned eyebrow and turned to Jane, who nodded. "Go, Thor. Alert everyone, I'll find anyone I can and let them know to keep their eyes open. Better safe than sorry."
He smiled in wonder at this brilliant, but thoroughly normal, woman who had the bravery and common sense of the mightiest and wisest that Asgard had to offer. "Verily."
Cap was the next person Ron found. He was sitting at a table with his friend, and Captain Marvel and Black Widow. Ron almost ran up to them visibly agitated.
"What's wrong, Ron?" Steve was immediately ready for trouble and the others took their cues from him almost as quickly.
"Sorry, sir," Ron apologized, "but Jamie's absolutely certain something's wrong. She's not sure what, but it's freaking her out a bit. She's gone to see if she can find out what it is. She asked me to tell you and some others. Two months ago, Miss Wanda, told me that if I thought Jamie might be starting to show new powers, I should tell an adult; any adult who knew her. I'm not sure, but I think this is both."
Steve sighed. "That child is going to be the death of us all. Buck, Natasha, see if you can figure out what's. Carol, find Fury and Ms. Cooper. Tell them we don't know if it's anything yet, but they might want to double or triple check their security. I'll let some of the others know."
"I already told Thor," Ron told Cap as the two assassins turned hero vanished. "He and Dr. Foster, are trying to spread the word. Jamie asked me to find you, her godparents, her cousin and Professor Xavier. I'm going to try to find them now."
Steve nodded with a slight smile. "You're a good friend for her to have Ron. Go do what you need to, then find an adult you trust and stay with them in case this really is something to worry about. If anything does happen, keep your head down. We have over sixty of the world's greatest heroes here tonight. I don't think there's anything we won't be able to deal with."
Steve left the boy and quickly found Tony. "We may have a problem."
"What's up?" Tony was talking to a couple of military officers with a drink in one hand and Pepper in the other.
Steve pulled Tony aside and spoke quietly while Pepper distracted the officers in another direction. "Jamie could be developing some new abilities and she's absolutely certain that something is wrong tonight. I don't think we need to evacuate, but given the possibilities, I want to be ready."
Tony was a little skeptical, but he wasn't about to discount Steve's expertise. "I don't think it's anything to worry about. Who would be foolish enough to attack this event? We know there are over sixty heroes here, but even the most conservative estimates the press is putting out is two dozen."
"Agreed," Steve admitted, "but I'm not taking anything for granted."
Sirius, Remus and Tonks were the next group Ron found. When he told them what was up, all three gathered closely, surreptitiously drew their wands and cast some detection spells.
"Something's definitely wrong," Sirius told Ron a few minutes later. "Whatever it is, it's extremely subtle. I wouldn't have even noticed it if you hadn't told us to look. Tonks, please go and wait for Jamie in the ladies room in case she returns to her chair. "I'm going to look for her. Moonie, would you find Dr. Strange and his companions. Let them know what's up."
"I'll find Miss Wanda and let her know," Ron offered. "I think I'll be at the X-Men's table after that. I need to tell Jean and the Professor anyway."
Padfoot nodded. "Excellent idea, Ron. I can't think of too many places you'd be safer if things go wrong. Stay with them and keep your head down if things start happening, leave it to the professionals."
Ron smiled. "Ya don't have to tell me twice, sir. Unlike yer goddaughter, I ain't got no delusions of someday becoming a superhero."
Wanda wasn't happy that Jamie was out and exploring when she thought something was wrong. Was it too much to ask her to let the adults and professionals look into it? What was she thinking? Of course it was, this was Jamie they were talking about.
She turned to her brother. "Pietro, will you take a look around? If Jamie noticed something and Sirius and the others confirm it, I'd be willing to bet with the devil that there's actually something to be concerned about."
She paused. "I'm going to talk to Stephen and Jericho and see if they can do an astral search. I don't think it would help to evacuate the building at this point, but we do need to figure out what's going on . . . preferably without causing a small riot."
She turned to Ron. "Professor Xavier and Jean are over there. Ask him to do an astral scan as well, then stay with them. I want you to be joined at the hip with that bald man. I've already got to worry about Jamie wandering around out there. I'm not going to worry about you as well."
Ron smiled and saluted; much as he'd seen Jamie do when Wanda ordered her to stay out of trouble, but Wanda wasn't buying it. "Do not give me than, Mr. Weasley. I don't take it from my goddaughter and as sweet a young man as I find you to be, if you disobey me, I won't need an owl to get a message to your parents."
He sobered immediately. "Yes ma'am."
Elsewhere at that moment, Jamie was flying invisibly and intangibly through the back halls and storage rooms of the convention area of the Trump Tower. She knew something was off. Her speed, focus and determination showed on her face. What was going on? Intuition was one thing. This was something so totally different; so totally radical; so totally beyond anything she had ever experienced.
It didn't feel like precognition. It wasn't like she knew what was going to happen. It felt more like something was happening right now and she was extrapolating the most probably outcome of those events despite the fact that she had no way of knowing what they were; at least not consciously.