Prologue

Hermione stared with an aching finality at her copy of Hogwarts, A History that rested on top of all of assorted magical items she'd collected over the years, organized neatly into stacks inside her school chest. This was it. This was it.

Because as much as she loved magic, there just wasn't much sense in staying in a world that was out to get her. She had managed the unsavory insults, even put up with thinly veiled threats, but reborn megalomaniacs and hooded purebloods in silver skull masks thirsting for her muggleborn blood was just a little much, really. If she stayed, she, along with everyone she knew, had a good chance of ending up dead. Or worse.

She wouldn't do that, not to her friends, to her parents, and especially not to herself. Not when she didn't have to. Magic had been a part of her life for six good years, yes, but it wasn't the only part of her life. She'd been good to her word with her parents and hadn't given up her muggle education, testing out of her A-levels year after year in the summer from reading she'd done during throughout the school year. Universities all around the world would be happy have her, and with a full-ride to boot. So as much as it might hurt, she didn't need magic. Especially when the world that came with it was as dangerous as it was.

Going into hiding wasn't exactly what she'd wanted for herself either. But, well, apparently being the top of her class in virtually everything and muggleborn at the same time put you on the list of people that Death Eaters wanted dead. That, and walking down to Care of Magical Creatures with Harry Potter every Thursday since third year had blacklisted her before she'd even realized there was a threat.

Maybe, maybe she'd take a look again after she finished Uni. See if anything had changed, see which side had won, but for now—

She sighed, for now Hermione Granger was done with magic.

She shut her chest, and it locked with a resounding click. It'd be sent off with a few other belongings from her childhood to go into long term storage. They didn't really have the space to take it with them after all, and she preferred as clean a break as she could get. This stung enough as it was.

"Hermione, are you ready?" Her mother called from downstairs, "We're going to miss the aeroplane."

"Coming, mum," she yelled back, standing up. She only hesitated for a moment before she grabbed the two bags on her bed, adjusting them in her hands as she bound down the stairs.

She'd done the right thing.

And when they were finally boarding the aeroplane that would take them across the Atlantic to their new home in America, she only allowed herself a small moment to look through the window in a direction she imagined Hogwarts was in. Her grip on the seat rail beside her tightened uncomfortably, "Good luck, Harry."

To be continued.


AN: BAM, Harry Potter and Avenger's crossover book smart Hermione style.

This is happening mostly because I just really, really wanted it to happen.

This started as an AU idea: what would happen if Hermione hadn't been as close of friends to Ron and Harry during her Hogwarts years? Once I established she'd go into hiding at the rise of Voldemort, the crossover with Marvel began to take shape. And Voila. Here is the result.

Hope you enjoy,

StrictlySomething