"Mum, don't leave me, please."

"Hermione, I'll be right back, I have to find your father." She said swiftly and unbuckled the seatbelt and walked down the aisle, leaving her 13-year-old daughter alone.

"Mum!" Hermione screamed after her just as the Captain started yelling brace. Hermione tucked her chin onto her chest and curled into a ball protecting her head whilst the Captain continued to yell brace through the mic.

. . . .

"Hermione's been in an accident." Arthur said rushing into the kitchen. "One of those plane things."

"Oh, how is she?"

"She's alive, beyond that much, I don't know."

"What happened?" Harry asked as he entered the room and saw the worried looks on Mr and Mrs Weasley's face.

. . . .

"Her parents died in the crash, call her next of kin." The man said.

"That's the thing, sir, her next of kin is Tony Stark."

"Call him, that's the only person listed."

"If you insist, sir."

. . . .

"Yeah?" Tony said answering the phone.

"Um, Mr Stark?"

"Yeah, speaking?"

"My name is Doctor Cooper and I am with the Royal London Hospital, one of our patients has you listed as the Next of Kin?"

"Hermione?" Tony asked, fear flooding through his body. "What happened, is she okay?"

"She was in a plane crash, sir. Her parents didn't make it. Currently, she is asleep, but we feel she will awaken soon."

"I want her medical file sent to me…"

"Sir, we can't do that."

"I am her father, JARVIS, send them proof, and then get me everything on her, move her to a private room, the best care available."

"Of course, sir." The machine replied in his British accent.

"Dr Cooper, I'll be there as soon as I can, I'm organising a plane over as we speak." Tony said and left the Doctor in the non-existent hands of JARVIS.

Tony was in a panic; he had been fighting with Hermione's mother and step-father over custody for the last year or so. He had known he had a daughter since Hermione was five years old, but her mother didn't want him in her life, and he stupidly agreed.

"Pepper." Tony called and his girlfriend walked into the room holding a stack of papers.

"Yes, Tony?"

"Cancel everything…."

"Tony, you can't just cancel everything."

"Hermione was in a plane crash, Daniel and Emma didn't make it. She has no other family and I'm her father."

"You're taking custody of her?"

"Yes, she's my daughter and my responsibility. She's asleep at some London hospital. JARVIS, what hospital was it again?"

"The Royal London Hospital, sir." JARVIS piped in.

"Okay, I will cancel everything for the next month, tell me if you need more after you've been there for a while. Are you going to transfer her, or leave her at the hospital?"

"We all know Stark medicine is better than any modern hospital can do, she deserves the best. I want to take her back to the Malibu house and get her treated there, but that would also be taking her away from any friends she has, and I don't know if that's a good idea."

"Well, you can access Stark medicine from anywhere, so if she wants to stay with a friend, why not stay in London for a while. Also, what about her schooling?"

"Fancy Boarding School up in Scotland, I hated the idea, but I couldn't dissuade them."

"What if she wants to continue there because of her friends?"

"I don't know what I'd do, but I hate Boarding Schools, and I don't want her in one." Tony sighed softly, "But, she's old enough to make her own decisions, and I guess I have to support that."

"Tony, you know you're a father, but gaining visitation rights is a lot different to caring for an actual teenager."

"I know, which is exactly why I'm asking you to come with me, Pepper. I could use the help."

"Alright, let's go meet your daughter."

. . . .

Pepper and Tony stepped into the Royal London Hospital 11 hours later. Tony walked over to the waiting nurse.

"Um, I'm here to see Hermione Granger, I'm her Next of Kin." He explained.

"Fourth floor, turn left at the lift and in room 112. You may want to talk to one of the doctors in that ward first."

"Thank you." Tony said and followed the woman's instructions and eventually arrived in the waiting area. "Excuse me, I'm here about Hermione Granger?" He said to one of the nurses.

"I'll go get Doctor Cooper for you, sir."

"Mr Stark?" An older female doctor asked.

"Yes, that's me."

"I'm Doctor Cooper, Hermione already has some friends here, two are currently in her room with her as we only allow two at a time."

"What happened?"

"The plane crashed pretty much as soon as it took off. Mr Granger was walking around apparently, then Mrs Granger left to get him as the plane started malfunctioning. Hermione stayed in her seat with her seatbelt on and braced."

"So, they weren't in a seat or had their seatbelts on?"

"No, they did not. Only five people died in the crash, the rest survived."

"What are her injuries?" Tony asked.

"Her left arm is broken in two places, her humerus and radius. She couldn't reach the back of the seat to rest her head, so she has a bump on the right side of her head which has caused a concussion, but that has been dealt with. We do plan to take her to an MRI to make sure that she doesn't have any injuries internally, including swelling to the brain and internal bleeding. She also dislocated her right shoulder, but that has already been dealt with. She was incredibly lucky to have so few injuries."

"Can I go see her now?"

"Of course, she's still sleeping at the moment, but she should awaken soon. I'll go with you, there are currently two people in there with her."

"Thank you." Tony said as they made their way to Hermione's room. Dr. Cooper knocked on the door and opened it to reveal his daughter on the bed asleep. There was a plump woman with bright orange hair and a young boy with black hair and green eyes.

"Hello, Hermione's next of kin is here…"

"Can I stay? She's my best friend." The boy asked.

"I have no problem with that." Tony said softly and Pepper nodded.

"I'll go get some food for everyone."

"Thanks Pepper."

"I'll help." The other woman said and went out with Pepper and the doctor shut the door and left them alone.

"So, um, who are you?" The boy asked.

"Tony Stark." Tony said smirking softly as the boy recognised the name.

"The billionaire?"

"Um, yeah. And you?"

"Harry Potter, I'm her best friend from school."

"Right, well, um…I'm her father." Tony said softly.

"Her father? What about Dan?"

"They were married afterwards. Hermione doesn't know. I've been fighting for visitation rights for the last year, she only knows me as Uncle Tony."

Harry looked at the man in surprise. "I'm glad she still has family who care for her." Harry said as Pepper walked in with a coffee cup and handed it to Tony and a bottle of water to Harry who thanked her.

"How is she?" Pepper asked

"Still sleeping. Did Dr. Cooper say anything else?"

"She wants to take Hermione for an MRI sooner rather than later, even if she's still asleep."

"It would probably be for the best; MRIs are not fun to do when awake."

"Okay, I'll tell her to take Hermione as soon as its free." Pepper said and left the room.

"So, what's she like?" Tony asked and Harry smiled softly.

"She's a genius, smartest person I know. She loves the library and learning anything she can. She's kind and loyal and hates anyone suffering, including animals. She can be bossy, but she genuinely cares when she does it. Like bossing about homework is because she doesn't want us to fail. She's compassionate and is always there for you when you need her."

"Sounds like a good kid." Tony admitted.

"So, did she get the genius thing from you?"

"Heard about me, have you?"

"Well, you're pretty famous, no offence sir."

"Please don't call me sir, it's Tony."

"Right, um, Tony. Is it true that you're Iron Man?" Harry couldn't help himself from asking, he groaned internally knowing he was being like the people he hated.

Tony grinned. "Yeah. I was kidnapped and it was my only chance to get out of there alive. So when I came back home, I perfected it."

The door banged open to show a whole gaggle of red heads. "Why are you claiming to be her father, we knew her father, it's not you."

"Mrs Weasley…" Harry started.

"It's okay, kid. I am her father, I found out when she was younger and was refused visitation rights, I agreed knowing I wouldn't be good for her. I changed my mind last year and have been fighting ever since."

"You cannot be her father! You can't just show up here and pretend. I don't care how much money you have."

"Look, I don't know who you are, but I've done paternity tests and everything, and her mother and step-father knew about me. Whilst I didn't react the best to knowing I had a daughter I've wanted her in my life for a very long time now." Tony raised his voice and glared at the woman."

"You couldn't take responsibility for her when she was a child, what makes you think you can now. You have no rights to her."

"I am her legal guardian…"

"Why are you all shouting?" A new voice asked, and Tony looked down at the bed to see Hermione awake and looking at them all.

"Hermione, are you okay? How do you feel?" Tony asked quickly.

"Um, okay for the most part, I'm a bit thirsty."

"I'll get you a drink and Dr. Cooper." Pepper said and left the room.

"Thanks." Hermione said, her voice still gravelly. "So, uh, why are you fighting?" She asked and Mrs Weasley grunted her annoyance.

"This man is claiming to be your father and your new guardian."

"Why would I need a new guardian?"

Tony sat down in the chair again and Harry held Hermione's good hand. "Hermione, do you remember how you were in a plane crash?" He asked gently and she nodded. "Well, they didn't make it…" Tony started.

"No." Hermione said softly.

"Hermione, I'm really sorry." Harry said softly.

"No!" She shouted. "They can't, they were right there, how could they not be here. No." She said angrily. Pepper walked back into the room with an older woman. Pepper got Hermione some water and a straw and held it for her whilst she sipped at it.

"It's good to see you awake, how are you feeling?" The Doctor asked.

"Are my parents really gone?" Hermione asked, ignoring the Doctor's question.

Dr. Cooper sighed. "Unfortunately, I can't lie to you. Yes, they're really both gone. They weren't wearing their seatbelts or in seats at all." She confirmed and Hermione just sat there, her face showing no emotion, not looking at anyone. "I'll come back later." Dr Cooper said, and Tony nodded.

"But, I was right next to them." She whispered.

"Hermione, I am sorry for everything."

"Mrs Weasley said you were my guardian now, why?"

"Well, I really shouldn't give you more shocking news in a row, but my name is Tony Stark and I'm your father."

Hermione looked at the man in shock with a mixture of anger. "I think I need to talk to you alone." She said angrily.

Tony looked anxious, but he knew it needed to be done. He nodded softly and looked to the gaggle of Weasley's who left the room with a click of the door. Harry sighed. "I'm glad to see you awake, Mione. Don't be too harsh on him, it's obvious he cares for you. He hasn't left the room since he got here. Good luck, sir." He said and left the room.

The man in front of her claiming to be her father sighed and sagged into a nearby chair. Hermione looked him over for several moments. He looked tired, there were prominent bags underneath his eyes, like he didn't get much sleep. According to Harry he hadn't left her since he arrived. He had the same eyes that she recognised as her own, the same messy hair, the same intelligence. It was clear that this wasn't a shock to him though, that he had known for a long time that she was his daughter.

"So…" She started a little testily, and he looked up at her. "When did you find out about me? Because it looks like you've known for a while." Hermione accused.

"Well…uh, you'd be right about that." He replied, dragging one of his callused hands through his brown locks as he glanced down at his shoes. "You were five years old when I was first told about you." He admitted and that just made Hermione angrier. Why didn't he want to know her, why did it take so long for him to show up?

"Okay, then why haven't I known about you since I was five? Why has it taken for my parents to die for you to appear?" Hermione said angrily, her voice rising.

Tony looked guilty for a few moments before sighing. "I contacted Emma the moment I found out about you." He swore. "I promise I did. I wasn't ready for the responsibility, of course, I was immature and far preferred drinking to doing anything else. She told me that whilst I was your biological father, I wasn't your father. She said that your dad was Daniel and you didn't need nor want me in your life. We argued about it for a long time, but eventually I agreed with her. I was young and stupid and not ready for the responsibility of taking care of another person, heck, I could barely take care of myself. I provided money so you could have the best education, and for anything you needed or wanted. I gave you presents on every Christmas and Birthday, but you were told they were from Uncle Tony." Tony told her.

"You're Uncle Tony?" Hermione asked remembering the beautiful and expensive gifts he had gotten her, and the times she spoke with him on the phone.

"Yeah, they gave me photos and videos of you growing up, and I got a phone call from you every once in a while. Basically, I didn't fight it. I did what was easy for me, I still had some semblance in your life, but I wasn't the parent. It was what was easy, but I wanted more."

"Why did my parents not what you to see me and be a part of my life?" Hermione asked softly.

"I don't really know, but I was this rich, drinking, womaniser who made the papers for all the wrong reasons. Every bad decision and choice I've ever made has probably made its way into the paper. After all, being one of the richest people has its drawbacks, the paparazzi are like demons. I don't know their exact reasons, but that certainly had to play a part of it."

"You said you wanted more? What do you mean by that?"

"I wanted to meet you. I wanted to see you in person, I wanted you to know that I was your father. You may have heard I was abducted in Afghanistan?"

"Oh yeah, it was big news." Hermione said absentmindedly.

"Well, it changed me deeply in a lot of ways. I was no longer satisfied with photos and occasional videos and phone calls. I wanted to know you. The last year I've been fighting about that with your parents, fighting for visiting rights, rights for you to know who I am."

"Why? Why go to all of that trouble for me?"

"Because you're my daughter and I wanted to get to know you as a person. I don't have any family, Hermione, you are the last of what I've got left and after everything I've been to, I wanted for you to know me. You are important to me."

Hermione believed him, she knew liars and this man wasn't lying, he was being overly honest to her, and she knew Daniel wasn't her father. She always loved talking to Uncle Tony because he was smart, and he understood what she rambled about without telling her to stop because it bored him. Apparently, they were alike in other ways apart from their eyes and hair.

"What happened? I don't really remember much." Hermione said softly, picking apart her grey waffle blanket.

"You and your parents were in a plane from London to Paris, something about a summer vacation? Well, it was only a small plane, and something happened on the flight, they still haven't figured it out and it went down near London."

"How many people were on board?" Hermione asked softly.

"108."

"How many died?

"Five."

"Both my mum and my dad, well, I guess he isn't my…"

"Yes, I am very sorry Hermione."

"It happened so fast." She whispered. "Dad hates flying and so as soon as he could, his seat belt was off and he was walking around to calm down. When it started going down, we couldn't see him. Mum went to find him, that's the last I saw them."

"They say it was because they weren't wearing their seatbelts. The pilot was good, it could have been much worse. I know it's a bit of a shock, how do you feel?"

"Numb? Is that an answer, I don't really think it's hit me yet." She admitted.

"The first stages of grief are shock and denial." Tony said and Hermione nodded.

"So, you're my father?" Hermione asked and Tony smiled.

"Yeah, I have the paternity tests and everything if you're interested."

"What's the plan? Are you taking me back to America?"

"How about you get better first and then we'll talk?" Tony suggested.

"Well, I guess there's a few things you need to be told if you're going to be my guardian."

"Like what?"

"It's complicated." Hermione admitted just as there was a knock on the door and Dr. Cooper entered the room.

"Mr Stark, we need you to fill in some forms for her MRI."

"Oh, um, sure. I'll just be a few moments. Do you want anyone to come in?"

"Harry and Mrs Weasley, please." Hermione said and Tony nodded and left the room with Dr. Cooper and the two requested people came in.

"I can obliviate him if you want, Hermione." Mrs Weasley offered.

"He's my father, and my only living relative. And he seems nice."

"What are you going to do about Hogwarts?" Harry asked.

"That's exactly why I wanted you two here. We need to tell him, and we need to tell him soon."

"I'll contact Minerva, she is normally the one who explains magic to the muggles."

"He's American, if he goes back there and takes me, I won't be able to attend Hogwarts." Hermione said.

"What?!" Harry asked in alarm.

"No, dear, you won't."

"I don't know if I can convince him to live here." Hermione said softly.

"I'll floo Minerva immediately."

"Thank you Mrs Weasley." Hermione said softly.

'Get better, dear." She replied and left the room.

"Harry, I'll try and convince him to stay in London."

"Hermione, you're one of my best friends in the entire world, but what can I say to convince you to leave England?"

"What? Harry, you can't do that."

"I kinda can, Mione. And if I can't convince you, I'm pretty sure convincing Mr Stark will be much easier."

"Why?"

"Because it's too dangerous. Hermione, you've nearly died 3 times in 2 years at Hogwarts." Harry said and Hermione thought for a moment. "I'm pretty sure those accidents wouldn't happen at the American school, whatever it's called. You were petrified for two months, if a pureblood was petrified their parents wouldn't have made them stay petrified for a week, let alone two months. Britain is too bigoted, you have to admit, I don't think you'd be treated like that in America. Also, I think it's just going to get worse; we know he's out there and he's targeting me, meaning you're always going to be in danger. Hermione, you're my best friend and I love you, but I don't want you to get hurt."

"You're pushing me away, Harry, you need your friends."

"I know, but I love my friends, particularly you, Mione. I can't stand the thought of you being hurt again. We'll always be friends, even if you attend the American School. But if you stay with me you're pretty much guaranteed to be hurt again."

"But I can help you defeat him, Harry."

"Even if I do defeat him, he's not the only problem, Mione. The entire government and country is. I don't think we can stamp out that much bigotry and hatred. You know what that means. Even though you'll graduate at the top of our class, you'll still find it hard to get a job because of that bigotry. It runs deep within this country."

"Harry…"

"Hermione, I'm only here because I have to be, but after I defeat him, I'm leaving Britain as well. I can't stand the way they talk down to people, how they hurt creatures and animals. I'm staying because Dumbledore and the Dursleys wouldn't let me leave, but when I'm seventeen, I'm leaving. They can clean up their own messes. You can get out now, so please do it, or I'll tell Mr Stark everything, even the bits that you didn't tell your parents."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive, get out while you can, Mione."

"But what about you? I can't just leave you."

"It'll be hard without you, but it just means I'll have to focus more on my studies. I can do it, I know I can. I was thinking about changing my electives to Runes and Arithmancy and CoMC. Ron will hate it, but I need to do it."

"I can't agree to this."

"I know, you think you're betraying me, but you're not Hermione. I promise. I'll even get us those mirror things so we can talk whenever we want. And, when I'm seventeen, I'm coming to America."

Hermione thought about it and had to concede that Harry had very good points. She sighed. "I'll talk to Professor McGonagall and him when we have that talk."

"That's all I can ask of you, Mione." He said as there was a knock on the door.

"Hey, kiddo, they're taking you to the MRI now, is that okay?"

"That's fine, thanks…um…"

"You can call me Tony for now." He said with a smile.