A/N: Oh my goodness! Thank you all so much for the follows, favourites, and reviews, lovely readers. The response to this story has made me so happy!

A reminder that the pairings are still up in the air and that this is your chance to have some input into that aspect of the story. So far, I have one vote for Hermione/Natasha and that is all. Get those votes in should you desire to have a say. :) (Just as a note, I would be amenable to writing a triad relationship as well, if there was enough interest for it.)

Also, if you can spare a moment, please let me know your thoughts on this chapter in a review or PM; I love hearing from you all, so don't be shy!

Here is the next chapter! (The one after it sees the introduction of SHIELD and the Avengers.)

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or the Marvel Cinematic Universe. No copyright infringement is intended in the sharing of this story, and I make no money from it.

For warnings, see the disclaimer section of Part 1 of the Prologue.

"What do you mean, not anymore?" demanded Neville, equal parts shocked, bewildered, and frustrated. "If you aren't Hermione, then who are you and what's happened to her?"

"As the Minister stated, Auror Longbottom, my name is Athena," the brunette replied, and there was a rote, reflexive quality to the response. "I was Hermione Granger, that much is true. But the Hermione Granger that you knew is gone. She may as well have died the day that 12 Grimmauld Place was obliterated."

"Yeah, that's a good place to start. What in Merlin's name happened that day and how did you—or Hermione," he glared at her, as if daring her to correct him, "—even survive a blast of that magnitude? It should've been impossible."

"'Should've been,' Auror Longbottom?" asked Athena, frowning. "You bore witness to Harry Potter rising from the dead to defeat an immortal madman with many times his skill and experience. Surely you understand the foolishness in the normativity of a phrase like 'should've been?'"

The man in question spluttered. "I—you—Oh, bloody hell! No, you're evading the question! Don't try to distract me; I want a straight answer."

"I cannot provide one for you," Athena told him, sounding genuinely remorseful. "That information is classified."

"Classified by whom, exactly?"

"The Department of Mysteries."

"Figures," muttered Neville. "Bloody bastards. How could they keep this from us? You were alive! Did they even give you a choice in all of this?" Hermione—Athena—just looked at Neville blankly. He returned her stare, though his was one of disbelief. "What did they do to you?" he whispered, his hope drowning in the indifferent, violet pools circling her pupils.

"Beyond equipping me with the qualities that will contribute to my usefulness in this mission, nothing that concerns you, Auror Longbottom," Athena answered, her tone not brusque or angry, just matter-of-fact. "I am here to provide assistance, and then I will return to my regular duties."

"Which, I'm guessing, are also classified?" asked Neville, consternation pinching his cheeks and creasing his brow.

"That is correct," replied Athena, a sliver of sympathy working its way onto her face as the harsh line of her lips softened infinitesimally. She took a small step forward. "A word of advice, Auror Longbottom," she said to him. "Try to think of me as an entirely different person from the one you used to know. You mustn't be distracted; your men and women will be counting on you to lead them. Focus on them, remember them, and all will be well."

"All will not be well," Neville retorted. "Not while you're like this, Hermione."

"Athena," she chastised him. "My name is Athena, whether you like it or not, Auror Longbottom. I will not answer to 'Hermione.'"

Neville collapsed back into his chair, propping his elbows on his knees and burying his head in his hands. "How do you expect me to explain this to the other Aurors? Lots of them—the British ones especially!—will recognize you and think you're the old Hermione. You want to talk about distractions? That's a distraction."

"Which is why I will be wearing a Glamour Charm, Auror Longbottom," Athena reassured him, waving her hand over her face so that her features warped into the face of an austere, middle-aged woman who mildly resembled Minerva McGonagall. She passed her fingers over her face once more and it reverted to its natural appearance. "Problem solved."

"If you were planning on doing that, then why did you have to tell me who you are in the first place?" Neville shouted, wanting nothing more than to forget the past five minutes.

"Because, Auror Longbottom," explained Athena, and Neville's eyes widened slightly as he recognized a hint of the patronizing tone that Hermione used to adopt when she was growing impatient with someone, "you, the other Head Aurors, and the foreign Ministers would have had questions about who I was, what my qualifications were, how I was to be trusted, etcetera, etcetera.

"I could have created false credentials that would have been enough to convince the lot of you, yes." She nodded thoughtfully, her head tipping to one side, and then she sighed, crouching down in front of Neville to meet his skeptical gaze with earnestness. "But this is the first time that I've been allowed to do things my way instead of following the Department's protocol. I wanted to have some level of honesty with you, if just for the sake of professional courtesy. And," she added ruefully, her eyes seeking understanding, "to be quite honest, it's about time someone outside of the Department besides the Minister knows that I exist. Suffice it to say that I don't trust the Department very much with my well-being," she told Neville with a conspiratorial grimace.

"But I've gone off-track. Essentially, Auror Longbottom, I wanted to do this ethically, I wanted, perhaps selfishly, for others to know of my existence, and I wanted to accelerate the entire planning process by revealing my identity. In any case, now you know who I am, and you know that I can be trusted."

Neville raised an eyebrow at that, all grim skepticism. "Except, according to what you just said a minute ago, Athena, you aren't Hermione Granger anymore. Which means that I don't know you, and I can't trust you. If you stand by that, then this entire meeting has been pointless."

"I may not be Hermione Granger anymore, Auror Longbottom, but she and I share the same core values," Athena replied, and her violet eyes held his unflinchingly, stoic as ever. "I want to protect the innocent, I want blood prejudice to end, I want our country, our world, to be safe for the generations to come. I'm just more pragmatic than Hermione Granger was about how to go about achieving those ends, and I have a different way of helping the process. I assure you, we are on the same side here, and from what I know of you, that will be a constant. I vow that I will do all that I can to keep your Aurors safe and to not lead them into unnecessary danger. I will even swear to it magically if you require it."

Neville stared at the witch, his mind flitting back and forth between different emotions as he mulled over her words and her offer. After an indefinite amount of time, the Head Auror slowly began to nod, the tension in his posture deflating.

"All right," he acquiesced, "I believe you. As far as I can tell, you're being honest, and besides; Kingsley seems to trust you and he clearly knows more about all of this than I do. That doesn't mean that I like any of it," Neville added with a frown, "but I think it's rather out of my hands in any case. And I reckon I'll be Obliviated if I make a fuss, won't I?"

Even as her lips curled upwards, Athena blinked in a very deliberate manner.

"Thought as much," Neville sighed under his breath. He nodded again, the motion more sure this time around. "Thank you for the trust and the honesty you've shown me...Athena," he told her wearily, "and for including me in the circle you've decided to let in on your secret. It goes a long way to convince me of your good intentions. I'll still take you up on the oath, though. I take the safety of my Aurors very seriously."

"Thank you, Auror Longbottom," said Athena with a small, gracious smile. "And of course you do. Let's draft it now, shall we? That way there will be no conflict or confusion over the wording and such."

Neville agreed, and within five minutes, the phrasing of the oath was decided and Athena had sworn it readily.

After the sparks of the oath taking hold had dispersed, Neville rose from his seat to shake the witch's hand. "Thank you...Athena," he said to her, and her lips twitched at the touch of surprise that he couldn't keep from creeping into his voice. "I appreciate your doing this; I realize that magical oaths aren't a thing to be taken lightly."

"For good reason," replied Athena, a strange weight to her words. "But in this case, it was nothing, Auror Longbottom—especially if it can ease your mind in regards to my trustworthiness or even act as a starting point for us professionally."

Neville gave her a grin, but it didn't reach his eyes—they were much too sad to match it. "It's done both," he assured her, patting her hand before he relinquished her from his grasp. "I look forward to working with you," he announced. An "again" hovered unspoken at the end of the sentence, and Athena seemed to hear it loud and clear; any warmth in her eyes was extinguished, and cold, hard amethyst stared back at the Head Auror once more.

"And I, with you," she responded, her voice politely cool.

Neville seemed taken aback by the regression in attitude for a moment, but he quickly composed himself. "All right, then. If that's all, I'll take my leave. Minister," he fare-welled Kingsley, "Athena." Neville nodded at the pair of them before turning on his heel to leave the room, shutting the door quietly behind him.

Once Neville had departed, Kingsley slumped down onto one of the leather sofas in the room, letting out a great huff. "Well," he sighed, "at the very least, that went better than I expected. You handled it well given the circumstances."

Athena sat down elegantly at the opposite end of the couch, crossing her ankles and letting her head fall back against the soft leather behind it, her eyes closing. "Thank you, Kingsley," she responded, a slight, lax frown marring her lips. "I wish I hadn't had to lie to him about the accident, but I have to be sure that I can trust him before I even go near it. It was more of a lie of omission anyways, I suppose. After all, the Department still considers what happened confidential, even if I have some leeway there now."

Kingsley looked over at her and, sensing his gaze, Athena opened her eyes to meet it with her own. He considered her for a moment and then said in his smooth baritone, "You can trust him, Thena. It's true that he's grown up since the Battle of Hogwarts, but at heart, he's still very much that brave, earnest young man, just doing what he can in a series of impossible situations. He's one of my best."

Without moving from her spot, Athena reached out a hand to the Minister, and when he took it, she stroked her thumb lightly over his knuckles. "I know, Kings," she murmured, "but just because he's brave and earnest and good doesn't mean I can trust him. He's not ready to understand yet, you saw it. He still sees me as Hermione, and he will for some time regardless of how much I tell him. But that's all right."

She beamed at him, and it was the first truly heartfelt smile to grace her lips since she'd Apparated into the office.

"After all, I do have you...my dear friend." She looked away for a second, and when she brought her eyes back to him, they were suddenly melancholy. "At least for a little while," she amended, unable to keep the wistfulness from her voice.

Kingsley tugged at her hand lightly and at her nod, he pulled her over so that she could nestle into his side. "You'll have me for as long as I live, Thena," he professed. "I know we can't continue as we have been for much longer given what's happening in America, but you can always count on me to help when things grow dire. I hope you know that."

Athena lifted her chin and pressed a soft kiss to the underside of her lover's jaw, her jewel-like eyes glittering up at him. "I do. And it means the world to me. You mean the world to me, Kings. I think I would have been completely clueless as to what to do after leaving the Department if it hadn't been for you. And a lot less human, too." She grimaced, shivering as she burrowed back into his side. "I'd completely lost perspective by the time Pravus was done with me. I'm so grateful to be free of that wretched man, and so grateful to you for showing me what was important again. And just for being so wonderful with me, really," she added, and he could hear the smile on her lips.

The Minister reached up with the hand whose fingers weren't intertwined with Athena's and began to delicately pull her hair from its harsh bun, a deep fondness exuding from him as he focused on the task. "You know, you still remind of her," he said to Athena in his low rumble, eyes on the irrepressible brown curls he was freeing. "Beyond the obvious, I mean."

"Is that so?" countered Athena in an attempt at playfulness that Kingsley saw right through.

"You haven't fully lost her, Thena," he told her quite solemnly, "and for that I'm glad."

"Thank you, Kingsley," she whispered, nuzzling her cheek into his chest. "I am too.

"Will you come see me tonight?"

"Of course I will."

From the ashes ... she will rise ... lost ... from scarlet flame ...

"Who are you?"

"Hermione Granger."

—SMACK!—

Magic protect the Goddess ...

"Who are you?"

"Hermione ... Granger ..."

—SMACK!—

Magic protect the Goddess ...

"WHO ARE YOU?!"

"..."

—SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!—

Magic protect the Goddess ...

Athena's eyes snapped open, her chest heaving as she sucked in a deep, shuddering gasp of air.

The man beside her groaned and mumbled something incoherent at the noise. In no time, she'd jostled him into consciousness.

"Thena?" he grumbled, his voice rasping with sleep. "What's wrong?"

"The mission, Kings—we have to move it up." Athena's irises glowed an eerie, unnatural violet in the dark of the room, and as soon as Kingsley saw it, he sat up, his eyes wide with apprehension.

"What?" he asked, startled out of his drowsiness, worry lines creasing his forehead. "What do you mean? To when, Thena?"

"Today," she replied in a distant monotone. "Today. Something is wrong, Kingsley. Something is very wrong."