Another Beginning
Chapter Four

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Disclaimer: Don't own!

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! To answer the question, no, Tony is not a squib. He is a muggle- James ended up being adopted by Howard Stark, who was originally his godfather who was friends/allies with his parents. (Who were killed in the battle going against Grindelwald.)? The reason he was chosen as Godfather was because their friends in the Wizarding World has a big chance of being killed, and Howard was the only one they trusted that had enough power to keep James safe. Hope this helped.

Again, no Beta and I'm trying my best but I still slip up at times. Sorry!

…

Living with uncle Tony and Pepper was definitely the most amazing and crazy thing Hazel has ever witnessed. It had definitely been a wild ride, that's for sure. Grinning, she snuggled into the sheets happily. It had been a week since Hazel learnt about her parents, and she couldn't possibly get any more content with her life. She dreaded the day she would have to return to the Dursleys, but that was to come later.

She had learned a number of new things during the few days she had been here. One of the things that definitely shocked her was that the glowing circle on uncle Tony's chest was something called an 'arc reactor'. He had simply told her it kept metal pieces from getting to his heart, which didn't make any sense to Hazel but she had let it slip after Tony promised her he was safe. Her uncle's work definitely confused her, even though she thought herself pretty smart.

They've already had pizza three times already, and Hazel regretted nothing. Both Pepper and Tony had insisted she eat regularly, commenting on how she was far too skinny for someone her age. Their eyes had flashed in anger when she told them about the Dursleys, but stayed quiet. As far as Hazel was concerned, life at the Stark Tower was perfect. Not once had she been screamed at, gone hungry, or been forced to do chores. Uncle Tony and Pepper were always around, and never once made her feel neglected or lonely.

Her nightmares were long gone, though she still disliked sleep or rest in general. While the two adults simply saw it as a child thing, the real reason Hazel didn't want to go to bed every night was because she was afraid if she fell asleep, she would wake up back in the cupboard under the stairs.

Pepper had already arranged for Hazel to attend school in a few days, despite both Tony's and her protests. Both of them were completely fine with her hanging around and learning by watching him work, but Pepper had insisted education was still a priority. Hazel didn't really mind- there was no Dudley to prevent her from making friends this time around. Schoolwork shouldn't be too much trouble, especially now that she had a genius uncle to help her. In fact, she found herself almost looking forward to it.

Almost.

…

"Wake up, Kid. You're going to school today." Groaning, Hazel buried her further into the pillows, not wanting to leave the cozy haven known as her bed. Hey, she had gotten used to waking up early from sleeping on a cot, but not a bed as comfortable as this one. Tony snorted, before promptly pulling her covers off.

"Uncle Tony, you're a cruel, cruel man…" Grumbling, the small girl ran her hand through her messy bed-head. Yawning, she got off the bed and followed him down for breakfast. Pepper was already up, looking professional and wide-awake as always. Jarvis greeted them in his usual British and slightly monotone voice. "What's the school called again?" Sitting down, Hazel poured herself a cup of milk and drank thirstily.

"St. Peter's. Just five blocks done." Pepper smiled, handing her a plate full of waffles. Grinning, Hazel dug in. She had never tried waffles before- she was lucky to get maybe a burnt pancake on a lucky morning back at the Dursleys. To be honest, Hazel was starting to find all this food kind of troublesome. "You're in Elementary school, yes?"

"What?" Blinking, Hazel looked up in confusion.

"I believe that's what they call it here, kid. What grade are you in? First grade?" Tony asked while taking a bite of the strawberry pop tart that had seemingly appeared of nowhere.

"Yes. But back in England we called it primary school." Tony looked skeptical, until JARVIS butted in.

"That is true, sir. Primary is the equivalent of Elementary in England." 'Told you so.' Hazel mouthed, smirking in satisfaction. Tony stuck his tongue out childishly, causing a round of laughter. Looking at the clock, Hazel saw it was almost time to leave. Ignoring the lump in her stomach, she went to get ready for her first day of school.

'This is either going to go really well, or really badly.' She thought as the bus pulled up at her stop.

…

School in America was surprisingly alike from the ones in England, which both relieved and worried Hazel. Since it was only early march, she would have a lot of catching up to do. Picking a seat in the back of class, Hazel took out her book and read; saving her from the awkward encounters that would surely ensue.

The book she was reading was one of her favorites; Matilda by Roald Dahl. Hazel wasn't going to deny trying telekinesis after finding out Matilda could do it. Unfortunately, on her third try the cup she was trying to levitate promptly fell off the shelf and shattered. She had been locked in the Cupboard right after Aunt Petunia was done screaming at her. After that, Hazel never went to try it again in fear of the consequences.

"Um, excuse me." Looking up, Hazel saw a girl standing beside her desk awkwardly. She had masses of frizzy brown hair, tied in low ponytail. She would've been rather pretty, if not for the buckteeth and hair. "My name is H-Hermione Granger. You are?"

"I'm Hazel. Hello!" Smiling, Hazel held out a hand, excited at finally having a chance to make a friend. The other girl ducked her head and smiled slightly before shaking her hand. "Are you from England? I can tell by your accent."

"Oh yes! My parents are dentists, and we moved here just a year ago. I see you're from England as well?" Hazel nodded, still grinning from ear to ear.

"Of course. I, uh, live with my uncle." She decided to leave it at that- she wasn't really sure what was going on at the moment, after all. She would've absolutely loved it if she could live with uncle Tony and Pepper forever, but Hazel couldn't see that happening. She had certainly enjoyed it, but what were the chances of it happening? Uncle Tony obviously had a lot work- she couldn't stay forever. The thought made her rather sad, knowing she'd have to leave sooner or later. If the other girl had noticed it, she didn't bring it up.

"I see you're reading a book by Roald Dahl? Oh, Matilda! I love that book." Hermione- was it? Had looked twice as enthusiastic as before. "I found it quite brilliant, even though it was definitely outrageous at times. I mean, they wouldn't really hire someone that cruel to children for a school, would they?"

"I don't know." Hazel shrugged. "I mean, hey. There was no one really brave enough to stand up to Trunchbull, was there?" Hermione nodded hastily, but still looked unsure. "I would be scared out of my socks, just saying!" At that, both of them burst out laughing.

By the end of the day, Hazel had made a new friend.

…

"So I take it that your first day of school went well, kiddo?" Tony asked, grinning. The three of them, Pepper, Tony, and Hazel crowded around the kitchen island, enjoying their dinner. Throughout the entire evening, Hazel simply couldn't keep the smile off her face. She'd burst out squealing or giggling at times, earning her some fairly odd looks from Tony and Pepper. (Not to mention a concerned 'Miss, are you alright?' from JARVIS.) Stuffing her face with Macaroni and Cheese, she nodded. They barely sat at dinner together like this- either Tony was in his workshop or Pepper was at a meeting of some sort. Once uncle Tony and her even sat in front of the telly to eat.

"Uh-huh. I met this really nice girl. Her name is Hermione Granger- says her parents are dentists that moved here a year ago. She's really smart and reads a lot." Hazel said, eyes gleaming bright. Tony chuckled, ruffling her hair.

"That's great, Hazel. I'm glad you're making friends." Pepper commented, giving her another one of those heart-warming smiles. Hazel nodded, spooning another mouthful of macaroni into her mouth. No matter how much she ate, she still didn't seem to be growing much at all. Tony insisted she would get a growth spurt in a few years, but Hazel was still worried.

"I remember the first day of school for your father and I." Hazel looked her uncle curiously, while Pepper rolled her eyes, failing to keep the grin off her face. "We had way too much meatloaf and had to camp out in the bathroom for an hour." Hazel giggled, fully agreeing with the meatloaf part. She had gotten pack lunch from Pepper, but Hermione had bought hot lunch. Hazel had felt bad after seeing just how foul the mystery meat was, and split Hermione half of her tomato and grilled chess sandwich, along with a cracker.

"Well, aren't you glad you didn't buy hot lunch?" Tony asked cheekily, grinning. Smiling, Hazel nodded.

"Sure am, uncle."

…

A/N: Not my best work, and this is only a filler chapter anyway, but I hope it turned out okay at least. Surprise! Bet you didn't expect Hermione, did you? If you have any questions, please ask! If not, a review on your thoughts about this story would totally make my day. Thanks for all the reviewers who reviewed yesterday- it means a lot. The next update may take a few days, because it'll be longer, obviously. After the next chapter, we're going to time jump a bit (I'll only show bits and pieces from the next few years) until the Chitauri Invasion. After that, things will maybe get a bit more dramatic or adventurous. Suggestions totally welcome!

Until next time,

-Vanilla