CHAPTER TWO

AN- What do you mean Hedwig was dead by this point in cannon? Nope still in deep denial about that particular death see *points at avatar*. I've twitched Ron a bit to give him more physical fighting prowess hope no one minds. Makes sense to me with the 5 older brothers. And my Juniper may have a little more magical juice than Harry but I'm not trying to make her OP so let me know if it starts to look like a super Harry story cause not what I'm going for. I still don't own any of these characters.

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Juniper Potter was exhausted. Not the kind of exhausted that could be solved by as Ron had said a solid 8 hours and a meal. It was a bone deep mental and physical exhaustion that wouldn't be fixed with a month of sleep. Especially since sleep had become such a enemy bringing with it the faces and accusations from friends and family members she hadn't been able to save. She'd seen Cedric fall to Pettigrew's wand dozen's of times, heard her mother's death scream hundreds, been frozen as Snape killed Dumbledore at least five hundred and had failed to grab Sirius before he fell through the veil of death a thousand. Even worse she'd seen Hermoine, Ron, Luna, Neville, Remus, Hagrid, the twins, even Dobby and Hedwig fall to Deatheaters jerking awake to find it was a dream then shaking through the rest of the night from fear that it was a premonition.

She was tiered of sleeping, tiered of being awake, tiered of every move she made being the wrong one and leading to more bloodshed more death. Tiered of the responsibility she'd had thrust on her when she was eleven to young to see more than the excitement and glamour of being a hero destined to avenge her parents murders. She knew she had no choice though. Even if she just surrendered and let Voldemort put her out of her misery with one quick Avada Kedavra assuming it would work better second time around her friends would suffer and that she would not, could not accept. So she kept going no matter how much she wanted to just give up.

So when the time had come that Juniper had to perform a group apparition all she could think of was a safe place. She'd felt her magic reach out and latch onto something and pull them through a huge space. She just hadn't realized how far until Hermoine had told her and it had left her a little unsteady and taxed. Why her magic had decided this place was the safe place they needed she didn't know and was almost afraid to find out. After all she didn't have much faith in her ablity to make decisions anymore and her magic was part of her. So her first instinct when the voice came was to run. Unfortunately the initial apparition had drained her completely and the blood coming from the wound on her arm only making it worse. That meant the only choice was to enter the lift hoping that it wasn't another of her mistakes that she wasn't leading her friends into another trap.

She leaned against the wall as the lift rose giving herself a moment before it came to a stop and she straightened slapping on her 'girl who lived' mask. Perfect Gryffindor, Dumbledore's golden girl and protégé, new leader of the light nothing she couldn't handle, no doubts, no fear. Flanked on one side by the brightest witch of their age a muggleborn who out performed every pureblood in their class, and on the other by the youngest son of a family with a impeccably pure bloodline who tended to go for fists over wand when it came down to the wire.

A pure blood, a half blood and a muggleborn get on a lift...there had to be a joke in there somewhere? Yeah blood loss may be making her a bit loopy. She was a bit surprised as she'd expected to see the two men that had spoken when the elevator opened and was instead faced with a gorgeous red haired woman, and a gaggle of large muscular guys. Yeah if this was a trap they where dead. Her eyes immediately zoomed in on the man who matched the first voice. Dark hair with a mustache and small beard, handsome face wearing a AC/DC t-shirt and jeans there was a air of arrogance around him that reminded her a bit of Sirius and something else something that also seemed familiar that she couldn't put her finger on.

"Tony Stark I assume?" She asked a trace of amusement in her confident tone.

"The one and only." He answered a little impressed by how quickly she had thrown up her defenses and mask. "And you are?"

"Juniper Potter." She pointed to her right "Hermoine Granger." To her left. "Ron Weasley."

Tony nodded but didn't acknowledge that they'd already picked up the first names. "How did you get into the building we have advanced security that should have prevented that."

Juniper gave a soft sigh. "You saw things on that camera thingie you shouldn't have seen. Once upon a time our government would have come and wiped your mind of the memory of us and probably jailed us for a few months but theres a new regime at the moment that would just kill us all. So it would be better if we just left and you forgot all about this."

"Don't think so green eyes if theres something that scary coming we'll be better off knowing about it." Tony answered.

"Its not your responsibility to take care of. We'll handle it. We keep our problems out of muggle's hands." Juniper answered.

"Muggle? Was I just insulted by a tiny little Pixie? Jarvis define Muggle." Tony requested.

"Muggle a person lacking a skill; an unimaginative adult who doesn't understand children; slang for marijuana, coined by jazz musicians in the 1920s and 1930s." All 3 of the teens jumped as Jarvis answered in a accent similar to their own looking around for the source.

"What the bloody hell?" Ron burst out. "Are you holding someone in your walls mate?" He looked around as if considering busting down the walls in a effort to rescue their countryman.

Tony did not smirk imagining their guests wouldn't take it well. "No thats my AI Jarvis. Stands for Just a really very intelligent system."

"Really a AI?" Hermoine perked up their Ravenclaw in Gryffindor clothes piped up "How did..." She was cut off when Ron put a hand over her mouth to remind her that this wasn't the time for her curiosity to run out of control as Juniper shook her head muttering something under her breathe that Tony just barely heard "My backup ladies and gentlemen." He couldn't hold back the grin then.

"They don't mean it as a insult." Hermoine said after slapping Ron's hand away. "Its just what they call..." She glanced over at Juniper who nodded. "Non-magical people in the British wizarding world."

"The what now?" Tony asked surprised.

"I know I was raised a muggle didn't know what I could do was actually magic until I was contacted at 11 to receive a invitation to Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry." Hermoine answered.

"So you two are witches and red theres a wizard huhh? Lets see some magic then." Tony requested. Once again the older appearing two looked at Juniper who nodded.

Ron held up his wand. "Lumos." He said the wand lit up with a light much brighter than should have come from a lightbulb or LED. "Nox." the light went out.

"Thats it could do that with a few cheap gimmicks." Ron's face went red but a glance from Juniper had him clamping his mouth shut.

Next it was Hermione's turn. "Colovaria" She said her wand pointing to the wall which changed from light blue to red and gold. Gryffindor colors. Oh course.

"Much better. What you got to show us little Pixie?" He asked glancing over at Juniper.

Juniper's smirk was a little evil as she almost considered demonstrating Sectumsempra not that she ever truly would at least not unless he kept calling her Pixie. Instead she dug deep and found a memory to use. The look on Luna's face when she'd told her they where true friends and used it to power one of the two spells that had become her signature. "Expecto Patronum." Prongs burst from her wand beautiful, powerful, impressive, his very existence filling the room with warmth, hope, a protective powerful force that never failed to make Juniper feel as if her father was actually there with her still protecting her with everything he had as he was in his final moments. He stepped towards Tony and lowered his head. Tony finally looked impressed as he cautiously reached out to touch one of the stags antlers.

"Solid." Tony said softly amazement in his voice Prongs then turned back to Juniper and nudged her lightly as if in reassurance before fading. "That was...something...okay wizard and witches so whats this war your stuck in and why are kids fighting it?"

"Tony let them sit down Ms. Potter looks ready to kell over and I think her arms still bleeding." Bruce said his tone calm and gentle.

Tony's eyes went to the girl's pale face and he frowned deeply. "Oh course come on Pixie, sit down. Butch and Sundance too." Hermoine grinned even though the other two looked confused and tugged her friends hand gently.

Juniper let Hermoine pull her over to the sofa and sat a soft sigh escaping her at the comfort of actually sitting it just felt so good to just sit. "I'm a doctor." Bruce told her softly. "Will you let me look at your arm?"

"I'm fine." All three teens said it at once Hermoine and Ron in mocking tones. "Traitors." Juniper snapped at both of them.

"Just let him look Juni." Hermoine said in a soft coaxing voice. She wasn't nearly as good at talking Juniper into things as Luna or the twins but much better then Ron. She'd even tried Luna's method of just assuming Juniper would do what she wanted but it hadn't worked nearly as well.

"I'm not taking my shirt off in front of a bunch of strangers." Juniper snapped at her.

"Thats fine I can cut the sleeve off." Bruce said sitting in a chair next to the sofa but not touching her. He wouldn't without her permission he knew to well what it was like to have your choices stolen from you for 'your own good.' and he wouldn't do that to anyone.

"Alright." Juniper finally agreed trying to convince herself it was to calm Hermoine and not because the numbing charm she'd used on her arm was starting to fade it it hurt much worse than she'd expected and she could now feel the blood running down her arm soaking into the shirt she was wearing under her jacket as well. Hermoine helped her out of the jacket drawing in a breathe at the sight of how much blood had soaked through the plaid shirt.

"Merlin Juniper. No more black jumpers for you."

"Not now Ron."

"Clint will you get me the big first aid kit we're gonna need stiches here." Bruce said looking around for something to cut the fabric with.

Then he was there. Juniper had noticed him before but only as one of the group but now he was right in front of her kneeling knife in hand to cut away the sleeve. he was gorgeous dark brown hair to long for muggle styles but would have been perfectly in sync with the pure blood wizards preference for longer hair. He looked younger than the rest of the crew with ruggedly handsome features. He could have used a shave but his ice blue eyes more than made up for it. His left arm completely metal with a star on the shoulder was unique and she had a feeling if he'd wanted to he could have crushed her as easily as most men could a soda can. There was something in him as well some darkness that matched her own. Not a hor...whatever was inside her that created her link to Voldemort but there was something beyond what most guys his age had unless they where serial killers but he didn't seem evil just that darkness.

Their eyes locked as he held her hand with his flesh and blood hand and used the knife in the metal hand to cut the fabric away then he looked at her arm and frowned deeply causing Juniper to look. It was a bit worse that she'd thought the blasting curse had carved a chuck of flesh just above the halfway point between her shoulder and elbow and several deep scratches on either side.

"Can you three do that?" Steve asked. As Bucky released her hand to return to his side.

Juniper looked over recognizing the warm comforting voice they'd heard down in the lobby. "We can. We generally don't use it on people though its messy and inelegant. much better for blocking doorways or making new ones."

"Or bringing down the roof." Ron commented giving her a mischievous grin which actually made her laugh bringing a moment of lightness to her face which made her even prettier. "The Lockhart special."

Hermoine shook her head at both of them and turned as Bruce was washing and taking care of Juniper's arm.

"First what you need to know is the wizarding world is hidden within the muggle one. There is a ministry in Britain a magical president for the United States with all the accompanying bureaucratic nonsense and so on. we have out own schools, banks, stores, neighborhoods everything all hidden from Muggle eyes. Not to mention we keep Magical creatures from the muggle world as well. Dragons, unicorns, basilisks, fairies, goblins, trolls, werewolves they are all real along with others some of the old tales are correct some are bullshit" Hermoine explained.

"Why hide?" Steve asked.

"Witchcraft trials ring any bells?" Ron asked. "They aren't so common now in 'civilized' parts of the world but thats because they don't believe in witches anymore. If they did half the world would be screaming to kill us while the rest would want to use us."

"The wizarding world has many things the muggle world doesn't like..." She dug around in her bag again her arm going in to her shoulder and she pulled out a vial and held it out to Juniper. "Blood-Replenishing Potion." Juniper took this one and downed it in one gulp then spent the next few seconds struggling not to gag.

"Merlin thats vile." Juniper muttered softly.

"But what happens when muggles want something and won't believe us when we say its a thing we can't do. Or when some scientists decide to study and cut us up to look for the source of our powers." Hermoine answered.

"So no umm, muggles know about the wizarding world." Steve asked

"Some do. Your President, the Queen, the prime minister, every government in the world has at least one division responsible for liasoning with the muggle government. Family of muggleborns who go to magical schools are also allowed to know, or if a witch or wizard marries a muggle they will be told." Hermoine answered.

"Did you two know about this." Tony asked giving Natasha and Clint a good stare as they seemed exactly the type of thing SHIELD would know all about and keep from them.

Clint shook his head as Natasha's frown deepened. "There where whispers nothing I took seriously. I mean really a entire world hidden from everyone."

Steve looked back to the teens. "So now the war?"

Hermoine sighed softly. "Wizards are very much like muggles in a few ways not all good including the bigotry. "The 'purebloods' are convinced they are the only ones worthy to have magic. To them half-bloods like Juniper are only good for breeding and menial labor, Muggleborns, mudbloods like me are mutts that should be put down, and muggles should be exterminated."

"Not all pure bloods." Ron said sounding a bit offended. "In fact I'd say not the majority. Unfortunately those who do believe that shit tend to yell louder that those of us who don't."

"They're afraid. The Weasleys are protected by reputation by your dads job and by the number of kids in your family and the magical strength of those kids. The Longbottoms, the Bones, the Diggorys, the Lovegoods none of the so-called blood traitors are in vulnerable circumstances not everyone could afford the risk of standing against the Deatheaters." Juniper said with a sigh leaning her head back against the back of the couch as Bruce stitched the biggest gash in her arm.

"A man who went by the name of..."

"DON'T" Ron stopped Hermoine before she could say the name.

Hermoine gave him a hard glare. "Fear of a name increases fear of the thing."

"Easy for Dumbledore to say as he was the only Wizard HE ever feared. And in case you forgot the headmaster is dead now." Ron answered then paled slightly as Juniper visible flinched. "Sorry Juni."

Juniper shook her head. "Call him Tom Riddle it was the name he was born too. She opened her eyes focusing on Tony and Steve. He was a sociopath from the moment he was born. A powerful charismatic handsome sociopath who drew people in I'm sure your familiar with the type." Both men nodded. "He drew people to his cause. He wanted power he wanted to rule and pure bloods flocked to his banner. Especially as he told them they where the ruling class they shouldn't be held to law and moral codes designed to force them to pretend those they consider inferior where their equals. They blazed a path of terror across the magical world killing, cursing, impe...taking over peoples mind. The only safe place was Hogwarts the magical school because of the headmaster Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, the most powerful wizard in the world Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, leader of the light and founder of the Order of the Phoenix." The admiration in her voice was unmistakable.

"The order was basically a vigilante group that fought Tom Riddle and his Deatheaters. They where mostly Dumbledore's students and they where losing mostly because the Death eaters had no scruples about using dark magic unforgivable curses, using noncombatants as shields and attacking order members and Aurors at home murdering their entire families." Hermoine continued. "Then a prophecy was made." She glanced over at Juniper.

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... and the Dark Lord will mark her as his equal, but she will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives ... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies ..." She recited she'd memorized the damn thing. Torn it apart, examined it, put it back together, agonized over it, and hated it with every fiber of her being. Even she couldn't hide the disgust in her voice. Her world had been imploded and destroyed before she was even born because of the prophecy of a drunk crackpot.

"I'm guessing your a Leo." Natasha said with a heavy dose of sarcasm.

"Oh how did you guess?" Juniper responded with the exact same tone as the older woman.

"Tommy boy found out about the prophecy I assume?" Tony asked.

"Don't they always. There where three candidates in the beginning then the Longbottoms had a boy Neville and it was down to me or the Bones girl Susan born at 11:06 and 11:57 respectively. Both of our father's and her mother where Aurors, The magical worlds police force and had gone up against Voldemort more than a few times. My mom worked in Saint Mungos the wizarding hospital she fought once when the death eaters attacked there, another time when reserves had been called to help the Aurors during a attack on a muggle neighborhood, and then she married my father and as she was a 'filty mudblood' and my dad a rich and powerful pure-blood the very fact that they married and had a child was considered defiance. For some reason he decided it was me the half-blood instead of the pureblood heir of the Bones family." Junipers tone evened out as she spoke.

"They went into hiding but they where betrayed. Tom Riddle came Halloween night when Juniper was 15 months old. James Potter was killed downstairs trying to protect his wife and daughter and give them a chance to run. He had to know he had no chance of beating Vo...Tom Riddle. Lily Potter made it upstairs with Juniper what happened we don't know for sure most people with half a brain believe Lily had set up a ritual or trap of some kind. Either way he killed her in front of the crib where Juniper was found. He tried to kill her as well but somehow to spell he used the killing curse rebounded all the found was his robes and wand the house practically collapsed And that was when Juniper was marked by him." Hermoine took over Juniper raised her hand to push hair off her face showing a lightning bolt scar on her forehead.

"So if hes dead..."

"Not dead disembodied as it turned out. He took steps towards becoming immortal and his anchors saved him from true death." Juniper said her voice hard. "Only Dumbledore realized that though noone else would admit it was possible they where to afraid. Nothing changed they did nothing to stop the bigotry, or the favoritism in the ministry, many of his most favored followers claimed they where imperioused, mind controlled into following him and bought their way out of trouble. The had 10 years to make changes ferret out the corruption, increase the auror force, budget, and training."

"But why should they?" Hermoine asked her tone as bitter as Juniper's. "He was dead after all and if not they had The Chosen One to hide behind. He started true attempts to come back when we where 11 he succeeded when we where 14 thanks to a nasty evil little ritual." She glanced over at Juniper again who was rubbing the arm Bruce wasn't working on against her leg her expression unreadable. "It took 3 years for him to free his followers who had been arrested, place his spies and plants in the ministry, in the aurors in the unspeakables, even in the school. All this while trying every time he had a little downtime to kill Juniper."

"I'm really hard to kill." Juniper commented regaining her mask with a cocky half grin half smirk expression that for some reason seemed familiar to the adults. The nagging feeling that they'd seen the same expression somewhere in combination with those cheekbones and lips maybe?

"A few months ago one of the spys he managed to get into the school succeeded in cornering Dumbledore when he was weakened by potions and killed him. With him out of the way he murdered the head of the Aurors and the minister and seized control of the ministry. We had to run. Juniper and I are undesirables one and two on the new ministries most wanted list. Ron..."

"Ron as far as anyone knows is home with a highly contagious and possible fatal illness." The red head cut in with a grimace. "It protects my family but I can't play the whos bounty is higher game."

"Why go back?" Clint asked softly.

"I have to." Juniper answered looking at him as if he'd lost his mind. "Its my duty my fate. The country is messed up yes but theres still Remus Lupin who was my father's friend and saved us a couple of times, Profesors Mcgonagall, Flitwick, and Sprout who protect their students like lions, Florean Fortescue who sells ice cream in diagon alley and spent summer 3rd year giving my ice cream and telling me stories, Hagrid who spent most of a year putting together a photo album of my parents for me and raising a baby dragon, The Weasleys." She glanced over at Ron. "Who showed me what a real family is then made me part of theirs. Luna Lovegood whos like a baby sister to all of all is so sweet and precious she needs to be protected, and Neville Longbottom whos leads with loyalty even when his fear should win out, even kids like Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson who are bigots and bullys because its how they where taught and raised and they haven't had a chance to see anything else."

She shook her head. "And for revenge he and his Deatheaters murdered my parents, my godfather, the first boy I ever had a crush on, my mentor, the most feared dark wizard hunter in our world, and the head auror who was also the only family member left alive from the first war to another friend of ours. And those are only the ones who personally know."

Natasha glanced at the other two. "What about you two?"

Hermoine glanced over at her friends. "Logically I'm a muggle born and Britain is my home I'm fighting for myself and others like me to have a chance at living in peace. Emotionally Juniper and Ron are my family where they go I go. And someone has to make sure they remember to eat and sleep and do the research we need."

Ron shrugged. "I'd rather do the right thing than the easy thing. And Junipers my sister Weasleys don't abandon family just cause its dangerous and hard."

Juniper bit her bottom lip so hard it almost bled. She was not going to cry. She wasn't a weak emotional girl but her friends words did touch her more than she could let anyone see. Ron could have just stayed home with his family and went on, Hermoine could have went to Australia to safety with her parents but because Juniper didn't have that option they wouldn't. They chose her and for the girl who'd never had a real family had never been chosen it meant everything.

"All done." Bruce said softly. Ron leaned over looking at the stiches with wide eyes.

"Wicked cool you just sewed her up like a ripped sweater." He said his voice in awe.

"Done differently in the Magical world I assume?" Bruce asked the boy sounding amused at him comparing his friend to a ripped sweater.

"One moment of emotional maturity and he pulls it right back." Hermoine sighed shaking her head. "Our medic is back at Hogwarts. The rest of us tend to concentrate more on offensive spells but yes there is a spell for that."

"You should eat something. You all should. Then a good nights sleep." Bruce said and glanced over to Hermoine. "Excessive exhaustion clouds the thinking, causes mistakes and accidents and increases depression." He said in a patient teaching tone that Hermoine immediately responded to with a nod causing Juniper and Ron to share a amused look at how easily he'd read their overly intelligent friend.

"Okay." Juniper said. "But first we know your name is Tony Stark but what about the rest of you?"

Tony looked at her in surprise. "Your kidding right? Don't you get TV and internet in England?"

"Magical and tech don't mix well." Hermoine said. "I know I saw the whole thing in New York you where all amazing." Hermoine looked over at Juniper who was looking at her puzzled. "They're the Avengers."

"The what now?" Juniper asked unintentially echoing Tony's question from earlier.

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AN- Next chapter the kids finally get food. The sleeping plan goes as well as could be expected for 3 battle hardened warriors in a strange place but interesting connections happen. Then Pepper shows up and things get even weirder.