So...this chapter took a significant turn from when I was writing it, but I love it anyway!
The silence in Saint Mungo's was shattered when a blood drenched Hermione Granger appeared in the middle of the trauma ward with an unconscious SHIELD agent. Healers swarmed the two immediately casting diagnostic spells as the brunette witch repeatedly asked for Padma Patil.
"Get her," a healer said when they couldn't get any other information out of Hermione. They continued to run diagnostic spells and ask Hermione questions.
"He was stabbed with a scepter," she answered. "Where is Padma? He needs Padma Patil."
"Ms. Granger, we've summoned her, but we need to start counteracting the blood loss," the nearest Healer said.
"I gave him several blood replenishing potions," she answered. "There's time, get Padma."
"She's on her way," the Healer said trying to calm her down. "In the meantime, just tell me what happened."
"Hermione?" Padma called rushing up to them. "Thank you Healer Smith, I'll take it from here. Now what's wrong with him…" her voice trailed off after looking at the damage in front of her.
"Merlin's left testicle," Padma swore. "Granger please tell me you didn't." Hermione was already nodding rapidly, which caused Padma Patil to start issuing orders to the nearest Healers, including to stop the current regimen of treatment; going so far as to summon one of their wands.
"It's procedure Healer Patil," one healer protested.
"If you administer that to him he'll die," Padma said firmly. "She used a dangerous combination of spells to keep him from bleeding out before she got him here. I've only seen it once before and the magical backlash it created nearly killed the operating team as well as the patient. Get him into an isolated surgical room. Summon Healer Malfoy immediately. I don't care if he's in another procedure you pull him out. Her words were more potent than any magic Hermione had seen. Healers were rapidly transporting Phil, and moving him away from Hermione.
"Granger!" Hermione snapped back suddenly realizing Padma was yelling at her. "Did you deviate at all from the spell set I told you about? I need to know everything you did."
"I gave him several blood replenishing potions," Hermione answered while shaking her head. "We were in the middle of the Atlantic, I didn't think he'd survive the trip without them."
"Did you even consider the ramifications or did you stupidly react like Potter does?"' Padma asked harshly. "Fuck Granger…he could lose his magical core. I didn't tell you about it for you to replicate it. It was sheer dumb luck, and it almost killed everyone working on Lavender. She only survived with her magical core because of the Werewolf blood that had already taken effect."
"He's a squib," Hermione lied, unwilling to take the risk that the hospital would operate on a muggle. "His magical core won't be in danger. Contact Kingsley once the worst is over. He'll reach me."
"Granger, I have no idea what the consequences will be on a squib!" Padma said.
"Padma, I need him alive," Hermione answered still trying to wrap her mind around the situation. "Send Kingsley a patronus when he's allowed visitors."
"I'll do what I can, but if he survives, he may not forgive you," Padma warned lowly before pivoting on her heel. Hermione stood in the hospital for a moment before realizing she was still covered in Phil's blood. A change of clothes would be necessary. However, if she had learned anything from Headmaster Dumbledore it was how powerful the right visual could be, and that Kingsley Shacklebolt was perfectly willing to use one to his advantage.
"Director Fury," he glanced over his shoulder to see his favorite agent, Lavender Brown, walking towards him. In contrast to her delicate appearance and fondness for elaborate braids, she had an affinity for espionage, and her undercover work rivaled that of Agent Romanov's. Her reputation preceded her amongst SHIELD, and Agent Coulson routinely used her as a mission operative for new recruits. To date no one had caught her off guard, however, the injury rate of new recruits had skyrocketed.
"Report," Fury said when she'd gotten closer. He had been working with Agent Hill to secure the bridge after the skirmish with Loki.
"Granger has returned. She's got an update for you regarding Agent Coulson. I put her in Conference Room B," Agent Brown informed him.
"Thank you. Agent Hill, keep an eye on things," Fury said before following Agent Brown to the conference room. He walked in ready to demand she give him answers, and instead he pulled his gun while scanning the room. It was empty.
"Granger, I don't have time for these games," he said trying to find her. What he wasn't expecting was for his agent to start snickering behind him. He turned to look at her for an explanation.
"Director, there's no need for weapons," Agent Brown said as she tried to compose herself. "I didn't realize how well her 'entrance' the other day went. It's just us in here. Hermione's with Phil right now."
"Agent Brown, what is going on?" Director Fury asked suspiciously. "Care to explain why you're helping our newest asset, and how you're so familiar with her." Lavender knew that using Hermione's given name would create significant distrust in her boss' mind. Intelligence agencies, and their employees, were notoriously paranoid, and had massive trust issues. When he continued to refuse to lower the gun, she sighed in exasperation.
"I've known Hermione since I was eleven," Lavender answered. "We went to school together, and later on she saved my life. Phil's in surgery, and Hermione ensured that he got the best trauma team in the world."
"How?"
"Hermione Granger is extremely well connected," Lavender answered. "Unfortunately, you don't have the clearance to know why or how. In fact we had to get special permission for you to even visit Phil."
"What his chances?" Fury asked.
"He's in surgery," Agent Brown repeated. Director Fury simply stared at her waiting for an answer. "I told them that you weren't going to be easy to persuade...too much like a damn kneazle."
"Did you just compare me to a cat, Agent?" Fury asked sharply. He did not appreciate when she waved him off.
"Phil is in surgery," she repeated a third time. "Now, before I can give you any more information I need you to cooperate. Hermione took Phil to one of our hospitals, but you don't have the clearance. She's managed to secure that, but you have to agree to a few stipulations."
"Right?" Director Fury asked sarcastically. "Let me guess you're going to refuse treatment if I don't comply with your demands?" Agent Brown promptly gave him a look of disgust.
"Phil is a patient, not a bargaining tool," she snarled. "I would never allow him to come to harm. You have no idea the efforts that man goes to for the rest of us. If anyone could successfully incite a hostile takeover it would be him, simply because of the loyalty your agents feel towards him."
"I know," Fury said suddenly holstering his weapon. "His loyalty has never been in question, thankfully, and I have no doubt he would be shocked to know he had an army of SHIELD agents. Now what are these requirements?"
"Everything, from the moment you leave this airship to when you arrive back on it, is confidential. You cannot discuss it outside of those who already know, or create any data on it. There is to be no record of what you learn. If you violate that, the records will be altered and actions will be taken to remove the information from you."
"You may choose to reject this offer. However, there will be no secondary opportunity and you will not recall this one," Lavender answered.
"How will you ensure I won't remember?" Fury asked challenging her assertion.
"Sir, you don't have the clearance," Lavender answered trying not to take satisfaction out of finally getting to tell the surly man his most uttered response.
"No wonder Stark hates when I tell him that," Fury muttered. "Alright. I agree. Now report on Agent Coulson's status," he ordered. Lavender gave him a sharp nod, mostly out of habit.
"Agent Coulson interrupted Loki and Granger in the chamber, and threatened the God. Loki reacquired the tesseract scepter and promptly used it to assault Agent Coulson before releasing the cell with Thor inside," Lavender explained.
"How bad is the damage?"
"Lethal," Lavender answered. "Loki pierced his heart. Phil shouldn't have left that room alive, even with magical assistance."
"What kind of hospital is he in?" Director Fury asked.
"Hermione isn't as unique as previously suggested. A decision was made to protect the majority and sacrifice Hermione's anonymity."
"You have an entire community," Director Fury concluded before she could finish speaking. She nodded confirming the statement. "So he has a chance?"
"Magical Healing isn't perfect, and even if Hermione was a certified healer, I can't say that she would have been able to save him," Lavender answered. "The one positive is that Hermione learned healing spells during the war, which typically focuses on buying more time. After the war she went into magical law enforcement, not healing.
"Of course you have a medical board," Fury muttered, with a shake of his head, before asking, "How did she keep Agent Coulson alive? He was still speaking when I found them." Director Fury asked.
"You have to understand that Hermione used a combination of spells that were not designed with healing in mind. Magic has different classifications, and it's expansive allowing the caster to be creative, but there are rules which we learn in school."
"If you don't know the rules then you can't experiment with them," Fury concluded. Lavender nodded confirming his assumption. "Can someone else cancel out her magic?"
"Yes," Lavender said. "Anyone could as long as they knew what she used. The problem is that the spells she chose often react violently with one another, and Hermione isn't the one who created it, our friend Padma did."
"Who is she?"
"Now? She's a healer, and currently operating on Phil," Lavender answered. "Her twin sister, Parvati, is my best friend. We were all involved in a civil war, during which, I was cornered. Hermione, unknowingly saved me, by blasting the monster off of me. It wasn't until Padma found me that anyone realized I was alive."
"She lost it?" Director Fury guessed.
"Yes," Lavender answered. "Later on, she admitted all she could think about was how devastated Parvati would have been if I died. She just started casting on the spot, anything that she could think of to keep me breathing, including a freezing and a stasis charm."
"How'd you survive?"
"Sheer dumb luck," Lavender answered. "The man who attacked me had a virus that passed to me, and had already taken effect. Even with that assist, I nearly lost my magical core, which we cannot survive without."
"Give Phil some of your blood," Director Fury said even though Lavender already started shaking her head.
"It's too late," she answered. "Besides, I'm pretty sure it'd kill him." "Coulson's normal," Director Fury said before realizing his mistake. Lavender smiled and waved him off.
"He's a muggle, which means he doesn't have magic. Unfortunately, we don't know how that will affect him. Dismantling those spells nearly killed the healers working on me. Hopefully since Padma's done it before she'll have another success. Hermione had to have been beyond desperate to resort to it."
"I don't expect him to simply walk away from this," she finally said. "All I know is that if Hermione hadn't interfered, he never would have left that chamber alive." Neither of them spoke for a few minutes. Lavender knew her boss well enough to give him time to process the information she'd handed him.
"She gave him his best chance," Fury said when he finally spoke. "That's good enough for me." Lavender couldn't stop the smile that bloomed on her face.
"However, Agent, this does not absolve you from the fact that you infiltrated SHIELD on false pretenses and have misled me. That is another issue that we will have to address." She nodded promptly, still grateful that her boss wasn't freaking out at the moment.
"For the time being, however, it seems relatively minuscule given our circumstances. So...what's next? " he asked looking at her.
"Your presence is required in London," Lavender answered. "Your clearance is currently being secured and they will want to interrogate you to determine if you are a security risk. However, they will attempt to undermine this by scheduling your appearance before you have time to actually receive the approval."
"So we're going to break a few rules," Director Fury asked. "How exactly do you expect to get me to London in time?" Lavender couldn't help the grin rose to her face.
"It's going to feel rather unpleasant," she answered as she pulled out a small key chain. "Just don't let go."