Last time...

It wasn't the deed of killing that she viewed as unforgivable, it was betrayal. True betrayal, as Peter had done, created a wound that could never heal. Hera would not forgive the man, because it had been ultimately his choice to choose that betrayal, to choose to sacrifice his friends to preserve his own life. Albus suspected this is why she was able to forgive Severus. The man had given him an overview of what he'd told Hera – of the things he'd done that lead to her parents' deaths – but beyond the initial shock that he had bargained for Lily's life at the expense of her and her father with a man he knew would not honour it, she'd not treated him any different.

It certainly was confusing, as Albus would have expected hatred from her towards the man for the admission. Perhaps…Perhaps it hadn't been quite a betrayal in her eyes. Deplorable, maybe, but not a betrayal. Severus had had no close ties to her or her father, no friendship to bind them. He'd loved her mother, and realized that she would never have forgiven him for what he'd done. The man had sought to save not only Lily, but the entire family as a result. Severus was still a cantankerous person, still a paranoid bastard, but it was possible that she viewed his self flagellation as a far more effective punishment than anything she could have come up with on her own.

Perhaps…Perhaps, it was time for a conversation.

Chapter 85

Rhodey and Tony were talking when Hera groggily stumbled into the living room.

"Hera! What was that?" Tony insisted as he checked her over. "What happened? I'm not going to believe you're okay until you've had at least four cups of hot chocolate."

"I guessed six." Hera admitted sheepishly. Rhodey chuckled at that, as Tony guided them both into the kitchen. "Ole What's-his-name had questions, which meant, of course, that he didn't ask any of them. He insisted he could learn all he needed to know of my intentions through various games."

She proceeded to tell them both everything, starting with how different the man looked. Between snake face to something almost a little too familiar was jarring, like looking at herself in a too accurate carnival mirror. Chess matches and poker games, pranks and drinks; Hera covered it all, and by the end of it, the two men were rolling with laughter. When she finally got to the actual questions he wanted answered, it surprised them. The effects of love potions like Amortentia on a child created when one was under its influence weren't widely known, and were more than a little alarming to them.

"It's highly regulated, but that still doesn't stop anyone from just buying it wherever." Hera explained to them. "What's worse, those who get taken advantage of while they're under the influence are the ones that get shamed, should they openly object at all. I know there are others like him out there, but he's the worst case scenario of what could happen with the child born of a love potion."

"Do you think he'll agree to try?" Rhodey asked, curious.

"I don't know. Parts of his soul are destroyed or scattered. He did a lot of damage to himself, trying to become immortal." Hera sighed, watching as Tony made their hot chocolate. "What he did caused the deaths of a lot of people, and he'll have to find a way to atone for all that if he agrees to the chance. He might just decide it's not worth the trouble, and go down fighting. Then again, he just might. There's already a huge difference just in between the graveyard conversation and this last one."

"What are you going to do about what he and his followers did?" Tony wondered. "They killed a lot of people, Hera, children even."

"I don't know. I want…To kill children is abhorrent, but how can I know what choice he would have made if he'd been born without the handicap the love potion gave him? Those were his choices, no matter what, but…" Hera replied, though with some difficulty as she worked through her own thoughts. "After he's through stabilizing, I'll ask what his thoughts are. If he regrets what he's done, I'll know what to do then, and if he doesn't…Well, then I'll know what to do then."

There would have to be some kind of press conference, they knew, because of what she'd done only a day or two prior. Too many people were asking questions, and it was getting to the point where even Tony was running out of excuses to give in an effort to hold them off. Hera was quite opposed to so many reporters asking questions all at once, her first taste of the tabloid types being what it had been. With both Hera and Tony having a distaste for reporters in general, Stane was at his wits end in how to handle the situation. It was Rhodey's idea that saved them when it looked like Stane was losing his patience.

"Screen them." Rhodey suggested. "Have them apply for the press conference. Tell them there's going to be a limit, that this will be a closed event where this is Hera's first real taste of having to talk to reporters in the United States. Let them know you're going to have a personal hand in this, that you know your CEO has a great many other things to be doing than handling an interview process for a press conference. How's that?"

So that's what they did.

When the time came for the conference itself, Hera was a bundle of nerves. Stane wasn't making things any easier, having no patience for an anxious teenage girl, but Hera really didn't want to mess this up. This was about Tony's future, and she'd never had to sit down with so many reporters at once; Rita Skeeter's terrible interview that first go 'round, and the quiet interview with Rita and Luna not withstanding. It didn't help that Stane kept making snide remarks about if she wasn't able to handle this then she wouldn't be able to handle anything more serious than a waiter's job. That snapped Hera out of it, and she all but hauled that man into a side room by his ear.

"Exactly what is wrong with being a waiter?" She snapped. "I don't know what it's like to be one, no, but I know that they handle my food before I do, and that it's polite to treat them with dignity and respect. They already deal with everyone's shite as it is, and who knows what kinds of stress they have to handle from various pompous blowhards like yourself."

He looked like he was going to make something of the pompous blowhard comment, but refrained. "That's not what my problem is."

"Then what is it?" Hera demanded. "This is literally my first press conference. Tony's future hangs on this going well, and I don't want to mess it up. I get that it's not a great time for me to have done this, but can you honestly think of a good one?"

Stane remained silent, but contemplative.

"Plus, think about it! There's all this…good will towards man atmosphere going on, what with Christmas and all that." She pointed out.

"So, all you're worried about is Tony's future?" Stane inquired, as if he didn't believe her.

"Of course, I am. He's my brother!" She insisted.

Stane looked at her for a moment, and then nodded. "If what you're really concerned about is Tony's future, you and I are on the same page. As long as that remains true, we have no problems."

"I'll remember you said that, you know." She warned, and he stopped for a moment to look at her in confusion. "As long as what you're concerned about is Tony's future, you and I have no problems. Let's hope that doesn't change."

"I'm his godfather, you know." Stane countered, looking at her with steeled eyes.

"Your point?" She countered. "People betray each other all the time; family, friends, loved ones. You're not special just because you have a title. You're supposed to actually do something with it."

"So we're in agreement then." Stane nodded. "Keep Tony's future as a priority, and we won't have to handle the other one."

"We are." Hera confirmed.

"I love it when the people closest to me conspire to keep me their top priority." Tony commented nonchalantly, casually announcing his presence as he leaned against the doorway. Both jumped a little, having not heard him, and Hera's face heated up as she sheepishly grinned over at him. "The reporters are filing in."

"Show time?" Hera asked, smiling fully when Tony nodded.

It's when Tony's out the door, and Hera makes to follow after him, that Stane speaks again. "Remember, Starks are made of iron, and iron does not bend."

Perhaps he meant it to be a fortifying comment to strengthen her will and give her confidence, but it just made Hera annoyed, because now she knew why it was still in Tony's head.

She stops, and looks back at him.

"Iron might not bend, but if you're not careful, it'll break." She warned. "Be careful, Stane, or iron won't be the only thing that breaks. Understand?"

Without another word, she left him alone with his thoughts.

…

"What was that back there?" Tony asked quietly, as they made their way back to the conference room. "You two looked to be having quite the serious chat."

"We were just coming to an understanding is all." Hera replied innocently, caving when Tony arched an eyebrow at her. "I didn't like that he hurt your feelings before, so I might have gotten a little…in his face about treating you better."

"Hera…" Tony chuckled, not quite sure what to say to that.

"You're my broðir, Tony." Hera continued, keeping her voice low. "I'm not about to let him hurt you if I can help it."

Tony's grin developed into a full blown smile then, as he commented. "That's my line, Lil Blue."

She worried as they got to the door.

"What is it?"

"It's just…What if they ask about the Dursleys?" Hera wondered. "I don't want to make excuses for them, but I don't want Dudley hurt by this either."

"If it comes up, we'll handle it." Tony insisted, and the two took a bracing breath before entering the room.

…

The Conference Room is unlike anything she'd been expecting. There were tables, of course, each with their own tea service. Surrounding each table were super plushy beanbags. Most of the reporters looked bewildered at the seating, but Hera was enchanted with it. Tony had obviously thought to make her the most comfortable she could be in such a stressful situation, though he was looking pointedly away when she arched a questioning eyebrow his way.

"Oh good, tea." Hera sighed, grateful, making her way over to the one currently without anyone sitting around the table, and plopped down on a beanbag.

When she started gathering what she wanted, she noticed a gentleman reporter around her brother's age had also walked over towards the table. She watched him from the side of her eye as she made her own tea, but he didn't ask her anything, just plopped down on his chosen beanbag and focused on getting his own drink ready. It was nice, and the two sat in companionable silence for a time. Others milled about, testing the beanbags, picking at the tea service at the table of their choosing. It was a little amusing to watch, but her focus shifted when the kettle chimed.

"I'll be mother." She offered, pausing when she noticed him flounder.

"…What?"

"I'll pour the tea." She clarified, grinning slightly when he relaxed. "Sorry. I forget not every expression crossed over to mean the same thing here."

"Oh." He replied, before he nodded. "Name's Eddie."

"Hera."

"This is a much smaller press conference than I was expecting." Eddie noted, gesturing around to the rest of the room as she poured the tea. "The beanbags are nice."

"Maybe they should make it standard to have beanbags at every press conference." Hera remarked with wry amusement. "Can you imagine? All those stuffy types trying to figure out how beanbags work?"

"Until they get use to it." Eddie added, looking amused as well. "This your first press conference? You look a little young for a reporter."

Hera froze, eyes wide as she realized what he thought. "I…uh…erm…"

"Shit. It is?" He asked, quickly going from 'I might have offended a person' to 'calm reassurance'. "Just relax. You're going to be fine. You don't seem to have the star struck look a lot of newcomers have when they come to these things. That's good. It's important to listen, even when other reporters are interrupting. You learn things about your fellow reporters that even they don't want you to know. Plus, you get to see how people like Stark handle the pressure. Ask thoughtful questions. Interviews are better for that, but press conferences can be too if you have them written down ahead of time. What news outlet are you working for?"

"I…erm…I'm not actually a reporter." Hera admitted sheepishly. "I'm here with them."

She points to her brother, Pepper, Happy, and Rhodey.

"Well, that was embarrassing." Eddie hummed. "Here I am telling you to think up thoughtful questions before things like this, and I don't even know what I'm here for. My boss just made me fill out some sort of questionnaire, and told me to cover what happens. He thinks my writing is better when I have no idea what's going on ahead of time, but that's not great for anxiety reasons."

"Fair." Hera agreed. "That would be awful. Say, what's your stance on mutants or possible other people of abilities?"

"Me personally, or how I can look at any side of an argument objectively even if I don't like it?" Eddie asked, surprising her.

"Both."

"Objectively? I can see being wary of new things and people. They can do things we can't, and history shows that we tend to feel threatened by those that are different, and when we feel threatened we do stupid things like try to kill them. There's also the argument of 'that would be so cool if I could do that. I'd do so much with it'. Usually it's a personal gain thing, sometimes an 'I wanna help others' thing." Eddie explained. She thinks Xavier and Magneto might like him. "Me personally? Going through puberty was bad enough, and that was just regular mundane person puberty. I can't imagine how terrified some of those kids must be when something happens, and they accidentally hurt someone, or their family freaks out and chases them off."

Hera can't help the smile that formed as she listened to his explanation, and informed him. "That's why we picked you."

"…What?"

…

"With it being so close to the holidays, I don't want to keep anyone too long, so we'll just get right into it." Stane began. Hera was now sitting with her brother on a small raised stage, facing all the reporters on their beanbag chairs, Stane standing off to the side, but at a podium to guide the event. "Hera Potter, newly discovered younger sister to Tony Stark, saved the life of one John Murdock. She did this by revealing powers she'd been too afraid to tell us that she had until another's life was at stake, but the fact remains. The floor is now open to questions."

There was a cacophony of questions, even for all that they'd prepared, and Hera listened to a few of them before pointing to someone. "Can you repeat that, please?"

"Question for you, Hera Potter. Why were you afraid? Was it of your newly discovered brother Tony Stark, or an experience before that made you wary to reveal those things?"

"Tony's been great, really supportive, but I…Even the most confident person is insecure about something." Hera shrugged. "The people that raised me didn't quite understand what was happening, I think, and weren't too thrilled about the random things that happened around me."

Another string of questions, but this time it was Tony who pointed to someone.

"Question for Hera Potter. What kinds of things happened around you as a kid? Couple of examples. No details if you don't want."

Hera brightened at that. "I accidentally suspended a cup in mid air once, trying to catch it before it fell."

"I'm assuming teleporting is a thing you can do as well?" Same reporter asked.

Hera nodded. "It's easier if I know where I'm going. With what happened with Mr. Murdock, I didn't know that, had to hope I wouldn't mess it up."

"What about the blue?"

She looked to Tony, who shrugged. If she was going to do this, it would be her choice. He was letting her know that. She'd not thought about it when rushing to get to Matt, and hadn't changed back when she'd went to find John. Then Hera thought about what she'd talked about with Magneto and Xavier; that there were those who wished to hide that couldn't, but that there were also those that could hide who felt that they shouldn't have to do so. Hera was blue before she finished the thought.

"I could have hid, I know, but that's a choice not every mutant has. Some just want to live a normal life, and use their abilities to…I dunno…clean their house or something. Others would rather die than be forced to hide themselves for another's sensibilities. I can't say there aren't bad ones, but that's true of every people."

"Question for Tony Stark. How will this affect Stark Industries?" One of the reporters asked before the cacophony of noise could start up again.

"As a personal endeavour, I am working in support of Mutant Rights and those of special abilities. Stark Industries will be creating a department to aid in that." Tony answered before Stane could, and from the look the man barely managed to conceal, Tony hadn't informed him of this yet. "It might mainly be just another branch of the R&D department really. So if a mutant wishes to hide but can't, they could come to us. If a mutant can't, or simply doesn't wish to even if they can, then perhaps there's something more we can do there. There could be counselling, support, job security; I'm open to suggestions. If you're a mutant and have ideas on how to make things better and more equal for everyone, I'm willing to listen and try to help."

"What will this mean for the Weapons Division and your contracts with the military?" Another reporter asked.

"If the military can offer humanitarian aid as well as go to war to defend our country, I think I can make weapons and help people this way too." Tony responded. "I already do that with the Maria Stark Foundation, as well as a few other charities. I can't think of anything that would have made my mother happier than me continuing and expanding those efforts."

"Question for Hera Potter." A different reporter clarified before continuing. "How do you feel about the fact that your brother makes weapons for the military?"

"I don't have a problem with him creating weapons for the military, but it's important that those weapons stay with the military. However, I have a question I'd like you to think about." Hera responded. "Why is it that Tony's demonized for something his father was praised for?"

That had certainly surprised more than a few of the reporters there.

"Howard Stark is seen as a hero of this country. He did the same thing Tony Stark does now. And yeah, Tony's more open about his love of fast cars, pretty people, and things that go boom than those of Howard Stark's time were. But are we really any different?" Hera asked, grinning just a touch to ease the sting of the words. "If you imagine yourself with the kind of money my brother has, I know you all would like to think that you would help people; and while he does do that, you can't deny that you would also go after the fast cars, the pretty people, and who doesn't like watching things explode?"

Quite a few people chuckled at that.

"Think you'll join him at Stark Industries?" Someone asked.

"Maybe? I dunno if I'd go for the Weapons Division, but R&D sounded pretty wicked." Hera replied with a smile. "It's not that I don't like things that explode, because I do, but R&D covers all the departments in a way; much less limiting, which I imagine is why Tony likes it so much."

There were quite a few questions after that, some even for Stane, though most focused on Hera and Tony's thoughts on things.

"Okay, last question." Stane eventually announced. Hera tried not to let it show how relieved she was to hear those words, starting to get a little frayed at the edges.

"Do your abilities have anything to do with why your former guardians gave you up so easily?" Eddie asked when she pointed to him, looking thoughtful.

Hera paled, but responded anyway. "I don't know exactly. I was away at school at the time, but I imagine it had something to do with it. Tony asked if I wanted to know, when we talked about it. I chose not to know."

Eddie thought about what Hera'd said as he typed up his article. 'That's why we picked you' she'd said. His ability to think objectively though many sides of the same argument was what had landed him his career as a reporter in the first place. The argument of what rights a mutant had, and how to deal with them, wasn't a new one; After all, it was difficult to detain someone who could literally walk through the walls of any jail cell they were put in. However, something she'd said kept coming back to him.

She'd not wanted to know the exact reason why her former guardians had given her up. It was enough for her that they had, even though she had a good guess already. They didn't like her abilities, but to just give her up? There had to be more going on there. Something told him there was more there, and he wanted to see what it was. He sensed a story in those words, and once he was done typing up the article, he sent it along with a message to his boss about a follow up idea.