CHAPTER TWELVE


Summary: When Hermione's contract with SHIELD is sold to Stark Industries and she's traded like she's prized cattle, she is far from pleased. But then, she meets the notorious man for herself and she finds herself thinking that perhaps, it wasn't all that bad a trade.

Disclaimer: All original characters and canon events belong to J.K. Rowling and Marvel. Non-canon events and characters are my own. I am not making any profit from posting this fanfic. Characters are likely to be OOC. This takes place after Iron Man 2, and I will be taking liberties with the timeline/ canon events. Rated for language, violence and sexual content.

AN

Happy New Year, everyone! Let's hope it's better than this one.

Here's update 3/3. I was extremely nice with this one because I was originally going to leave it on a cliff hanger but decided not to given that it's New Year's.

Q&A

RoseSwan9, alannalove1990 – It's coming soon, I promise.

Astraea7171 – Just a couple more chapters, but first, we've had some jealous Tony and now we need some jealous Hermione.

marauderfranky - There definitely isn't enough with the pairing, and I'm all too happy to rectify that.

Riversgirl75 - There are no issues with Florence. She's just a lovely older lady to offer advice and give Hermione the nudge she needs.

Stille and regen - Yes, James' birthday is 20th September.

AravisofArchenland – Teddy will make an appearance in the future, and Ron's kids have two separate mothers which most likely won't make an appearance, just mentions.


Page count: 22


"Jesus Bloody Christ!"

One hand pressed to her heart and the other reaching out to grapple and regain her balance before she slipped and hit the ground, Hermione caught herself on the wall, glaring up at Tony whilst her heart pounded in her chest and ears.

"What's wrong with you?" She hissed.

"That's a question we don't have time to answer," he shrugged. "So, how'd your meeting go?" He questioned nosily.

Hermione released a slow breath and rolled her eyes before stepping around Tony and heading away from the lift. She really wished he wouldn't stand before the doors right before she exited them, and he did it all the time. What was wrong with waiting for her to actually enter the room before asking things of her? He did it all the time at the Tower and it was downright annoying.

"Fine," she responded, hearing him following behind her as she moved to take a seat on the couch.

"So you're not going to be forced out of Stark Industries and back to your community now that Fury's terminated your contract with SHIELD?"

Hermione darted her gaze to him, noting the stiffness of his back and shoulders whilst his hands were stuffed into his jean pockets. His expression was blank but the slight frown at the corner of his mouth and the crinkle at his eyes gave him away. He was worried.

"No, and I'd like to see him try, he's scared of me."

The slumping of his shoulders was visible and he moved to sit on the couch beside her, leaning back into the cushions and propping his shoe-clad feet up on the coffee table as he twisted his torso slightly to face her.

"Realistically, whilst there are laws in my community that must be followed, like any other country, my people have freedom of speech and the like, meaning we might work wherever wish, for whomever and with whoever we wish. No one has a say in the matter. Regardless of the situation, should I wish to remain working for Stark Industries and so long as the Statute of Secrecy isn't broken, they can't interfere. Working for SHIELD was a different matter, but..." She shrugged her shoulders.

"Statute of Secrecy?" Tony tipped his head.

"That the secret of my people remains exactly that, a secret. And despite what you may know, you don't know everything and that means I've kept within the restrictions of the law, for now, at least. Kingsley is aware that you have ties to SHIELD through the Avenger's Initiative and he knows the reasoning for its existence, as well as knowing that I'm a candidate should I wish to accept. For that reason, he is aware that anyone involved in the Initiative will most likely be made aware of who I am and what I am capable of. With the approval of the Global Federation, I am licensed to practice my abilities globally and I am excused from the Statute of Secrecy, within reason, at least. I'm allowed to reveal the truth of my abilities to anyone I deem necessary, but I must be able to provide appropriate reasoning for my decision. And I'm not allowed to reveal the secrets of my community in its entirety, either. Again, only what I believe is necessary."

"You have to have a license to use your abilities?" Both eyebrows rose high.

"Not in our home communities. As I've said before, my community is spread across the world with our biggest and most populated areas being the UK, US and Europe. Surprisingly, Australia and New Zealand have the smallest population, I'm not sure why, actually," her brow creased in thought. "Seeing as I once belonged to the UK community and the UK is a member of the European Union, I was able to legally use my abilities in Europe. But when I left on my travels during the completing of my Masteries, I was required to apply for a permit should I wish to use my abilities outside of my own community. Children under the age of seventeen have an automatic trace on them, and should they use their abilities whilst a minor, the Ministry is automatically notified and action is taken to correct the situation, as well as perform a cleanup should it have been witnessed by anyone not of our community, essentially, a someone such as yourself, a normal human."

"A Muggle," Tony offered.

"How do you know that?" She arched an eyebrow.

"Deduction," he shrugged. "If you're a Muggleborn and your parents were born without magic, and Half-bloods and Purebloods are named so obviously, it makes sense you're labelled as a Muggleborn because your parents were Muggles."

"Consider me impressed," she remarked.

"What's the deal with the underage thing?"

"In my community, children are considered to be matured by the age of seventeen, and are no longer considered minors, but adults. For the safety of everyone, children are not permitted to practice or use their abilities outside of school until they reach the age of seventeen, and should they, there can be some serious consequences. By this point, they've already completed up to six years of education and training and are deemed competent enough not to do anything stupid, despite the fact we don't graduate until eighteen. Once we reach adulthood, the trace is removed and that makes it more difficult for our ability usage to be tracked, but it is still possible. Each member of my community has their own signature, a way to identify them, similar to fingerprints, as no two signatures are the same. Permits are required as a way of logging our 'signatures' into a system and should a crime be committed, we can be eliminated from the suspect pool or otherwise. When I first began working for SHIELD, I was given a permit to use my abilities in the US, but given that my work often took me out of the country, Kingsley held a meeting with the Global Federation and explained what'd happened with SHIELD discovering our existence, and along with giving him their permission to send me in as part of a truce, they offered me a license to practice my abilities no matter where in the world I am."

"You've diplomatic immunity," he surmised.

"More or less," she nodded. "Only, if I do commit a crime without proper necessity, I will be prosecuted."

"You get more interesting by the day."

She snorted. "Anyway, even if he had tried to pull me out and force me back into my community, I'd have kicked up a fuss, and as I said, he's terrified of me when I'm in a bit of a mood," she said sheepishly. He arched an amused eyebrow. "He's known me since I was fifteen. I'm well-known in my community for having a temper. But regardless of the fact, I have a right to work and live wherever I wish, whether that be here, or in my community. He's still pissed with Fury and he's still dealing with the backlash of unhappy Global Federation members, but for the most part, everything's been smoothed out. If Fury calls me in again or something should happen that requires the use of my abilities, I have to keep him in the loop, but otherwise, that's it."

"You're leaving something out," Tony said knowingly.

"I'm not," she denied, her brow creasing.

"You are," he disagreed confidently. "Come on, out with it."

She released a tired sigh and ran a hand through her hair, pulling it back from her face and over her shoulder.

"I almost ran into Harry."

"What?" He blurted out.

"Harry, he works at the Ministry, the department head of the Law Enforcement Department. He doesn't usually start work until nine-thirty, but he must have some big case going on because he was there over an hour earlier than I was expecting him. I deliberately set the meeting with Kingsley so early in order to avoid running into him."

"Did he see you? Speak with you?"

"He didn't see me, as far as I'm aware. We arrived at the same time and I'm not ashamed to admit I hid behind the fountain until I was sure he'd stepped into the lift. My meeting with Kingsley lasted longer than I was expecting, but it'd been a while since our last one so I wasn't all that surprised. I made a detour to the Family Affairs Department to complete the paperwork for becoming Fred's Godmother, which is why I'm back later than I promised. I didn't see him or Ron on the way out, thank heavens."

"Have you decided what you're going to do yet?"

"I've already sent word to George, he said he'd grab my things from Harry's for me. I don't want to leave without saying goodbye to the kids, but I can't risk running into Harry should he decide leave work early, and knowing my luck, that's precisely what would happen. I'll just write them a letter and floo call them later on."

"Floo what?"

"Oh," she said, blinking slowly, realising her slip up. "Our version of a Skype call."

"What's the difference?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"I would," he protested.

"Not yet," she shook her head. "Anyway, are you ready?"

"Where are we going again?"

"When was the last time you went to the supermarket?"

"Never."

"Thought so," she snorted, rising to her feet and smoothing out her lovely new coat. Whilst she'd complained about the price of it, no matter of the fact she hadn't paid for it, she had to admit it was quite lovely and surprisingly warm. "Well, if you want to stock up on Jaffa cakes and Monster Munch, we best head out and purchase them before we leave. And just as before, put this on," she instructed, producing the same pewter ring he'd worn before from her pocket. His eyes lit up as he took it from her and slipped in on his finger. "You're not keeping it. It should last a few hours," she told him, rolling her eyes at his dejected frown.

~000~000~000~

"I can't believe you," Hermione shook her head.

"What?" Tony questioned.

"Was there any need?" She pointedly looked to their hands and the numerous shopping bags they were carrying, but more specifically, the contents.

"What?" He repeated, blinking slowly. "It's not my fault."

"It is," she argued. "I didn't think it was possible for someone to purchase so many items that the supermarket would literally run out of stock."

"It's not my fault," he repeated in protest.

"They're having the rest delivered because we couldn't carry it all," she deadpanned. "I don't even know if it'll fit in the car."

"It's not my fault!" His voice rose slightly and she sniggered at him.

"You've a problem, Tony. What're you going to do when you run out?"

"Have Jarvis order more and get it shipped over," he shrugged. Hermione snorted at him. "In fact, I might just buy the company."

"Trust me, McVities won't sell to you; they're a proudly British company, and have been for over a century."

"Spoilsport," he pouted.

Whilst Hermione had wished to take a last-minute shopping trip in order to purchase a number of her favourite snacks to take back to New York with her, as well as a few treats she might later send to Natasha, Coulson and Barton, (should he behave himself) Tony had wished to tag along so he might stock up on a few of his favourite newly discovered snacks and treats.

As such, he'd purchased the entire stock of Jaffa cakes, (which Hermione thought was a tad overboard) almost a quarter of the stock of Monster Munch and Mini Cheddars, several boxes of Aero and Crunchies, as well as biscuits and chocolate bars.

And after some nagging, she'd agreed to make a pit-stop by the bakery so Tony might buy himself a sausage roll and try a meat pie or two. She was grateful when they finally returned to the hotel, Hermione being wiped out and it had been the longest two hours of her life.

"I'm going to miss sausage rolls," he said sadly.

She snorted at him. "You can buy frozen party sausage rolls, which are just smaller and are baked in the oven, often seen at parties and buffets. But they'd defrost by the time we got to the jet."

Despite looking saddened by the news, he perked up. "It seems I've a new project, I need to create a small freezing device to keep food from defrosting, that way, I can have it shipped over."

"They're called freezers," she quipped, stepping into the lift with Tony by her side. "What time are we scheduled to leave?"

"Happy asked for a few more hours to visit some of the tourist sites he hasn't had the chance to see yet, so I've pushed the flight back a few hours."

"You're going soft," she teased, nudging him with her elbow.

"I'm not," he denied. "It didn't make much of a difference. We'll leave here about seven and we should be in the air no later than nine-thirty, putting touchdown in New York between nine and ten am."

"That works," she nodded in agreement, stepping out of the lift and further into the Penthouse. "I hope I don't step into my lab and see a mess. I did stabilise everything I needed to before leaving, but sometimes, it doesn't always work."

"We're not even back yet and you're already thinking about work," Tony rolled his eyes, unsurprised.

"Science waits for no one," she huffed, ignoring Tony's sniggers.

"Aunt 'Mione!"

Hermione froze mid-step and she felt Tony stiffen beside her as they both slowly twisted to peer over their shoulders, Hermione blinking in surprise when she saw little Fred sprawled on the rug by the fireplace where Sally lay, licking her paws and cleaning behind her ears.

"Fred?" She questioned slowly, absentmindedly setting her bags on the dining table and turning to face him, feeling Tony do the same beside her and feeling his confused, suspicious gaze darting between her and the little redhead. "What're you doing here? How'd you get here?"

He gave her a toothy grin as he pushed himself up onto unsteady feet and then ran towards her, nearly tripping over his own feet. He gave a laugh when Hermione stepped closer, reached down and then scooped him off his feet, settling him on her hip with his arms automatically looping around her neck.

"Daddy bring me. I wanted to see you."

"Daddy?" Both eyebrows shot up.

"Sugar Momma!" George called enthusiastically.

Hermione's eyes fluttered closed and she sent a silent damning to God before she turned to look behind her, the large dining table separating her and George as he stepped into the room.

"This place is bloody huge, I've knocked five years off my life span trying to find the bathroom."

"You went snooping," she deadpanned.

"Yeah," he grinned in admittance. "Couldn't help myself," he shrugged unapologetically. "So, how's my girl been since we last saw each other?" He asked, his expression growing a little more serious. "I hope you didn't let anything he said get to you. You know he's p-r-a-t," he spelt, not wishing to say the word in front of Fred should he pick it up and Angie hex him. "Of course, that doesn't excuse what he did, but, you know," he shrugged, offering a smile. "I'm certain dad dropped him on his head a few times as a baby, and I'm pretty sure I remember Charlie accidentally whacking a bludger at his head when we were kids."

"Charlie was a Seeker," she pointed out.

"Yeah, 'cause he was rubbish at everything else, case and point Ron getting smacked by a bludger, but to be honest, I'm not entirely certain that was an accident. I wouldn't blame him either, Ron's also been an ars... Well, you know," he shrugged, offering a smile as his eyes moved to Fred happily perched on her hip and then back to her. "Anyway, how're you doing?"

"Better," she promised.

"Good," he nodded. "And trust me, he didn't get off lightly. Mum just about fetched the wooden spoon, I haven't seen that happen since Charlie came back from school and told her he'd gotten someone pregnant."

Hermione's mouth dropped open. "Charlie's got a kid? How the Hell didn't I know?"

"Nah," he shook his head. "False alarm, good thing too, he was only fifteen. I can't remember seeing mum so mad," he waved her off. "But after that, he was very careful. Anyway, Angie wasn't that pleased either, the only reason he managed to get away from her was that she suddenly had to use the bathroom and couldn't wait until after she'd smacked him. But he didn't get away from Gin," he winced, "I wouldn't be surprised if he's still got the handprint on his cheek."

"Serves him right," Hermione scowled.

"Not enough in my opinion," he shrugged one shoulder. "Anyway, Sugar Momma, can I get my hug now?"

She blinked in surprise, realising that she hadn't greeted him yet and she stepped around the dining table, meeting George halfway and being pulled into a hug, Fred laughing when he was squished between them.

"So, are you going to introduce me?"

"Oh, of course," she shook her head, turning to face Tony and seeing his arms folded over his chest, his carefully blank expression and his appraising gaze.

"George, this is Tony."

"Finally," he nudged Hermione playfully. "Forgive the lady, she usually has better manners. It's good to finally put a face to the name," said George, ignoring Hermione's scowl as he stepped closer to Tony and offered his hand, giving the billionaire an enthusiastic handshake when he accepted. "George Weasley at your service, genius prankster extraordinaire. You need a rogue employee putting in their place, I'm your guy. You've an enemy you want to annoy to death, look no further."

"Really, George," Hermione sighed, blowing a strand of hair out of her face and making Fred giggle. "Leave the poor man alone, I've not properly prepared him for a meeting with you yet. Look, you've shocked him speechless! What're you doing here, anyway?"

"Brought your stuff," he shrugged, stepping away from Tony and back beside her as he gestured with a lazy wave of his hand towards the suitcase by the coffee table. "I was just gonna send it to you but Fred wanted to see you before you left for New York."

"And what did you slip in Tony's pocket?" She questioned knowingly.

"Nothing," he replied with an angelic smile. "Scout's honour."

"You weren't in the scouts," she rolled her eyes before moving to stand beside Tony, the man barely batting an eyelash when she shifted her free hand into his jacket pocket and drew back with a singular packaged biscuit, holding it up as evidence.

Tony blinked in surprise; he hadn't even felt it being slipped into his pocket and he looked to the unapologetic redhead appraisingly, still being unsure what to make of the man, it being the reason for his uncharacteristic silence. Well, that and the fact he was purposefully trying not to miss any of their conversation.

"Really? A Canary Cream?"

"What? It's part of the initiation process. I don't trust a man who hasn't been Canary-fied. If he wants to be in the ranks and match up to our genius, he has to eat it."

"George," she began, giving him a disapproving glance. "He can't eat this. You're forgetting about his arc-reactor. We can't risk anything affecting it."

"Ah, right, forgot about that," he rubbed the back of his with a sheepish smile. "Sorry, Mate, wasn't trying to kill you or anything, just trying to make you feel as part of the family, is all."

Tony's head tipped slightly, an eyebrow arching questioningly.

"How'd you get in here?" He finally asked.

"Ah that, well, of course, I..."

"He doesn't know everything yet," Hermione interrupted George's response before looking to Tony. "It's one of the things we can do, and that's all I'm telling you for the moment. Anyway, how are you with kids?"

"Why?" He asked warily.

"I'll be back in a minute, I have to talk to George about something privately, keep him entertained."

Without warning and before Tony could ask for clarification, Hermione swiftly lifted Fred from her hip and deposited him in Tony's hold, deliberately ignoring his panicked, horrified expression as she stepped away, took George's hand and dragged him out of the room.

"You look funny," giggled Fred at the expression on his face.

Tony blinked in surprise before clearing his throat, awkwardly trying to shift Fred in his hold so it was more comfortable for him, eventually just placing him on his hip as Hermione had done.

"I'm Fred," he introduced, one small hand looping around his neck and the other clutching at the fabric of his t-shirt.

"Tony," he replied, glancing down at the little redhead, his eyes an unnaturally piercing shade of turquoise.

"I'm three."

Tony tipped his head. "Wow, you're practically a big boy."

"I go to the toilet now," he offered proudly, grinning up at him toothily.

"That's awesome," said Tony.

"I like your beard. I like dinosaurs, do you?"

"You kidding? I love dinosaurs," Tony exclaimed, feeling himself relaxing under the toddler's bright stare and grin. "What's your favourite?"

"T-Rex."

"No way, mine too."

"They're big and have lots of teeth. And they have little arms and walk funny. They're so cool. And they make loud noises like... RAWR!"

"Wow, that was loud," Tony agreed.

"What's this?"

Tony lowered his gaze, noting that the toddler was staring at the glowing blue light that shone through the fabric of his t-shirt.

"My arc-reactor. It keeps me safe and healthy."

"Like the little trees?" The redheaded toddler tipped his head, his brow furrowing. "Mummy says that if I eat them I grow up to be big and strong. But I don't like them," he scrunched his nose up in disgust and Tony sniggered. "When Mummy's not looking, I give them to Bubbles, he's all of the yucky food. It's a secret. Shhh."

Tony snorted in amusement. "I won't tell anyone," Tony promised.

"Are you gonna be my Uncle?"

Tony almost had a coughing fit.

"What?!" He spluttered.

"Aunt Mione's sad," his brow furrowed and his lower lip jutted out. "She doesn't have someone to make her happy, like my mummy and daddy."

"That's not true, she's got me."

The toddler looked up at him, Tony having the strange feeling that he was peering into his very soul.

"If you be my Uncle, I think you'll be the best."

Tony cleared his throat. "Dinosaurs, you ever seen one?" He questioned, drawing the child's attention to something else, something less awkward and uncomfortable.

"In books."

"I can do you one better," he promised.

He pulled a chair out from beneath the table and took a seat, Fred moving to sit on his lap before he'd even had the chance to set the child on the surface of the table or on a chair of his own. Somewhat amused, uncomfortable and confused, Tony reached for the tablet he'd left out earlier that morning and within a few moments, a holographic projection covered the entire surface of the table as dinosaurs roamed about.

Tony felt a smile pull at his mouth with an excited gasp fell from the toddler and peering down at him, he noted his wonder-struck expression.

"Look, it's a Stegosaurus!" He cried happily and pointed to it. "And a Triceratops! And a V-V-V-"

"Velociraptor?" Tony supplied.

"Yeah! Look how fast it runs! It runs faster than Daddy flies!"

Tony's eyes snapped to the young child at his words and as he opened his mouth to further question the child, he was interrupted by the return of Hermione and her brother.

"What's all this?"

"Daddy, look! Dinosaurs!" Exclaimed Fred happily.

"I can see that," he replied, his eyes darting between him and Tony curiously, and when Tony stole a glance at Hermione, he noted her carefully blank expression, and she was without her coat, too.

"Aunt Mione! Look, it's a T-Rex! Tony did it for me. He's so cool."

Hermione gave her head a light shake before she looked to the young boy with a smile.

"I'm glad you've had fun, but your father's got to get back to work, so it's home time."

Fred visibly saddened, his shoulders slumping and his lip jutting out as his eyes watered and he sniffled.

"Oh, don't cry, Sweetie," said Hermione softly, moving closer and plucking him from Tony's lap as she held him against her in a hug, the little boy clinging to her as he cried into her neck. "I promise, you can see the dinosaurs again. And when my house is built, you can come and see me, just like we talked about. Remember?"

"When I'm four."

"Exactly, when you're four," she agreed. "That's not too long away."

"I don't want you to go."

"I know, but I have to go. Tony and I have to go back to work, but we'll see each other soon. I promise. Come on, I've got a present hidden for you in my room, let's go and find it."

As Tony watched as Hermione left the room, he stood from the chair, shut down the tablet and stuffed his hands into his pockets, his eyes unintentionally locking with Hermione's brother.

"What are your intentions?"

"Excuse me?" He questioned in surprise at the sudden and unexpected question.

"You heard me," the redhead shrugged, Tony noting that the mischief he'd seen earlier was nowhere to be seen. The serious expression he wore, it didn't suit him, Tony thought.

"I don't know what she's told you..."

"She tells me everything," he confirmed. "She's been hurt too many times in her life. She hides it, she puts on this front of being unbreakable and unshakable, and whilst she is a strong woman, her armour's been chipped away at over the years and all it will take is one big blow to bring it down and when that happens, I dread to think what'll be left of her. I know her better than anyone, she's the reason I have a wife and son. If it weren't for her helping me through the loss of my twin brother, if it weren't for her refusing to give up on me, I likely wouldn't be stood before you now. The grief would've taken me. I know she's capable of taking care of herself, but that doesn't mean she doesn't need taking care of. And I might not be in New York with her but that doesn't mean I can't protect her from here. And should anything happen to her and it be your doing... I'll make your life a living Hell. I don't know what she's told you yet, but I'm not just the owner of a prank shop. My inventions, they're not something as simple as a whoopee cushion, should I make it so, they can be incredibly dangerous. And with your arc-reactor, well..." He trailed off, his threat unvoiced but very clear.

"You're threatening to kill me? For her?"

"It wouldn't be the first time," he responded calmly.

Tony blinked at that, unsure if he wished to ask for clarification.

"Whilst she's under your employment and under your roof, she's your responsibility."

"I'm not going to let anything hurt her," vowed Tony.

"Good."

"Hey, George, give this scarf to Angie for me, would you? Just tell her it's an early birthday present," Hermione's voice drew their attention as she stepped into the room, a gift bag in one hand whilst Fred perched on her hip, appearing to be in a much better mood as he snacked on a chocolate bar.

"Will do," he nodded, reaching out to take Fred from her and then accepting the gift bag. "Try not to be gone so long this time, yeah?"

"I promise," she agreed, darting a glance to Fred. "In fact, I've plans for Christmas."

"Oh yeah? Care to share?"

"Not yet, it's a surprise, but don't plan anything. Tell your mum, too."

"You know she'll kick up a fuss if Christmas isn't held at the Burrow."

"Tough luck," Hermione shrugged, uncaring. "Every holiday celebration is held at the Burrow and has been since Bill was born. And as much as it's tradition and I love the Burrow, I'm tired of having to fight for a seat at the table and of running out of room. There's too many of us and the Burrow's not big enough to house everyone, not with all the kids, too."

"So that's your plan, having Christmas somewhere else?" He arched an eyebrow.

"Maybe," she admitted. "But don't be telling anyone, it's a surprise, and I've yet to make up my mind."

"Got it. I'll see you at Christmas, please take care of yourself."

"Don't I always?"

"Depends on the situation," he shrugged before closing the distance between them and pulling her into a hug, Fred being squished between them. "I'll see you later, Sugar Momma."

She rolled her eyes but otherwise offered a smile as she rose up onto her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his cheek, and then Fred's before they took their leave towards the lift.

"Sugar Momma?" Tony echoed, turning his eyes to her.

"Don't, he's a pain in my arse and has been calling me it for years," she sighed. "Anyway, how bad was it?"

"How bad was what?"

"George's threat."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he denied.

"Oh, it was that bad, was it?" She winced in sympathy. "Don't worry, I'm he didn't mean it."

"I'm pretty sure he did," he disagreed.

"Ah, so he did threaten you?" She smiled victoriously. "What did he say?"

"The usual," he shrugged.

"Please," she scoffed, "George is anything but normal, but he's not a bad person."

"No, just protective of you," he agreed, "Which is understandable. His kid's adorable."

She beamed. "Ah, my little hero, God do I love the bones of that kid. He melts my heart every time I see him, and soon, he'll have a sister and she'll no doubt own my heart, too. Nice job with the dinosaurs, I don't think I've ever seen him so happy."

"Technology can do wonders," he brushed her off.

"Technology might've made it possible, but it was your thought and initiative to make it happen," she corrected. "You know, he's quite a shy kid."

"He didn't give off that impression."

"He is, hard to believe given his mother's and father's outgoing personalities. And from what I witnessed... I've never seen him interact with someone the way he did with you, his Uncles and family included. You must have some sort of magical power," she teased. "First, Sally and now Fred, what's next, Fury giving you cuddles?"

"That man's heart's colder than the Antarctic," he scoffed.

"Not for much longer," she jabbed him in the ribs as she walked past him and into the living room, sniggering when he batted her hands away.

"Why'd he say the Velociraptor runs faster than his dad flies?"

Hermione paused mid-step before releasing a sigh and continuing on the way to the couch.

"That was the risk of leaving him alone with you," she said to herself. "He doesn't have to hide or censor anything in my community, and he's still too young to do so, anyway."

"You're not going to tell me?"

"Not yet."

"And what's a bludger?"

"It's a type of ball."

"Never heard of it," he shrugged, crossing over to the couch to take a seat beside her. "And a Seeker?"

"A player position in a sports game," she answered, seeing his arched eyebrow, expecting her to explain further. "Without giving too much away too soon, my community is much like yours, everything you have, we do too. Sometimes they are exactly similar and other times they differ as they cater specifically to us. You already know we have a government and education providers, but we also have banks, hospitals, medicine, newspapers, food and drink, music, etc. And sports, we have our own sports league. The sport George was referring to is called Quidditch, in which there are three different balls in play, seven players per team, and four positions. One Keeper, one Seeker, two Beaters and three Chasers. Ginny's actually a professional player, but I know she's thinking of retiring."

"I'm liking this already," he leaned closer, barely batting an eyelash when Sally hopped up onto the couch and draped herself across his lap, his hand moving to bury in her fur.

"Again, without going into too much detail, the game is essentially a combination of basketball, dodgeball and baseball. The Keeper guards the hoops in which three Chasers attempt to pass the Quaffle through. Each successful goal is worth ten points. The two Beaters with the aid of their bats are responsible for protecting the players from the two bludgers, which have been known to cause severe injury, and the Seeker is responsible for searching for and catching the Snitch, a tiny golden ball. That is worth two hundred and fifty points. The game does not end until the snitch is caught, no matter how long may pass. I believe a professional game once lasted three months."

"How is that possible? It doesn't sound to be so difficult."

"That's because you're missing one massive detail of the game, which explains it all."

"And that is?" He pressed.

"Not yet," she snorted at his scowl.

"That was mean, getting my hopes up like that. As compensation, I want to know another of your abilities."

"I'm not sure I can tell you anything else without freaking you out."

"Poppins, you read minds. That's damn impossible. If that didn't freak me out, nothing will."

"I'll hold you to it."

"How'd your brother get up here?"

"One of two ways, he either used something similar to the ring I give you when we're out in public, or..."

"Or?" He prompted.

"I want to say invisibility, but it's more along the lines of extreme camouflage."

Tony's expression was blank for but a moment before he blinked. "Okay," he shrugged.

"Okay?" She echoed in disbelief. "You believe me, just like that without demanding further explanation or evidence?"

"Yeah, I invented the cloaking technology SHIELD now uses," he offered. "If I can do it, it's not impossible to assume someone else has figured it out."

"You're a literal genius," she pointed out.

"It was easy, only took me a month," he said dismissively. "Anyway, I'm hungry, you hungry? Let's order room service," he said, not giving her the opportunity to reply before he stood from the couch, dislodging Sally from his lap and he headed for the nearest phone so he might make the call, before returning to the couch. "So, anything else you can tell me?"

She nibbled her lip in thought, her hand buried in her hair and propping her head up with her elbow sitting on the back of the couch, her nails soothingly scratching at her scalp.

"Well, there are a few things, but they really will freak out. So, let's see," she mused to herself. "Okay, this isn't an ability but it is something I think you'll find interesting."

"Out with it, don't keep me waiting."

She snorted. "Do you believe in the paranormal?"

"What?" He blinked, having not expected such a question. "No, of course I don't. I believe in what I can see."

"You should."

He eyed her strangely. "That movie got to you, didn't it? I knew I shouldn't have let you watch it. If I'd have known you were so impressionable..." He shook his head and sighed.

"Don't be so dramatic," she rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Tony, you should believe, at least, in part."

"And your reasoning?"

"Ghosts exist."

"Okay, that's it, obviously you've banged your head this morning. Where is it? Let's have a look."

She batted his hands away when he made to bury them in her hair and feel her scalp for any lumps and bumps.

"There's nothing wrong with me, stop that," she warned. "Ghosts are real, but they are only capable of manifesting in my community. Ghosts do not exist here, so all of the programmes you see on TV are a load of rubbish. Ghosts are not capable of being detected by EMF readers and the like. They don't possess people and the majority of them don't haunt people or buildings. There are hundreds of ghosts at Hogwarts, them all having died on the grounds and refusing to cross over. My History professor was a ghost. Rumour has it, he died in his sleep and he woke the next day as a ghost and continued with his teaching, we're not entirely certain he's aware he's dead, but he's been teaching at Hogwarts for as long as the other professors can remember. There is a poltergeist, Peeves, who's said to have once been a student who died over a thousand years ago, and he spends his time wreaking havoc on the students with his pranks. Trust me; he's gotten me a few times. And whilst he is a giant pain in the arse, he isn't vicious and he's never harmed anyone."

"Okay, I think you require the trip to the loony bin."

"Tony," she hissed in annoyance. "I'm not winding you up. I have photographs to prove it, they're in storage but when we get back I'll fetch them out and show you."

"You're not kidding? You're genuinely being serious?"

"Yes. I swear on the lives of my Godchildren that I'm not lying."

Tony's eyes widened, knowing how much she adored her Godchildren and that she'd never put them in danger or make such a statement, and that meant she was telling him the truth.

He slumped back into the couch, his usually chaotic mind having grown slow and quiet as he processed the information.

"Right. Ghosts are real," he said to himself. "Mind officially blown."

"Honestly, if this is how you're taking the news, I think you might actually keel over when I tell you everything."

"Nothing is going to surprise me as much learning ghosts exist," he disagreed.

"That's because you don't know what it is I've yet to tell you," she shrugged, her attention being drawn when she heard the lift doors opening. "That was quick," she remarked.

"Good thing, too. I'm starving," said Tony, climbing to his feet and digging into his back pocket to remove his wallet so he might offer a tip, only his attention was drawn when he heard spluttered cough and he looked to Hermione, his gaze following her line of sight until he noted the man stood uncomfortably, not quite in the hallway and not quite in the room.

He was shorter than him by a few inches, his hair dark and messy, strands falling over his forehead and almost concealing an oddly shaped shape. Round glasses perched on his nose with bright green eyes behind the lenses. He wore black trousers that were tucked into combat boots, a white t-shirt and an odd-looking grey jacket with gold buttons, his gaze briefly landing on the strange emblem over the right breast. The same emblem he'd seen on the back of Hermione's coin.

He wasn't entirely certain what it was, but Tony felt an unpleasant feeling settle in his stomach, and Hermione's reaction didn't help matters.

"What the Hell are you doing here?" Hermione demanded, her eyes narrowed coldly and her usually soft features set hard. Tony blinked in surprise. He'd never seen her so mad. "How did you find me?" She rose to her feet, her hands folding over her chest and her shoulders squaring.

At first, Tony thought it was an instinctive defensive gesture, but then he saw her hands clenched into tight fists, her knuckles turning white. She'd done it as an effort to control her anger and keep from punching the guy on the other side of the room.

"Well?!" She snapped coldly, and even Tony flinched in surprise.

The intruder, whoever he was (and Tony had his suspicions) obviously knew Hermione well enough as he took a step backwards. He wasn't sure whether to be amused or not by his cowardice.

"I heard from the nanny that George'd been by to pick up your things," he offered, deliberately widening his stance to keep from shifting beneath her cold gaze. "So, I waited for him to leave the shop and followed him. He didn't make it easy, I guess he suspected he might've been followed."

"You tracked him? That's a serious invasion of privacy, and an offence that could see you being disciplined should it be reported. What were you thinking, you bloody idiot?! Obviously, you weren't, because Merlin forbid Harry Potter has a fucking brain."

Tony blinked, both at the use of her language, knowing that it wasn't often she swore (he could count on one hand the number of times she had) and at having it confirmed that the man before him was the traitorous bastard who hadn't stuck up for her. Tony folded his own arms, feeling the need to defend Hermione and give Potter a bollocking, but knowing she had to stand up for herself. This had been a long time coming.

"I'm sorry, Hermione," he offered, rather pathetically in Tony's opinion. "You weren't answering my calls."

"My phone's in the River Thames."

"You weren't answering my owls."

Hold on a fucking minute, thought Tony. Owls?

"Too much foot traffic scares them away and I blocked their access."

"I couldn't find you."

"I blocked all tracking methods. All of this is indicative that I didn't wish to be found."

He sighed and brushed a hand through his hair in agitation.

"I'm sorry."

"For what? Because right now, I've lost count of the number of times you've let me down. Where do we start? When I was twelve and Ron bullied me relentlessly and you stood back and allowed it to happen? He's the reason I was the bathroom that night! Or when he constantly griped at me for Crookshanks having killed his bloody rat, when the thing was still alive? And neither did he apologise afterwards, especially when we discovered what we did and Crookshanks instincts had been right all along! Or the time he stopped talking to me because I agreed to go to the ball with Viktor? I was fifteen and he all but called me a slut, said I wasn't worth much more than a quick shag! The times he copied my homework? Or the times he cheated on me? Where were you? Oh, that's right, always on his fucking side! When I stood by you, when I followed you, supported you when no one else did, believed in you, fought for you! I was willing to die for you. I lost my parents through my association with you. And never once have you taken my side. How could you do that to me?! I was supposed to be your best friend."

Harry's mouth had dropped open, his eyes wide and horrified as Hermione stood before them, tears flowing down her cheeks and despite that, her voice hadn't wavered. She reached up and angrily swiped them away.

"There is nothing you can say to me to ever make up for all the times I needed you and you let me down."

"I'm so sorry," he whispered. "I... I didn't know."

"Of course you fucking didn't, because you don't think. You never do."

"I promise, I'm going to make it up to you."

"Good luck with that one," Tony scoffed.

"Who the Hell are you?" His eyes snapped to him.

Tony arched a challenging eyebrow. "Tony Stark. Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, AKA, Poppins best friend. American or otherwise," he shrugged confidently. "And from what I've heard about you, you're a dick that's caused more harm and trouble than you're worth."

"No one asked for your opinion."

"And yet I gave it," he shrugged lazily. "If I didn't think Poppins wouldn't be mad at me, I'd have suited up, carried you outside and dropped your ass to the ground."

"I..." He paused, his brow creasing. "I don't know if you're joking or not."

"Not," he and Hermione chorused unintentionally.

"Leave, Harry. I don't want to see you. We're due to leave within the next hour and we haven't finished packing yet," she lied.

To Tony, it seemed Potter knew when not to argue with Hermione, so perhaps he wasn't entirely stupid.

"Okay, I'll go. But I really am sorry, and I will make it up to you. I don't know how, but I'll find a way. My kids love you too much to lose you."

"Oh, fuck off, Potter," she snapped. "I don't care what happens between us, I'll never let it affect my relationship with the kids. Hugo and Rose should be proof of that. I know how you all look at me with pity because I don't have a partner or children, but I don't need your pity. If I want children, I will have them. If I wish to get married, should I find a man I deem worthy, then I will. My life choices are not a topic for your discussion."

"We're just worried about you."

"You've a funny way of showing it."

"I'll take to everyone, set them straight. Your life is your life, you don't need our input. You'll see an improvement when you next visit, I promise."

"You've made me many promises over the years, I don't believe you."

His expression fell into one of heartbreak and for a small moment, Tony actually felt for the guy. Before he remembered what he'd done, of course, and then it was gone.

"This time is different. I know now that I've let you down and I won't do it again. You'll see. I can only apologise for the past, and show improvement in the future."

"I'll believe it when I see it."

He made as if to step forward in order to approach her but he thought better of it and shuffled awkwardly on his feet.

"I hope you aren't gone for too long this time, we miss 'round here."

"Here hasn't been home for a long time, it's filled with too many bad memories. If it weren't for the children, I wouldn't come back at all."

Harry sighed before tipping his head goodbye and when he made to leave, the lift doors drew open once more. Tony's expression lit up, expecting it to be room service the second time 'round.

It was not room service, and what stepped out of the lift was only going to make things worse.

Loud, angry footsteps were heard approaching and when Tony blinked, a tall redhead stood beside Potter, his eyes a darker shade of blue than George's, and his skin one tone paler with freckles dotted across his cheeks. He wore clothing similar to Potter's, only the jacket was a few shades darker. In his hand he gripped a newspaper, one Tony had already seen that morning, a photo of him and Hermione adorning the front page as they crossed the red carpet at the fundraiser and towards the car that had been waiting for them.

He'd been rather pleased by the sight of her looking truly stunning in her gown, and although she hadn't been mentioned by name, there were several speculations made in the article that accompanied it. Usually, the focus was on him, but that night, she'd been the star and she deserved the attention. He wasn't certain if she'd seen the article or not because she hadn't said anything to him, but he was about to find out.

And if he'd thought he'd had to restrain himself from punching Potter, it was nothing compared to the boiling hatred that curled within him for there was no mistaking who the redhead was.

"You brought him with you!" Hermione hissed, her folded arms dropping down by her sides and he blinked in surprise when he saw her hair poof up. Like a damn cat whose hackles had been raised.

What had she said about that, again? He couldn't remember.

"No, of course, I didn't," Harry shook his head vehemently. "Did you follow me here?" Harry asked of Ron Weasley.

"Yes," he said through gritted teeth, his gaze narrowed on Hermione. "Care to explain this?" He gestured angrily to the newspaper fisted tightly in his hand, Hermione's eyes squinting to see the non-moving photograph of herself and Tony leaving the fundraiser. In fact, there appeared to be a smaller photograph beneath of them leaving the Royal Opera House.

"It's a photograph, Ronald. Now, fuck off, you're not welcome here."

"What? That dress, jewellery. This is why you're putting out, isn't it? Fucking the boss seems to have its perks," he said nastily.

In the blink of an eye, Tony was before Ron and despite the size difference and Tony having to adjust his stance for better leverage, his balled fist collided with Ron's jaw. The redhead stumbled back in surprise, the newspaper falling from his grasp whilst Hermione released a gasp and Harry's eyes widened.

"Say that again, I dare you," Tony's voice was colder than she'd ever heard it, and he stared unflinchingly at Ron as he righted himself, one hand rubbing at his jaw in surprise and the other reaching into his pocket.

"Don't you dare!" Hermione hissed, crossing the room to stand beside Tony. "Don't you dare draw it. He's a Muggle, should you break the Statute of Secrecy you'll be in a whole world of bother."

"Who's going to stop me from cursing the bastard," Ron sneered. "You?"

"We both know I'd kick your arse, so don't even try it with me, you fucking prick!" Hermione growled. Actually growled. Like a feral animal. And her hand snaked around Tony's wrist, giving him a slight tug backwards so that he wasn't stood so close to Ron, not trusting the bastard to draw his wand and attack. "And Tony might be a Muggle, but he's no ordinary Muggle."

"Yeah, I've heard he's got money. You always were a galleon digger, weren't you? Krum? Malfoy? Zabini? Higgs?"

"I was the provider in our relationship, not you. How the fuck does that make me a galleon digger? And I was never in a relationship with any of those arseholes, Viktor excluded, because no matter what you thought of him, he was a kind man. And I wasn't referring to his wealth."

"She meant this," Tony interrupted coolly, lifting his right hand (his left now being grasped by Hermione, but she didn't seem to notice) to show the red metal covering that had moulded around his fingers, hand and wrist with a glowing white circle in his palm. "You've two options, you turn around and leave, or, I activate the repulsor and make you."

Ron laughed in his face. "You're fucking nuts, Mate."

"So I am," Tony agreed, "But you should know, I've lost count of the number of people I've killed whilst in this suit. And trust me, I wouldn't lose sleep over adding you to the list."

"It won't work," Hermione said before Ron could draw his wand. "Shielding won't work. Whilst it might prevent injury from the blast itself, the sheer force or the energy emittance will knock you off your feet, you'll collide with the lift doors behind you and the force might actually break your back. Don't mess with him, Ronald. He is not bluffing."

"I'm not scared of him."

"You should be," said Tony.

"Enough!"

Hermione actually blinked in surprise to see Harry's cheeks tinted pink, his expression dark and his gaze narrowed behind his glasses.

"Leave, Ron. Hermione doesn't deserve this treatment from you, and she never has. I never realised all of the pain and stress you put her through, not until recently, and I should've been there for her, not for you. You were my first friend and your family were kind to me, I didn't want to lose that and I let it cloud my judgement. It doesn't matter anymore, I don't need your friendship so if I should lose it by protecting Hermione from you, then that's fine by me. She's right. You are a drunk arsehole, and when I get back to the office, I'm reporting your insubordination to Kingsley. If you don't leave now and leave Hermione alone in the process, I'll make sure that you'll lose your Auror badge and never work in Law Enforcement again... Do it, draw it, I dare you. Not only will I be reporting you for breaking the Statute of Secrecy, but for assault on a superior officer. That's something that comes with time served in Azkaban."

Ron's face reddened to the point it almost matched his hair, his gaze spitting daggers as it swung between Hermione, Harry, and Tony with his hand still raised and directed towards him.

"You're not worth it," he sneered at her. "I don't know what I ever saw in you."

"The feeling's mutual, you disgusting pig. And I'm going to be sending a little note to Laura about you cheating on her. That's right, George saw you. Now, get out."

With a final sneer, he turned on his heel and stormed towards the lift, Harry releasing a ragged sigh.

"I better go and make sure he leaves the hotel," he said. "I meant what I said, 'Mione. I'll make it up to you. You deserve better, from him, from me, from everyone. I love you, please don't be gone for so long this time," and with that, he turned and took his leave.

Once the lift doors closed, Tony's hand lowered and he turned his body towards Hermione, seeing her bowed head and the tears leaking from her eyes.

"Hey," he called softly, both of his hands moving to hold the back of her neck and lifting her head so their gazes locked, her eyes shining and lashes wet with tears. "You did it. You confronted them both and I've never been prouder."

She gave a sniffle. "Is it bad that I wanted you to blast him?"

"No," his mouth twitched. "In fact, should we call the asshole back or just follow him? I don't mind getting caught on camera doing it, it'd make a nice reminder. We can even get it framed, place it front and centre in the penthouse."

She gave a sniffle laugh. "Where did that even come from?" She asked, her eyes moving to the red armour that still adorned his right hand and was cool against her skin.

"You know, I can't remember," he responded with a shrug, his eyes searching her expression before they landed on her throat, feeling his mouth twitch when he saw the little dove resting beneath the hollow of her throat.

"And what did I say about putting distance between us should my hair poof up?"

"Couldn't remember that either," he shrugged.

"Tony, that was dangerous, I wouldn't forgive myself if I hurt you, accident or otherwise. Even people like me that have been stood too close during one of my 'episodes' have been known to receive a shock."

"I couldn't remember," he repeated, "But it doesn't matter, they're both gone now. Not gonna lie, Potter surprised me at the end."

"Yeah, me too, I never thought he'd stand up to Ron like that," her brow furrowed. "But I'm glad they're gone now, I just want to go home."

"Just a few more hours, and we'll be on the jet before you know it."

"Fabulous, can't wait," she grumbled and he snorted, his hands releasing her before he tugged her into a hug, his chin setting atop her head as she gave another sniffle.

When the lift drew open, they both turned their eyes to the hallway, being wary of who was about to step into view given their recent visitors.

"Thank fuck!" Tony sighed, seeing the cart that was being pushed into the room. "I'm starving!" He exclaimed, his mouth twitching at Hermione's soft, sniffly giggle.