Home Again
Chapter 6: Trust and Friendship (Part 2)
By: Paramour Party
Note: A bit of a longer one here folks! But I think it's just because of the mega long note I have at the end haha.
Wednesday, August 3rd, 2016
Hermione POV
Transitioning into her new life with the Avengers was going as smooth as it could go. Sometimes, it felt a little too smooth. A small part of Hermione worried that maybe she was becoming too lax with her perceived safety net and resolved to still maintain her constant vigilance.
That came to a head when she met Wanda.
Hermione was walking with James through the compound that afternoon, telling him softly that something late the night before pinged on her wards. It woke her, mostly from surprise because her wards had been pleasantly silent since moving in. She hoped that it was nothing but just the fact that something set it off, even from a distance, was always worth noting.
"I'll help you look into it," he promised as they walked into the kitchen to grab a snack. That's when they noticed the youngest Avenger was already there with Vision.
Vision took charge of the introductions. "Hermione, this is Wanda," he said pointing between the two of them, "Wanda, this is Hermione, the newest resident."
As Hermione shook Wanda's hand, a spark tingled up her arm then down her spine and her pendant warmed. Oh, she thought, this is what pinged the ward. The energy felt the same.
When she looked at the young teen, there was curiosity in her eyes. Hermione's brows furrowed together. There was something that skimmed along the edges of her mind pulling memories to the forefront. She quickly let go of Wanda's hand ignoring the faint red glow of the other girl's powers. "Please ask permission before you enter my mind," Hermione cautioned gently.
Wanda looked surprised at being caught, eyes widening and a frown on her face. "Sorry. I just needed to be sure," she said.
Hermione pursed her lips not wanting to give in to the frustration. She tapped down on the instinct to hex first and ask questions later, not wanting to take it out on the young woman.
She'd worked so hard on her relationships within the Avengers and attacking here and now would do her no favours. But... to have the distrust thrown back in her face again after a few weeks of almost easy friendship was hard to swallow. "I understand, but please ask next time. Most people do not take kindly to the invasion of privacy."
James and Vision were glancing between them, a little worriedly. "Shall I get the others?" Vision asked, "a team meeting might be prudent. It would be best to give a full debrief for Wanda and Clint."
There was a stiff nod from James. From that, Vision floated from the room. Wanda's hands clenched around the mug of coffee she was holding. There was a tense silence.
Slowly, those who were available ventured in. Steve arrived first, followed by Tony and Vision. There was another man Hermione hadn't met before, but if Wanda was back, this man was likely Clint. Natasha came forward with him, handling the introduction and it was easy to see the long camaraderie the two had. Steve mentioned that Sam was at one of his groups setting up for his meeting and Bruce was out as they settled around the room.
Hermione knew they were trying to keep a casual air around this meeting, but it just brought her back to that first night of questioning.
Tony stared at everyone over the rim of his large coffee mug. "So how much of the case log did you read, Legolas? Little Witch?" He asked the two Avengers.
Clint shrugged. "Nat caught us up last night on the jet."
"I just wanted to be sure," Wanda insisted.
Everyone looked to Hermione and she barely refrained from scowling. "I understand the need to learn about my motivations and my story. But I won't allow my mind to be invaded without permission." She crossed her arms over her chest defensively. "I've been very honest with all your questions and very open when I felt something was too personal. The polite thing to do is ask." She stood firm on this stance.
Steve looked between the two women. "What did you see?"
Shoulders hunched up, Hermione couldn't hide her scowl even when she looked away. The memories that were brought up were some she wanted to move forward from. Old pains and grief. Wanda stared at her before she turned to answer Steve. "Just… little pieces of her past before she kicked me out," she admitted and looked down at her clenched hands. Then she looked up again, straight to Hermione. "There's a lot of fighting in your past."
Hermione's shoulders slumped and then she straightened not going to back down when she knew she wasn't in the wrong. "It's what happens when there's war."
There was silence again but something about her statement had a few of them standing to attention. Like a missing piece of their puzzle was found. "You never mentioned a war," Steve pointed out.
"It wasn't relevant to my work with the ley lines."
Clint eyed her suspiciously. "You might think that, but the history of your world will help us understand the motivations that could have brought you here in the first place. Fighting seems to follow you. A fight brought you to our universe. How do we know what side you're on?" he asked. "How do we know it's not some story you fabricated? That there aren't others waiting on the other side to come here when you've powered enough of these ley lines?"
"I don't know how I'm going to prove to you that I don't mean anyone any harm. I could yell it out a million times but it's up to you to believe me or not," Hermione retorted. "Why would I lie about wanting to go home?"
"For power. You said it yourself," Wanda said, "In the debrief notes, you said 'It's all about power'."
"Then look," Hermione declared, "if you really want to see. Then look in my mind."
Tony's pinched expression told her he was about to protest, but Steve clasped a hand on his shoulder. James frowned. Hermione wondered how he felt about the whole thing, especially as someone who'd had to deal with HYDRA messing around with his mind on numerous occasions.
Clint and Natasha on the other hand showed their spy colours by having their blank masks in place. Vision hovered a hand behind Wanda as she stepped closer, hands already glowing red at Hermione's consent.
She tried not to shiver at the sensation and the warming of her pendant. It wasn't like Legilimens. There was a strange full feeling in her mind making her aware of Wanda's presence. The memories and thoughts that were pulled forward felt shadowed with a red tinge to it. Hermione could see her final fight with the Death Eaters, her journey to France, and then the research she put towards this world's ley line. She can see her dreams for home and the faces of her friends.
When it was done, Hermione tried her best not to sag under the turmoil that rolled in her gut. She closed her eyes to ground herself in her reality. "So?" she asked, blinking up slowly to the team.
They were all tense waiting for an answer as well.
Wanda just nodded, the red from her hands fading. "I will agree that she's working to protect the ley lines and go home," she said, glancing at each of the Avengers. Wanda turned to face her again, "And your necklace. It feels sentient."
Her hand rushed up to her neck gripping the pendant tightly, the warming feeling already fading in her palm. "Yes. Tony, Bruce, and I have been looking into it," Hermione agreed.
"It doesn't like me," Wanda said.
Hermione shook her head. "It's not dislike. It feels like confusion." She looked away from the team, side-stepping from them. "If we're done here, I think I need to rest."
No one stopped her.
Thursday, August 4th, 2016
Red tinged nightmares of the war kept Hermione up and feeling restless. She slipped from her bed and into her washroom. Casting a muffliato charm with a wave of her hand she sat against her tub with her phone in hand.
With a steadying breath, she immediately dialled for Gladiolus.
He answered her video call on two rings. It looked like he was in his home office, dressed casually in a tee. She could see Persephone in the background, lounging on a low wall-mounted cabinet.
He scowled as he stared back at her. "I told you to sleep." He glanced off-screen before his attention was back to her, "3 hours is not enough sleep."
She rolled her eyes but shrugged. "Nightmares."
Gladiolus sighed heavily cursing under his breath.
"Tell me," she said instead.
He rubbed at the stubble on his cheek as he leaned to the side. When he was back in frame he had his laptop pulled closer, the corner of it in the shot. "She had a twin; don't know the exact particulars of his passing. It's hushed up. HYDRA recruited them young and they were put under experimentation under a man named Wolfgang von Strucker. In the first fall of HYDRA, instead of going to ground with the rest of the scum, it looks like they were involved in that mess in Sokovia," he started.
There were light beeps on her phone and she knew he was sending her the files. "From the experimentation notes, her abilities are some sort of neuro-electric interfacing and several forms of manipulation. She wasn't trained formally in how to use them but I'm sure the Avengers are helping with that now that she's with them."
Hermione tapped out of the video call to open one of the documents he sent to skim through. "She's so young," she murmured, seeing she was around seventeen during the events of Sokovia. To be manipulated into the situations Wanda ended up in at such a young age… She still couldn't condone her actions, but she could understand what drove her to read her mind without permission.
"HYDRA doesn't care about your age, your family, or your life. They only care about what you can do for them. HYDRA will suck you dry of everything you can give them and then leave you for dead when you can't offer them anything anymore." When she tapped back into the video feed of Gladiolus, there was a faraway look in his eyes.
Hermione swallowed. And this was exactly why she wanted to stay out of their hands. "What do I do now?"
Gladiolus shook his head. "I can't answer that for you, Hermione. Do you trust the Avengers to keep you safe?"
She was silent as she thought it over. The only noise between them was the light jingling of Persephone in the background playing with a hanging chime. "I… I think so. Or I thought so?" She sighed heavily. "I don't know. I guess I realized I don't know them well enough to give them all of my trust. Not yet anyway." She cradled her head in her hand, expression pinched in worry. "If I had to trust one of them… Maybe James?" she admitted.
Gladiolus wrinkled his nose at that.
She gave a weak laugh at the deliberate slip in his cool demeanour. "Don't be like that. Despite everything, he's been very kind to me," she said.
"Is kindness enough?" He wrinkled his nose again. "Just… just be careful. If anything, trust them to fight against HYDRA with you. Trust them to give you the tools you need to finish your research. But until you know them, the real them, I would caution you about whatever end game they have planned for HYDRA. Do not lay your life down for them if they won't do the same for you."
Hermione nodded sadly. "I know," she whispered, "I guess I was just happy to have more friends I could be honest with."
"There was plenty of friendship available in the underground," he pointed out.
"You know that's not the same, Gladiolus. We wouldn't have been able to fully trust them with this. There's always a price in the underground and if someone offered enough..." she trailed off knowing he understood.
"Fine."
She bit her lip to cover the way it wobbled. "I miss you. I hope you know that. None of these people here have replaced you. They will never be able to replace the friendship you've offered me."
"Brat," he replied affectionately. "I miss you too." He moved again, flipping his phone camera to Persephone. "Persephone misses you too."
"Give her an extra long cuddle for me."
He huffed. "She'd demand it from me regardless."
They shared a quiet laugh. "Go get some sleep," Gladiolus soothed. "I'll have more information when you wake up. At a reasonable hour, no more of these 3 am calls."
"Okay, I'll try. Thank you, Gladiolus. Take care."
"Take care." He nodded and the line cut.
When she woke again at a reasonable hour, she felt anxious. Did she misstep yesterday afternoon? She wondered as she prepared for her day.
She asked F.R.I.D.A.Y who was around and where they were. No surprise to hear that Tony and Bruce were already in the labs. The rest of the Avengers seemed to have converged in the training room.
Hermione bit her lip and decided against joining their practice today. Instead, she made her way into the kitchen to prepare a quick breakfast and went to the labs.
"Great you're early!" Tony said enthusiastically as though the tensions from yesterday didn't happen. Bruce looked equally excited when he saw her walk in.
"No training today?" he asked politely.
Tony rolled his eyes. "Who cares about training when we have this!" he said, steering her to the centre table and the multiple screens.
"Not today," Hermione replied, earning an understanding look from Bruce. When she turned to the screens, she saw that it was opened to several maps. "What am I looking at?"
"We finessed the equations and I think we found two potential points for this ley line thing. There's one kind of near here."
Hermione looked on in surprise. "This is amazing! I didn't think we'd find one so soon." The excitement around the room was contagious and they walked over everything they found.
"I'm thinking we can make the trip out tomorrow if you're ready? We'll spend today refining the map and packing the tech we should bring, how does that sound?" Bruce asked.
Tony motioned over his shoulder to the other lab. "We should also test the new disrupter one more time just in case. I upped the power on it."
She nodded in agreement. "I'm okay with that. Will it be just the three of us?" She moved over to her desk to pull up all the information on the terrain, maps, and photos of Bull Hill.
"It's up to you," Bruce said, "Once we're in there, we'll be following your lead."
Hermione nodded. The fewer people the better, but she pursed her lips in thought. "What's in the surrounding area? Do we have to worry about any potential HYDRA agents being in the area, even by chance?"
Tony was typing away on his computer pulling out a different file map. "I'd like to say no. But, the truth is, we don't know. When they went to ground here, it went eerily silent. James and Natasha have been doing a good job thinning out the lower ranks, but the big names are still laying low and we don't know where. We thought they were in Europe but no word yet."
"Okay."
"How about we finish the plans first, if we need to bring someone in, we'll brief them in tonight," Bruce suggested.
With that, they set to work. They first focused on routing the best trail to where the node supposedly would be. After they enjoyed the lunch Tony ordered, they moved over to the explodey lab, as Tony called it. Bruce walked over to the far left of the room where there was a desk with four tablets and Tony walked to the middle of the cleared space with Hermione. He had a circular device in hand that looked similar to the one she'd seen from HYDRA in that field.
"I got four of these bad boys now," he gushed, "Five if this one survives. Let's try not to cause a power outage this time."
Hermione grinned sheepishly. "I did apologize for that."
Tony laughed. "Yeah, yeah. I know, I'm just saying. At least people didn't come snooping around."
"The Stark effect helps in that regard I guess," Bruce chimed in. "And you barely felt the outage, your backup generators powered up a second later."
"Again, just saying," Tony teased.
He placed it on the floor, powering it on. It glowed briefly in a light blue before dimming. Tony then grabbed two scanning devices. He placed one next to Hermione within the field of the disrupter and one outside of the area of effect. They gave Bruce the thumbs up.
"I got all four reads up and scanning. Hopefully, none will short out, but we'll have a back up if it does."
With that, Tony stepped back while Hermione pulled her pendant from where it was tucked underneath her shirt. Then, as they'd been practicing in the last week, she channelled her magic into the piece of the ley line's obelisk.
It warmed under her hand but it didn't feel dangerous. Sometimes, Hermione thought it felt welcoming. Slowly, as she gently filled it with her magic, it started to glow gold like it always did when she powered up the nodes in Calanque or South Downs.
"Everything is still steady." she heard Bruce say.
She glanced away from the glowing pendant up at Tony and Bruce. Tony nodded. "Let's up it some more then."
"Got it," she replied, funnelling more energy, powering it with protective and happy intent like a Patronus charm. She didn't want to risk filling it with offensive intent in case anything went wrong and something like that tank explosion happened. The more power she put into it, the pendant would slowly lift from the palm of her hands. The air around the room thickened with the energy, heavy against them like a weighted blanket.
"Pulse it," Tony said.
With that permission, Hermione let go of the power. She imagined it in her mind like she was opening the lid of a chest and the magic was unleashed. The pendant spun above her hands and magic swirled in the air with it. It mimicked the effects of wind as magic lifted her curls. The room filled with warmth as the pendant glowed brighter and brighter and there was a deep hum in her ears. Five minutes passed, the room filled with light so bright it was hard to see, but just beyond it, she could see Tony's figure give a wave.
She pulled the magic back slowly and soon enough, the swirling energy was gone. The heavy air eased and the glow dimmed. The pendant stopped spinning and dropped gently back into her hands.
"It's always so fascinating to watch," Bruce commented when the energy was contained again and Hermione was tucking the pendant back under her shirt. "And the readings didn't fry so we got all four of the scanners still up and running for once."
"That's great! And I completely agree," Hermione said, "but it does worry me. If this is what they were trying to achieve in my world, this power could be in the wrong hands."
"Let's hope they weren't successful then," he said grimly.
Tony was typing into a computer when they turned to him. "Good news! The disrupter didn't die. And it's working as planned."
Hermione and Bruce leaned closer to the readings their scanners got.
"This here," Bruce pointed to a chart, "are the authentic readings. You can see the gradual build-up of the energy here. And then the drastic spike when you let it go. It goes steady again and drops once you reign it in."
Tony turned one of the other screens for them to have a better view. "These are the readings from outside of the disrupter field."
The line and numbers of the energy levels stayed steady, and the spike was nowhere as significant as the original readings. Bruce and Tony patiently explained any of the findings Hermione didn't understand.
"Is there any bad news?" she asked.
"Not really," Tony said, tapping his chin with a pen. "Judging from the readings of the previous surges, your pendant falls at about a quarter in power levels. Theoretically, we should be able to disrupt the readings of a full node if we place all five of the disrupters while you do your thing. I might tinker and make one more, just in case."
Hermione shook her head, "I'd rather you rested than stay up making another one. The hike itself might take an hour, but finding the node will probably be longer."
Bruce and Tony nodded. "Fair. Did you want to bring anyone else?"
She frowned. "I'll consult with James, see if he knows about any HYDRA activity in that area, or if there's any word of movement."
"Let's take a break and start packing. Then, we'll test the disruptor at least two more times before we end for the day. Sound good?" Tony asked.
Bruce nodded. "I want to be sure we can get consistent readings."
"Agreed," she said.
Hermione was exiting the explodey lab. She covered a yawn behind her hand, the lack of sleep finally getting to her. She noticed James down the hall. He waved at her and waited until she caught up to him. "Didn't see you this morning," he mentioned casually, "so I wanted to check in with you."
She failed to hide her wince and they started walking away from the lab space. "I didn't sleep well, training wouldn't have been a good idea."
He didn't comment, just nodded in understanding. "I wanted to apologize for yesterday," he started.
Hermione shook her head. "Don't. I understand the necessity."
James frowned. "Regardless of necessity, Hermione, there could have been other options for them to get their answers. It wasn't fair to you."
She stopped walking, placing her hand on his arm. "What's done is done. It was the quickest way. They might still not trust me. I only hope they can at least trust my motivations now. We can move forward from here. But thank you, for the concern."
"Well, for whatever it's worth," he told her earnestly, "I trust you."
Hermione smiled. Some of the tension she'd carried over her shoulders all day loosening. "Thank you." She ducked her head for a moment and looked back up at him. "I think I needed to hear that today. And in case you weren't aware, I trust you too."
With a shared look of understanding, they continued down the hall in silence for a moment. "Actually, Tony, Bruce, and I have something we want to run by you? Are you busy right now? I was going to come by your suite after eating to ask but..."
"We can bring food back to mine and then we can talk?" he offered.
"Sure, I'll go change into something a little comfier, grab my notes. I'll let them know, if they want to join, they'll probably pop in when they can?"
"See you in a bit then," he said with a smile.
Hermione watched him head down the other way when the hallway came to an end, he turned right where his quarters were. She thought back on Gladiolus's question and liked to think that kindness was enough to start some level of trust. Although, it honestly was just something in her gut, telling her that this man was trustworthy.
Friday, August 5th, 2016
Hermione woke up early, excited but trying not to set her expectations up too high. She knew just because there was a node, that it wouldn't mean she could power it. The six dead ends in and around France was a sombre reminder of that.
Double-checking her backpack, Hermione was not watching where she was going as she stepped down into the garage. They'd decided that there wasn't a clear enough landing point for the quinjet and resolved to endure the long drive over.
"Oof."
She couldn't stop herself in time from running into James and his metal hand moved to hold onto her shoulder and help steady her.
"Sorry," he said.
"Oh, good morning, James," she said, "Sorry about that."
"Morning. That was my fault, the side door is in a blind spot." He let go slowly, and with his free hand, he held up several brown paper bags, passing one to her. "I picked up some breakfast."
With eager hands, she took the bag with a cheery thanks. She peeked inside. "Breakfast sandwich and a blueberry muffin? You know the way to my heart," she teased.
He smiled, "My pleasure."
Tony came strolling in just a moment after, Bruce right behind. "Alright kiddos," Tony said, "Let's get going. Oh! Are those breakfast buns from Celine's?" He made grabby hands at James until he got his.
"I was awake early enough and got their 5 am special."
"Thanks, James," Bruce said as he accepted his own.
In minutes, they had their car packed and on the road. Hermione sat in the back with Tony eating her breakfast. Bruce sat in the passenger side to help navigate while James took the wheel. The two-hour drive went by surprisingly quickly filled with amusing banter between Tony and Bruce, James chiming in every so often while they reviewed their plans.
When they arrived at Bull Hill, there weren't many people around which was exactly what Hermione was hoping for. She looked around taking in her surroundings. The photos she looked at in preparation didn't do it justice. She made sure everyone's bags had the featherweight charm on it and they set off.
The forest wasn't super thick but it was green and Hermione enjoyed the way the sun peeked through the leaves. She could only imagine how nice the trail would be during the autumn when the leaves started changing colours.
They followed the path uphill. The four of them were quiet for the most part and enjoying the hike. They pause every so often to enjoy the view or have a water and snack break.
"We're close," Bruce said looking down at his map almost an hour and a half into the trail. "Do you see anything?"
Hermione was looking around for anything that could clue her in. She paused looking at the ground. She knelt looking at the plant growing by one of the large looming trees along the trail. It was a pale green shrub with small vibrant pink flower blooming.
"What is it?" asked James as he came by her.
"It looks like dittany? But this is not native to America." Her fingers brushed along the leaves and gasped. "And this version of it… it's almost exactly like the ones from my world."
Using the practice she'd learned in Herbology, Hermione gently pulled part of the plant, roots intact, to keep and see if she could grow her own. She'd taken a weekend trip once, to Greece once she'd been settled in France with spare income. She hoped to find magical dittany and had only come across the muggle kind protected by European law to prevent extinction.
Why was it growing here? She wondered. Hermione thought back to the lush fields in South Downs and how the power of the ley line encouraged growth. She felt hope bloom in her chest, hoping this meant the ley line here was dormant and not dead.
"This way," she said standing and carefully packing away the dittany. "We're going off path."
They all followed her lead, letting her pause and pick dittany when she saw it. "Tell me about how this dittany is different from the regular one," Tony said. "It looks like regular dittany to me, how can you tell it's different?"
"Your dittany can be implemented in some pharmaceuticals. But this one? The same properties that are used for healing in your medicines are enhanced tenfold," Hermione explained.
She pointed to another on the ground but decided to leave it having picked enough for herself. "From a visual standpoint? You can tell it's different because the colours of the flowers are a little more vibrant than the usual pale pink. But in all honesty, it just feels different than regular dittany."
She turned to James this time. "Think about that balm you gave me. With the right added ingredients, it can close open wounds," she said. "Well, wounds that aren't too deep at least."
Bruce looked interested. "What other ingredients would you need to make this thing?" he asked.
Hermione grimaced thinking of the dragon liver. "Ingredients we won't be able to find here."
"Then why are you collecting it?" James asked curiously.
She shrugged. "Just because I can't make the exact uh- potion, here… I can experiment with what we do have. Even if it's just to make that balm of yours stronger."
Tony smirked. "Did you just call it a potion?"
She rolled her eyes, having expected him to be the one to point it out. "Yes, we called it a healing potion."
"So just how different is your world to ours then?" Bruce asked.
Hermione shrugged. "Well for one, we don't have superhero teams," she teased. "But over there I'm what's known as a witch. My abilities are what we call magic. We don't have mutants but I imagine, in this world, that's as close to magic you have."
"Do you think if we tested it, you'd have the x-gene?" Tony wondered.
"I don't think so?" Hermione replied, "it's not quite the same, the mutants here seem to have abilities limited to specific elements or abilities. Whereas in my world, you could train to learn all of it."
Bruce asked about how the training worked and Hermione brightened at the chance to talk about Hogwarts.
Off path meant the ground was a little more uneven, the foliage thick around them. The trek was even at a steeper incline than the regular marked path the longer they went on. When they broke through the trees there was a small field. It took her about 20 steps from the treeline to the edge of the cliff. Overall, it was a quiet spot away from the much more popular lookout point on the other side.
The grass of the field was lush and the weeds somehow under control. Near the centre of the field, there was a large tree but it had no leaves and the bark blackened and dead. Behind it, where the grass ended and turned to gravel then stone, was what could be a standing stone. It didn't look man-made. Rather, it looked more as though time had just weathered it away until it was small and almost obelisk-like near the end of the cliff.
She approached it carefully with a frown. The stone looked brittle and that was worrying. Especially if they were going to try and power it. As she placed a hand on it, she could feel the dormant ley line connected underneath. It wasn't dead like many of the ones she'd found before.
Hermione turned to the others taking in their curious stares. None of them questioned her, just letting her inspect in peace.
"Is that it?" Tony asked when she approached.
"Yes, I'm going to put the wards up now. You can focus on setting up."
Everyone set to task. Tony and Bruce started setting up the disrupter discs and then the scanners. Once set, they went back to each device powering them on to ensure everything was working before powering them off again until they began. James went for a quick tour of the perimeter but was back just as Hermione finished the wards.
She sat by the base of the stone, her back to the tree as she felt along the ground with her hand. Her pendant warmed, though not as much as it usually did. It felt like the pendant recognized where she was and what she was intending to do.
Hermione bit her lip as she dug around her bag for her carving supplies.
"You look worried," James said as he came to sit by her.
She looked at the tools in her hand. The next step to powering the node was to carve the powering and protection runes into the stone. "A little bit."
She could hear Tony and Bruce somewhere behind them talking about the ideal spots for the scanning points but she didn't turn.
"Is something wrong?"
Hermione frowned again. "I can feel the ley line. It's dormant and not dead which is normally a very good sign. But this stone…" She placed her hand on it again and tiny pieces broke away. "It feels and even looks brittle. I don't know if it'll be able to handle the power surge. There's usually an obelisk at all the sights of the ley line on top of the node to help focus the energy."
"South Downs doesn't have an obelisk," James pointed out.
"It doesn't," she confirmed, "but there's an active circle of standing stones that I've used in its place. I think the pendant was the original obelisk there."
"Is there something else we can use here then?" James was looking around for options. "Does it always have to be stone?"
"In my experience, I've only ever seen stone used for the focus."
Bruce came up to them letting them know everything was ready.
"We might have a problem," Hermione told them before explaining the fragility of the stone.
Tony was rubbing his chin in thought, one hand on his phone, searching something and brainstorming. Bruce was inspecting the stone himself, agreeing with Hermione's concern.
"What's the worst case scenario if we still go ahead and power this node?" Bruce asked.
Hermione pulled out her notebook and looked through her research. "It's hard to say. If the stone breaks during the surge, the pieces of stones flying at us at the speed of a bullet and the energy backlash will be dangerous. If it breaks before the power settles and awakens the node, it could damage this node of the ley line. A damaged node can have an effect on the surrounding lines."
There was silence.
"Well, I guess the question now is, do we go ahead with it, or leave it be?" Tony asked and they all looked to Hermione for the decision.
She tensed, glancing at the stone again. "Let me see how well the stone takes to the runes. I can try to add some strengthening runes in the sequence so that it can hopefully hold against any of the damage it might take," she said. "If it doesn't take well to the runes, we'll have to scrap this point for now. At least until we can figure out how to safely power this."
Hermione stood, pulling out the tent from her bag and setting it up by the tree line. She smiled, amused by Tony's and Bruce's surprised look. "Let's break first for lunch, I have to plan a different runic sequence before we can try carving."
"I know you said you were bringing a tent, but I didn't think it was like that," Tony commented as he peeked through the entrance flap with wide eyes.
Hermione laughed.
After lunch, Hermione was by the stone again, tools ready. Bruce and Tony were still in the tent configuring the laptops to all the scanners and disrupters they'd set up outside. James was doing another check of the perimeter and gauging how many people were in the surrounding areas.
She started in the middle of the stone. With a soft brush, she cleaned and dusted off the sections she'd be carving. When that was done, she pulled out white chalk and started writing her runes. The same runes she put on the pillar in Calanques with a focus on powering, protecting, and moderating the flow of magic. Added to the sequence, she put several strengthening runes. Protection against the elements and a Strengthening rune tied to the power it would hopefully hold.
When she was done laying down the placements and was satisfied with her work, she had her carving tools in hand. Because the stone was delicate she had to work gently and slower than usual.
It took her a better part of the afternoon to get all the runes done with Tony, Bruce, or James checking in on her. Near the end of her sequence, James came to sit with her offering conversation while she worked, bringing her water and snacks. She explained the history of each rune to him when he asked, talking about what each one meant and how it was supposed to work.
She stood, stretching her aching back and shaking out her arms and hands. Then she picked up her soft brush to clean out the carvings some more and inspected the work. She nodded to herself pleased that the stone took to the runes relatively well. Whether it'd be enough to hold against the surge upon awakening… well, that would have to be seen.
"This is the best we can do," she said, clapping her hands to rub off the bits of dust and stone.
"What's the game plan now then?"
Hermione tried to insist that for their protection, they stay within the tent when she worked on awakening the node. "If it bursts, at least I know you won't get hurt."
No one was happy about that suggestion. "We won't be able to see if you need help. Which is why we're here," Tony pointed out.
"We're also a lot more durable than you give us credit for," Bruce said.
"I know. I'm sorry. I'm just worried," she admitted. "Stay by the tent, when the glow gets too bright and the air feels as hot as fire get into the tent in case the surge bursts the stone. But I'll do my best to contain it if it does."
"I'll stay by the tree," James said.
She wanted to argue but seeing the stern expression on his face, she knew she had little chance of fighting him on it.
"Fine."
Hermione stood in front of the stone, her pendant hanging from one hand. It was warmer now and as she placed her hand over the central powering rune, both the pendant and rune began to glow. She closed her eyes and focused on gently channelling her magic into it.
It was like meditation and Hermione always lost track of time when she did this. To her, it felt like a few minutes but in reality, hours could pass quickly without notice. The pendant grew hotter and hotter, and slowly she could feel the magic in the air.
Like it did in the lab, the magic felt heavy around her. With her eyes closed, she couldn't see it, but she could feel the warmth flow from the ground beneath the stone. She could feel the power of the ley line make its way up in a pulsing but steady spiral until it fully wrapped around the standing stone like a coiled snake.
The amount of power under her fingertips left her breathless. It thrummed around her an all consuming presence. She could feel the stone vibrate underneath her hand. She tried to slow the flow of magic to help the stone adjust better under the onslaught of power but the node greedily hooked into her magical signature and pulled at her trying to get more of her magic faster.
Her eyes snapped open at that hook. She pulled her hand away from the rune as carefully as she could. But the ley line was still tethered to her and she could feel it tug at her core.
She squinted through the golden glow trying to search for the protection rune she'd carved on the surface. When she found it, she placed her hand on that instead of the powering rune. The heat it was emitting was almost unbearable, nearly burning her fingers. The vibrations of the stone became stronger and she worried it would crack through its foundation in the ground.
Hermione twisted the hand that held the chain of her pendant to bring the stone onto her palm, instinct telling her to use it for the shields.
The vibrations stopped suddenly. Then the magic pulsed once. Hermione steadied herself in preparation for the surge. Magic pulse again three times in quick succession.
The golden glow exploded flooding everything in her vision in white. The stone under her hand shook again and then magic washed over her like a tsunami. Hermione felt like she was drowning under the power. She didn't know how long it flowed for but it felt like ages before she could see and breathe again.
Her hand trembled against the protection rune as she looked up. The node was active, but the stone was cracking. When she lifted her hand from the rune, the stone fell apart crumbling at her feet. As it fell, she could feel the magic from the stone swirl in the air as though it was looking for a focus before it seeped into the ground.
She could hear the others rushing to her, hear them call her name but she didn't turn. Instead, she knelt on the ground, brushing through the rubble to feel for the node. She had to know if the ley line was damaged.
"Hermione?" Someone called.
"Is she okay? Did it work?"
She felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked up to see James. "Was that supposed to happen?"
She shook her head a worried furrow in her brow. "Not exactly." She stood up with a sigh. "I think the node is awake, but it's splintered. I don't know if we'll be able to use it." She stared at the rubble in disappointment. She shouldn't have rushed into it. They should have waited and come back with a different plan. Hermione picked up one of the bigger pieces left of the stone and inspected it. It was the size of her hand and she could see two of her runes on it. Protection and Strength.
"Are you sure?" Tony asked.
Hermione shrugged. "It doesn't feel like the others. How did the readings go?" she asked, needing something to focus on instead of the disappointment.
She walked alongside Tony to the tent where Bruce was standing by the entrance, listening to him go over the data he had on his tablet. The readings were positive and no one would have even known there was a power surge at all. Hermione's wards should have taken care of masking the glow and noise.
"Hermione?" James called from behind her.
She turned to him. "Yes?"
"Is it supposed to be doing that?"
Hermione blinked confused. She glanced down at what he was pointing at. On the ground, where she stepped away from the stone and onto the grass, little deep blue flowers bloomed to life in all of her footsteps.
She stepped back surprised, almost tripping over one of the exposed roots of the large tree. Her hand caught onto the trunk and she watched in awe. On the point of contact, the black deaden bark came alive. In minutes the tree was full of healthy green leaves.
"What?" the word came out breathless.
Everyone stared in shock. Hermione glancing at her hands.
"What does this mean?" asked Bruce.
Hermione shook her head. "I have no idea." She looked back at the tree listening to the rustling of the newly bloomed leaves. She probed the tree to feel the magic of the ley line in it. It was feeding off of a part of the node. It's root filling the splintered piece.
James stepped closer to the tree inspecting it. "Could the tree work like the circle of stones?"
"I wish I knew."
They documented as much as they could of the tree and the energy around the splintered node. Hermione collected some of the flowers that sprouted in her steps for research, not recognizing it. She hoped to find out if there were any magical properties to it.
They stayed as long as they could but once the sun started setting, they packed up. Thanks to the cover of night Hermione decided to save time with a few quick disapparitions. She popped the team back to the car one by one instead of having to hike down, which saved them at least an hour trek. Before she joined them in the car, Hermione went back to set up all the wards she knew to protect the tree and the field keeping it hidden. She resolved to come back soon for more research.
It was late when they all got back to the compound. Tired, sweaty, and dusty after everything. All Hermione wanted to do now was shower, maybe eat, and then sleep. She slowed her steps when she saw Wanda was lingering in the hall by her room.
The young teen looked nervous when she noticed Hermione. "Welcome back," she said.
"Thanks," Hermione replied. She hoped her confusion and hesitation wasn't too prevalent in her tone.
Wanda fidgeted with her hands, twisting a ring she was wearing. "I wanted to apologize. A proper apology. But I can come back, at a more- um, when you haven't just come back from a mission."
Hermione looked at her for a moment, taking in the genuine guilt in the younger girl's body language. "If you're still up in an hour, I can come by your room? And then we can talk."
She nodded. "I'd like that."
"Your room is the one by Natasha, right?"
"Yes, at the end of the left wing."
She watched the teen go before heading into her room to drop off her things and get that long-awaited shower. She made it a quick one instead of the long soak she wanted.
Worry filled her. Worry over the node and what the blooming tree could mean. Worry over why the ley line hooked itself into her and pulled at her magic. She wished her worries would wash away as easily as the dust over her skin did.
Just as she said, an hour later, she was knocking on Wanda's door and the teen hesitantly let her in, leaving the door open behind her.
Wanda's living room was decorated in soft cream walls and couches. Her tables were glass and metal and her rug, pillows, and curtains were varying but similar shades of deep red. Along the window sill and on many of the shelves she had some plants and photos.
Hermione tried not to shift too much on the couch. The awkward silence manifested between them as she waited for Wanda to gather her thoughts.
She heard Wanda give out a heavy sigh before she steeled herself and faced her.
"I'm sorry, Hermione. It took me a few days to understand where I went wrong. I thought about how I'd feel if someone went around looking for private information in my head without even asking. I wouldn't like it. Honestly, if I was put in your position, I would have attacked them and I'm glad you didn't have the same reaction. Although I would have understood if you did," she said.
Wanda paused for a moment, glancing back down at her hands and then up again to Hermione, "I thought I was doing it for the good of the team but I can't use that as an excuse for my actions."
There was a beat of silence again and Hermione reached out placing a hand on Wanda's arm. "Thank you for your apology. I accept it. I've told James as well, that it was a necessity. In the end, it was probably better to just get it out there rather than have the doubt settle and cause any discourse."
Wanda hunched in her seat. "We could have done better. Vision let me see in his mind, to see how he saw you. And- again. I'm sorry. I'll do better. We all will."
Lips quirked into a small smile. "We'll move forward from this and learn to work with each other and to trust each other. I know trust has to be earned and not given. But I think with enough time, we'll all get there," Hermione admitted.
The weight that Wanda held over her shoulders lifted bit by bit. "I saw the way you use your powers. You call it magic."
"Yes, in my world, I'm what we call a witch."
They shared a smile at the title. "Some of it is similar to my powers but you use a wand for most of your magic?"
"It helps to focus and channel the power. I've been practicing some wandless magic but it doesn't come as easy."
"Can… If you're comfortable, can we practice together? You have a lot of control. And I'd like to have that too."
"I think that'd be nice. Natasha has me penned in for training in the mornings, we can probably shift some of her schedules around to work on our powers instead."
Hermione knew they weren't exactly friends. But as she left Wanda's room a few moments later, she couldn't help but think that this tentative work relationship would be a good start.
Saturday, September 3rd, 2016
James POV
He was sitting on his living room floor, legs tucked underneath his coffee table as he hunched slightly over it. Tablet in hand, he was going over the briefing notes for his next mission. Behind him, Hermione was laying down on his couch, an open book resting against the arm.
For once, Steve, Wilson, and Natasha hadn't yet come barging in with a movie to watch or music to listen to. Instead, it was the comfortable working silence they often found with each other. There was just the flick of paper every time Hermione turned a page. A few taps from him as he worked with the tablet. It was nice.
"Can I ask you a personal question?" Hermione asked. He'd noticed she hadn't turned a page in her book for a while and had, until she'd spoken, thought she'd fallen asleep.
James sat up as he set the tablet down and turned to her. "Sure," he said as he rubbed his work tired eyes gently.
Her book was closed under her hand. Hermione brushed her curls back from her face when she looked down toward him.
"Does it make you uncomfortable when Steve calls you Bucky?"
His brows furrowed in thought. "No, not really. Why?"
She shrugged and moved from her lying position to a sitting one tucking her legs underneath her. "Sometimes... I don't know. There's just a look in your eyes."
Pursed lips, James looked away. "There's just a lot of history there that I don't remember," he admitted as he stared at his metal hand. "I don't always feel like I'm Bucky enough to use the name."
Hermione frowned, reaching out to him. "Maybe it's not about being, Bucky."
James gave out a mirthless laugh. "If you're going to say it's about being yourself, I don't even know who I am some days."
There was silence between them again. Hermione moved off from the couch to sit closer to him. She placed her hand over his metal one. "Have you considered that it's not about filling in Bucky's shoes? The man you were before HYDRA and the man you are after HYDRA won't be the same. There are life experiences you can't go through without any sort of change or growth. Yours especially."
He didn't say anything.
Hermione sighed. "I'm going to be honest with my thoughts here. I don't think this is about knowing who you are. Because you already know it, deep down, even if you won't admit it. You know who you want to be." She patted his hand gently. "And the team? They know who you are too. I think this is about forgiveness, James. It's not up to you to decide when people can forgive you for the actions that were forced upon you. It's up to you to decide when to accept that people will forgive you, care for you, and love you anyway."
He swallowed as he turned to look at her. "You make it sound so easy."
She laughed lightly leaning into him. "Well, it's always easier said than done, isn't it?"
He smiled softly accepting her hug.
"Can I ask another question?" she asked when she pulled away.
"Is it going to have me thinking over my life choices?" he asked with an amused hum.
"I was just going to ask if it would make you uncomfortable if I called you Bucky?"
He looked up in thought. "Are you gonna have a nickname too?"
Hermione tapped her chin. "I'm not one for nicknames, but you can pick one if you want. Just don't make it sound like my-knee or something."
He chuckled. "I'll have to think of something then."
She grinned. "I look forward to hearing what you come up with."
Monday, September 12th, 2016
Gunfire had James ducking beneath a desk. He grimaced at the computer he was in the middle of hacking. "Please don't tell me Steve is picking a fight," he grumbled into his comm.
He heard Wilson give a sarcastic laugh and he knew he shouldn't have bothered asking.
"When is Cap ever not down to rumble with HYDRA?" asked Barton.
"Forget I asked then." He peeked out and saw it was still clear on his side of the base. He pulled the keyboard down and set it on his knee and continued typing away.
"For the record. They threw the first punch."
"Your shield pretty much just makes you target practice, doesn't it?" Wilson asked.
"Do you think the agent who manages to take down Captain America gets a big bonus?" Barton asked.
James watched the screen flash a message in Russian when he got into the files he wanted and started the download. Intel suggested there'd be a list of safehouses in this base, but even if there wasn't, any files they could steal would be helpful in the long run. This was supposed to be an old abandoned base, but HYDRA never left a base intact these days, especially if they were going to desert it. They knew something important had to be here.
"There was no bonus," James confirmed. He would know. They'd sent him after the guy. He furrowed his brow just remembering. "HYDRA never paid me."
Someone laughed but he couldn't tell who with the sound of more gunshots. "Would you even want that blood money anyway?"
"That sucks. Why do they stick around then?" Barton continued.
Steve's voice came through with a grunt, the sound of something heavy falling in the background. "Maybe they just enjoy the beat down?"
"Incoming, six heading east right to you, Barnes," said Wilson.
"Thanks," he murmured trying to urge the download to go faster. He took the gun he'd set down on the desk and held it steady.
"I'll rotate back," Barton said. "Try and flank them."
Natasha who'd been in the lower levels digging through one of the filing rooms finally came through the comms. "They had a signal blocker in the basement. It's cleared and the goods are burning. What'd I miss?" Since he and Natasha were the only ones fluent in Russian and reading Cyrillic, they'd been in charge of all the information gathering.
"You owe me a fifty," Wilson said.
James smirked as he heard Natasha click her tongue in disappointment. "Really, Cap?" she asked, "Couldn't even last twenty minutes without picking a fight?"
"You've resorted to betting?" Steve asked.
"Gotta pass the time somehow," James said.
"You too?!"
Barton guffawed. "Yeah man, we've all made some pretty bills because of you."
Steve grumbled into the comm. "West Hall cleared. Can you not bet on things I do?"
"Maybe if you weren't such a punk, prone to getting in trouble. Maybe?"
"And what would we bet on then?" Natasha added innocently.
The download finished just as the door opened and Barton peeked in. "East cleared," he said as he nodded to him.
"I don't know. Tony?" Steve suggested.
"Too predictable," Wilson replied.
James pulled the USB from the computer before plugging in a different one. He waited for the window to pop up and initiated the virus to erase everything. "Download done. Hawkeye and I will head back first."
"Gotcha. I'll keep aerial support," Wilson said.
Steve sighed but agreed. "Widow and I will clear out the base and meet at the jet."
James and Barton rushed out of the building taking out any HYDRA agents they came across. Barton took out the ones camping at a distance while James charged forward, metal arm out grabbing and disarming and then shooting the agents down with the gun in his other hand.
They were out in fifteen minutes. The afternoon sun momentarily blinded him as he searched for Wilson in the air. He was engaged with the agents attempting to snipe him from the roof. "Two at Seven O'clock," he told Barton.
Instantly, the other man had two arrows notched and flying behind them. Wilson saluted them in thanks as he swooped lower beside them and then landed, wings folding.
"Cap and Widow lured them south side, we'll be clear to go now," Wilson said.
They nodded and rushed before any more HYDRA agents caught up to them.
They were sitting in the jet with the retro-reflective panels up, taking a breather. Steve and Natasha arrived twenty minutes after them.
"Hey, so, I gotta question for you," Barton asked as he plopped down onto the seat next to him. Barton had been pacing by the loading dock for Nat, but now that she was back he'd relaxed again.
James turned to him curiously with a nod.
"I heard Hermione calling you Bucky when we left. Does that mean the rest of us can or..."
Everyone stopped what they were doing to hear James's answer, the nosy bunch that they were. He shrugged. "If you want, I won't stop you."
"Does this mean you'll stop this last name business too?" Barton asked. He had his arm propped on his knee and then he dropped his chin onto his hand, blinking up at him with a teasing grin.
James tilted his head as he glanced amongst the team. The last name business did keep them all at some sort of distance between them, he supposed. One he hadn't thought of it until just then. "If you're comfortable with it, sure."
Natasha smirked, putting the GPS she'd been programming down and walking over to them. She wrapped an arm around him. "The big guy is finally coming around," she said cheerfully.
Steve was smiling brightly at the change in events, and even Wilson, with the whole trying to kill him thing a few years ago, grinned.
James returned their smile tentatively.
"Another question," Clint said, this time he looked like he was addressing the whole team. "Got any updates for me about Hermione?" James remembered he'd only stayed the night back in August to ensure Wanda settled back before heading home. "Wanda says she's been getting on with her, but I wanna be sure."
Natasha rolled her eyes. "If you came by more often outside of missions, you'd get a better idea of her yourself," she said.
"Hey, you try having a toddler at home," he said.
Steve crossed his arms over his chest. "I think her motivations stand true. She's a good team player and has been taking to training very well."
Sam was nodding in agreement. "Quick learner. Kind of ruthless, to be honest, especially when she really gets going," he added. "Wanda and Hermione have been practicing their powers together and once it's refined, I think they'll be a terrifying duo on the field."
Clint hummed suspiciously and looked to him for his answer.
"You already know I think she's trustworthy," he murmured, not missing the widening of Natasha's smirk.
"Well, I don't know. I'm still kinda suspicious. I'm worried you're all going soft or something. Especially you, Nat," Clint said as he stood to stretch.
Natasha huffed. "If anyone went soft, it's you, you weirdo. You're the one who went and got a secret family."
He grinned. "Point. I suppose I can stick around a little longer and see."
It was evening when they landed at one of their safehouses to rest for the night. After three nights of little sleep and staking out the old Russian HYDRA base, they didn't want to make the flight back to New York without decent rest and James had a side mission anyway so it all worked out.
They'd all freshened up. Sam and Clint went out to pick up dinner while Steve was already working on his report with Nat.
James stared at his phone, turning it on for the first time since they entered the HYDRA post earlier that afternoon. There was a message from Tony that he glimpsed at (a simple, 'All set') before he opened a completely different messaging thread. The number didn't have a name saved with it but he knew who it was.
The message was only a time and location. He had about thirty minutes to get there. Pocketing his phone, he reached for a set of keys and headed to the door. "I'll be back. Leave my portion of the food in the microwave," he said.
Nat nodded. "Good luck," she said a knowing look in her eyes.
Steve, on the other hand, looked up confused. "Good luck? Where are you going, Buck? Need us to come with?"
James smiled softly at the concern on his face. "Nah, don't worry about it, Steve. If it all goes well, you'll find out later." He eyed Natasha's mischievous expression and refrained from rolling his eyes. "Or Nat will tell you."
With that he left, locking the door behind him and heading to the garage. Pressing the button on the remote, there was a beep and a car came to life. Moments later, with GPS set on his phone, James was on the road to the address from his text message.
He got to the bar with five minutes to spare. It was a quiet night as there weren't many people inside. Only the bartender and two other patrons on the opposite side from him. He took a table that was near the back but had a clear view of the exits. James pulled out his phone to browse through the group chats. Updates were letting him know the food arrived and that Natasha barely managed to save his portion before it was inhaled by the rest of them. Moments after he answered, there was a message notification from Hermione and he tapped it open.
Two photos loaded up and then her message just beneath it. The first photo was of a bookshop, but he couldn't tell which part of the city it was in. The second photo was from inside the shop. Hermione's hand was in the shot and an all white cat was leaning into it.
The message read: "Bruce brought Wanda and I to this bookshop, it's an hour out from the compound. Doesn't the owner have the cutest cat? Meet Mira."
He hid a small smile behind his metal hand. He was about to text a response when he heard the front door open. He tensed momentarily. James locked his phone and placed it back in his pocket, he didn't stand from his seat, only folded his hands in front of him on the table to show he wasn't armed.
The Frenchman took the chair in front of James with a scowl. He leaned his trusty metal bat against the wall next to him in warning.
"Thank you for meeting with me, LeBlanc," James said.
HELLO.
I'm back! And this time with a Beta! Many many thanks to smos for reading this over for me and for organizing the writing sprints! -hearts- it's been helping with my productivity.
Also~ MANY MANY MANY THANKS to all of you readers for the support and love (and also the suggestions about my laptop situation). It's really appreciated! I still didn't buy one but I do have a solution! Wireless BlueTooth keyboards and my tv for the screen lol, it works for now.
I've never been to Bull Hill in NY and it probably shows haha. Google supplied me with photos.
And Gladiolus is back. I know a few of you were worried we wouldn't see him again.
Depending on how the next few scenes go, I'll be reaching the halfway point of my outline within the next chapter. After that, I think there will be about 7-8 chapters left until the end. But again, some scenes pop in/or go on longer than I anticipate so this isn't set in stone yet and there might be a few more. I know it doesn't sound like a lot of time left but things are going to be picking up speed again soon.
And the last two notes! I have a Bucky/Hermione soulmate au posted over on AO3 for the Marvelously Magical Fanfiction Bingo2020. It's gonna be a short one (less than 10k) and I'm already working on chapter 3 (out of 4 chapters). Check it out if that interests you! Or you wait until I can cross-post over here at the end of the year.
Lastly, Someone commented saying they were worried about the similarities my fic had to others. I don't know which fic they're referencing, but I do know smos got a similar message on hers. I have ZERO intention of copying someone else's work. If it happens, it's a coincidence. I don't know if it's smos fic that this reader is referencing, but if it is, I can tell you right now, the only similarities we have is the interdimensional trope and current pairing. Otherwise, our works are completely different.
Please let me know which fic you're referencing so that I can read it and reach out to the writer, but again, understand that I'm not intentionally copying someone. I'm just using a popular trope and trying to put my own spin on it.
Thanks again for sticking around! I hope you enjoyed this update.
Until next time.
