Warnings: none
Tropes: AU – Victorian Steampunk, AU – No Powers, AU – Repealed Statute of Secrecy
Original Release Date: 05 Sep 2018
Square: B1 - Hermione/Bruce
Aucterport was one of the original floating depots. It's creation as a waypoint between London and New York was what allowed older airships to make the journey. Ships of all sizes stopped at the depot to resupply, though nowadays most could make the trip without stopping. Still, stopping at Aucterport was a habit for plenty.
Hermione was one of the few dozens to call the floating depot home. She operated Potter's Books in one of the small towers near the centre of the spiralled village. Like many of the sponsored shopkeepers in the inner city, she lived above the shop.
It was still ridiculously early in the morning when Hermione stood at the door between the bookshop and living quarters fumbling for the key on her chatelaine with one hand and holding her mug of tea with the other. Once she found the right key and unlocked the door she bustled inside, finally setting the mug down on the small shelf below the til. She looked around. Nothing was out of place that she could see but something had tripped her alarm as she was fixing her tea this morning so she knew something, or someone, was there.
She heard a noise from the far corner of the shop, like a stack of books tumbling over. "Crookshanks, is that you?" she called out. She pulled her wand from a pocket in her skirt and walked in the direction of the noise. It wouldn't be the first time that her cat had slipped into the shop to chase the errant mouse but it wouldn't do to not be prepared for worse.
She turned the corner, half expecting to see her orange kneazle buried and wiggling between books on a low shelf. What she found instead startled her enough to cause her to shout and step back, aiming her wand but not releasing a spell. Her shout started the man digging around in her shelves enough to turn around to look at her.
He was in his shirtsleeves and from the look of his waistcoat, a beautiful purple velvet, hadn't changed from the previous night. His white shirt had soot staining the right cuff. His neckcloth was knotted but lopsided and he had forgotten a hat. Instead, sat atop wild black curls was a set of alchemist's goggles covered in black ash. His cheeks and forehead were smudged with soot as well. "Oh, hi, sorry," the man said, "I didn't mean to disturb you." He spoke softly like he was aware of the ungodly hour but unbothered by it. He blinked at her with wide eyes that were shot with red like he'd been up all night.
"You do realise you're trespassing, don't you sir?"
He looked a little embarrassed and she glanced around at the stacks of books he had collected. "Right, well, I figured I could just grab a few... I'm working on something and needed a book that we didn't have on hand." He held up a thin tome that had been on the shelves since she started here and said, "I found the one I was looking for. Since you're here now, I'd like to purchase it."
Hermione's eyes wandered to the three separate knee-high stacks of discarded books around him. He gave her an apologetic shrug and a grin before wiggling the book in his hands. She sighed, tucked away her wand and turned, heading back to the till to complete the man's purchase.
"Are you new to the depot?" she asked as she sat on her stool behind the counter and pressed a few brass buttons on the till.
"I am," the man said as he set the book on the counter next to her to free up his hands to pull his coin purse out of his waistcoat pocket. "Just arrived a few days ago. A friend of mine said this was the place to come for books at an affordable price."
"It's the only place for books unless you want to put in an order with one of the supply companies and wait six months." She gave him a smile, told him the amount he owed and asked if he wanted the book packaged for transport.
"Oh, no, that's fine. Thank you, Miss Potter," he said, handing her the coinage and sliding the book back towards his edge of the counter. He reached up as if to doff his absent hat in salutations.
"Granger."
He fumbled when he realised he wasn't wearing a hat and then looked at her blankly at her correction.
"My name is Hermione Granger. I'm sponsored by the House of Potter," she explained. "You'll very rarely find that the person working the shop is the owner up here, sir."
"Oh, right," he said, ducking his head in embarrassment. "Well, umm, I'm Bruce Banner. I'm sure I'll be seeing you. There were quite a few interesting titles down there." He made an abortive gesture towards the floor and in the direction of the back corner where she'd found him. "Thank you." He nodded and left with his book.
Hermione sighed and rocked back on the stool to reach down and pick up her tea. She took a sip and frowned.
How delightful. It'd gone cold.
* . * . *
Mr Banner's early morning visit was repeated several days later, though, at a more reasonable hour.
Not that the shop didn't open that early but most customers tended to wander in when the ships docked around mid-morning to mid-afternoon. After that, crews were either shipping back out or tucking themselves into the few pubs around the edges of the village to drink themselves silly before they left the following morning.
"Did you find what you were looking for this time, Mr Banner?" Hermione asked as he brought a short stack of books to the counter. He was more put-together today, with a clean jacket and a less colourful waistcoat. The only thing that seemed to mark him out as an alchemist was that he had a pair of alchemist's goggles latched above the brim of his brown tophat like a functional ornament.
"I did, thank you," he said, giving her a nervous smile. He doffed his hat to her as he departed. Hermione watched him walk away through the window, going so far as to lean on her stool to get a better look at his backside when one of her other customers dropped a book loudly on the counter, startling her.
"And what's got your interest, doll?" Mr Barnes teased. He turned and leaned to the side to have a look at what had caught her attention. He turned back around with a smile on his face, "Ah, you've got a crush, huh? Good for you."
"Mr Barnes," she said, sitting straighter and pressing her hands flat to the countertop to stop herself from fidgeting with her skirts, "I do not have—"
"How many times have I told you to call me Bucky?" He asked the question with a grin.
"About as many times as I've told you it was inappropriate."
He shrugged. "Still. So are you going to do anything about this crush? Is he a good guy? Have you known him long?"
She pressed the few buttons on the till and gave him the price for the book he'd set on her counter.
He dug through his coin purse and handed her the payment. "Okay, fine. None of my business, right?" The door behind him opened and the bell above it chimed once. "How about that fancy ball they're having next month? Are you planning to attend that?"
"I should cuff you on the back of the head myself, Barnes," said a woman's voice from over his shoulder. "And here I thought you and Steve and I had something special."
He tilted his head back a little and turned to face the woman. He shook his head as he spoke to her, a playful smile on his face, "I wasn't asking her for myself, Carter."
Captain Peggy Carter was a curvy woman who had no qualms dressing as any other part of her crew, in trousers with a gun strapped to her hip. Her blouse, however, was chosen with deliberateness to show off her assets. She was grinning at Mr Barnes, her First Mate and one of her partners, with a fondness that belied the hostility of her words. She rolled her eyes at the man before turning her attention to Hermione. "How are you doing, Miss Granger?"
"I'm well, thank you. How have you all been? No pirates?"
"There've been a few pirates but nothing we couldn't handle. You haven't happened to see Captain Rogers, have you? Or just Barnes here?"
"Captain Rogers hasn't stopped in today," Hermione said but even as she spoke she saw the man's striking figure through the window, "but..."
The door opened and the bell chimed as the tall, well-built blond entered her bookshop.
"There you are, husband," Captain Carter said softly. Captain Rogers smiled in her direction at the greeting and then turned to greet Hermione.
"How are you today, Miss Granger? Anything new since we've last visited?"
"She's got her eye on someone," Barnes murmured.
"Are you going to be going to the ball Stark has planned?" Rogers asked earnestly.
Barnes half grinned and glanced at Captain Carter before rolling his eyes. Hermione smiled, these three never failed to put a smile on her face. "I suppose I will. If I don't, it's likely Stark will send someone to fetch me. There's only so many people on the depot to invite, after all."
"He's extended the invitation to the three of us as well," Captain Rogers said, "so I'd expect the depot to be full. There are plenty of people who are interested in seeing the Head Engineer of a place like Aucterport." Hermione nodded. She hadn't known that non-residents were being invited. She agreed with his assessment, though, the docks that formed the outside ring of the depot would be packed, every space taken. The guest list would vary widely if he'd opened the ball to any passing ship, though she suspected invitations had been issued to the more well-to-do like the retired military trio standing here in the front of her shop.
"If you would like an escort, Miss Granger," Peggy was saying, "I suppose I could be persuaded to part with this one here for the evening," she gestured towards Barnes. His jaw dropped in mock disbelief and only got more incredulous as she added, "Actually, I might not even need much persuading. Sometimes, he's more trouble than he's worth." She finished off with another fond grin in his direction. When Hermione directed her attention back to Mr Barnes, he was smiling widely but looking at the floor, as if to try and hide the pink that had tinted his cheeks.
Captain Rogers was looking between his First Mate and his co-captain with a tenderness that Hermione felt almost uncomfortable witnessing. Of the dozens of regular customers she got, these three and their sweet-natured teasing and obvious love for one another were easily some of her favourites.
"I think I'll be fine on my own, thank you, though," Hermione answered.
Barnes picked up his book off the counter and said, "Well, if you change your mind..." He winked and doffed his hat at her. Captain Rogers tipped his hat as well and Captain Carter smiled and waved as the three of them left the shop together.
Hermione watched them leave as she'd done with Mr Banner, though she kept her eyes firmly away from Mr Barnes's derrière, thank you very much.
* . * . *
Hermione was closing up the bookshop early the evening of Stark's ball when there was a tap on the glass. She'd posted signs for the last week saying the shop was closing early and yet someone still wanted a book and couldn't wait? She looked up, ready to lecture the customer on their rudeness but instead smiled when she saw who it was. Quickly unlocking the door she flung it wide, shouting, "Harry!" as she did so.
"Hermione!" he replied, just as loud and silly. "How are you?"
"What are you doing—I almost didn't recognise—you're here for Stark's ball, aren't you?"
He chuckled at her rapid-fire half-questions and nodded when he figured a yes would suffice to answer. He stepped into the doorway and hugged her tight. She breathed in deeply as he did, enjoying the smokey scent that clung to his clothes even as his long hair tickled her cheek. "I am here for the ball, which I assume you're going to," he squinted his eyes in a playful chide, "or do I have to properly find you a date in just a few hours?" He stepped back from the hug to pick up his suitcase and pull the door closed behind him. He gestured towards the stairs leading up to her flat. "I spotted a shock of Weasley-red on the dirigible, though I'm not sure which one will be in attendance."
"No, no, I don't need a date," she said as she led the way upstairs. "I had planned to go alone."
"And what did you plan to wear on your dateless evening?"
At the top of the stairs, she headed into her bedroom and her wardrobe. She pulled out the blue satin thing from a few years ago. It wasn't the most fashionable thing nor was it adequately adorned as she'd made it before her sponsorship but it would do.
"That old thing, really?" Harry shook his head, tossed his hat on her vanity, and set his case on the floor, flipping it open. Inside was a brass handle on which he pulled upward. There was a series of clicks and the sound of wheels on rails as an entire wardrobe with intricate glass-fronted panels rose up out of the case as if from thin air. He opened one of several knobs and pulled out the first of several pieces of a woman's dress. "I have something bespoke just for you just for this occasion." He turned and held out a beautifully ornamented cream-coloured corset, the hip of which was the focal point, with layers upon layers of delicate lace, strands of pearls, and golden chains.
"Wow."
"I think they did an excellent job with it. And since this piece is so extravagant, the dress itself is quite plain." He pulled a sleeve of the fabric out past the door to show her the dark brown corduroy. "There's also jewellery to match. Pearls and lace."
"This is too much, Harry," Hermione marginally protested.
"Nothing's too much for a sponsored lady of the House of Potter. Mum and Dad send their love, by the way."
She shook her head and looked up at him, still in shock over the gift. She studied his profile, wondering how well he was getting on back home since she'd taken the posting here on the depot, but he was always rather good at hiding his true thoughts. She hoped that even though things hadn't worked out for him with Miss Chang he was keeping occupied and not moping. His hair was untidy despite its new length but otherwise, he was well-kempt. Dressed and ready for the ball.
Hermione nodded and shooed him out of her room. She appreciated the gift but she didn't need any help getting ready.
* . * . *
Harry escorted Hermione up the spiralling street towards Stark's tower in the centre of Aucterport. There were plenty of sailors and airship crewmen who hadn't been invited to the ball who had wandered up from the pubs and taverns to the retail shops in the inner city. Many were carrying pints ale and mead with them as they sang and strolled along the wide footpaths up and away from the docks. The street wasn't steep but there was a slight upward incline—so much so that when Hermione first visited the floating city she'd had ridiculous nightmares of losing her step, tumbling and rolling all the way down to the docks, falling off into the sky and plunging to her death in the ocean far below. The longer she'd been at her post and the more she visited different parts of the depot, however, the more she realised that even at the docks, it was practically impossible to fall. Because that was one of the marvellous things about Aucterport: not only was it an engineering feat but that engineering blended seamlessly with the magic used for all floating cities, and well, it was magnificent.
Hermione had fallen in love with Aucterport in the three years she'd been there even if she wasn't sold on the people. Mr Tony Stark, the Head Engineer, was difficult to get along with on a good day and he tended to stick his crafty fingers into the lives of everyone who lived at the depot. Hermione likened him to a court spy and king all-in-one as he tended to believe that since he kept the city floating then he should, in fact, own it. He'd even inquired with the House of Potter to buy the bookshop. Thankfully, for both Hermione's livelihood and home, they'd declined.
Harry and Hermione made pleasant small talk as they walked, Harry updating her on their mutual friends back home and every so often grilling her about any potential suitors on the depot. She didn't bother deflecting his questions as he was likely to find out anyway, plus he was her sponsor and that sort of relationship was complicated enough without adding poorly delivered subterfuge on top of it. At the entrance to Stark tower, Mr Jarvis, Mr Stark's butler, greeted them.
"Ah, Miss Granger and Mr Potter, I'm so delighted to see you! How shall I announce you?"
Harry answered his question and soon they were at the entrance of the ballroom being announced to those in attendance as "Miss Hermione Granger and her sponsor, Mr Harry Potter." They proceeded into the room as the quartet in the corner was closing out a song and starting a new one. The ballroom was crowded but Hermione smiled and spoke to all the people they came across. The spoke with Mr Snape, the apothecary from three shops up, and Madam Sprout, the Head Gardener for the village. She spotted Captain Rogers and Captain Carter, he in his military uniform and her in a stunning red dress with the front pulled up with straps showing off her knee-high boots. There were plenty of people that Hermione didn't know that Harry did. Dirigible pilots and airship captains that he did business with in London.
They wandered near the refreshment table and Hermione had to do a double take. "Bucky! What happened to your hair?"
He looked up at her and grinned but then grimaced. He tipped his head to the side and gestured to the ridiculous way his typically neat curls had been tamed into a spiky mess. "I, umm, lost a bet."
"To Captain Carter, huh?" she said with a knowing smile.
He chuckled and nodded. "You know us so very well. And this?" he held out both hands toward Harry, "This must be the elusive sponsor. Potter, isn't it?" Barnes needn't have pretended to guess considering she worked at a shop called Potter's Books but Harry didn't take offence. He simply offered his hand to shake.
"Harry Potter, at your service. And you good sir?" Harry asked.
Barnes laid a hand on his chest in mock horror, "You haven't told him about me?" he said to Hermione. The horrified look fell away within a second and his smile returned. "First Mate Bucky Barnes. My Captains and I stop at the shop every time we dock. We're always pleased with the selection of books we find. She does a wonderful job curating the collection."
"Indeed, she does!" another voice said from her right. Tony Stark stepped close, inviting himself to join the conversation.
"Stark," she said, forgoing the respect of addressing him properly.
"Granger," he replied with less hostility and more amusement. "On the occasions I have to venture down to the shops, I love to browse the wide variety of books she orders. My friend has found the alchemy section very well up-to-date." He leaned forward and stage-whispered, "He's also rather fond of the shopkeep—a spunky, attractive little thing who cleans up well." Stark winked at her just as his friend happened to join them, having heard the faux whisper. His friend Mr Banner.
Banner's eyes went wide and he shuffled nervously, tugging down on his brilliantly orange waistcoat. "I'm sorry for Tony, he's just..." He glanced up at Harry and said, "My apologies. I hadn't realised she was sponsored when I made that comment and..."
Hermione blinked in slight confusion before glancing past Barnes—who shrugged like he hadn't a clue what Banner was on about—and then to Harry who only frowned momentarily. "I think you might have the wrong idea about my relationship to Hermione, Mr..."
"Banner. Bruce Banner," Tony Stark said for him, quickly interjecting, "I wasn't sure either and it's so difficult getting any information out of this one here," he gestured towards Hermione with his thumb.
Harry only briefly glanced at Stark before looking back at Mr Banner. "Hermione's like my sister. I sponsored her because after we became close in school, an accident gave cause for her to need it. We aren't engaged." He met Banner's gaze and smiled, "I know sponsorships tend to mean engagement, especially of a young woman and had my father been the one to sponsor her that would have likely been the case. I mistakenly thought that with me being her sponsor that mix-up wouldn't happen as much, but..." he looked at Hermione, "I think she has a bad habit of isolating herself with the books and allowing the misconception to keep her that way."
"I do nnn—" Hermione started to argue but the looks Harry, Bucky and even Stark sent her had her rephrasing her objection, "I don't do it intentionally."
"Sure you don't, sweetheart," Barnes teased.
She did the mature thing and stuck her tongue out at him. Both he and Harry laughed. The violins of the string quartet started up a lively tune.
Mr Banner cleared his throat and held out his hand, "Well, in that case... May I have this dance?"