TITLE: Spellbound
DISCLAIMER: All things Harry Potter belong J K Rowling. Tony Stark, SHIELD, Nick Fury, and everyone else belong to Marvel Comics / Marvel studios, as does any of the characters in the MCU that get dragged kicking and screaming into this... basically, if you recognise it, it isn't mine… I'm just here for the fun.
Tony blinked a few times at what Hermione has said. Witch, and she'd said it seriously, completely dead plan. "Was that a joke about my taste in music? Spellbound? Hah hah," He said dryly. "You know I'm keeping that as your ring tone now? You know, for when I get you a phone." He said with a shrug. "Come on, really now? How'd you do that?" He asked seriously.
"Seriously." Hermione said quietly.
"A witch?" Tony asked, raising a single eyebrow. "Magic… wands?" He asked, looking at the stick Ginny was still fiddling with nervously where she'd not so subtly stuck it up her sleeve. "JARVIS? Did I get dosed with something?" He asked semi-seriously.
"No sir, I am detecting no abnormalities in your blood." JARVIS responded after running a scan across Tony's body.
"A witch?" Tony asked again, turning back to the girls. "Pointy hats, broomsticks, black cats? All that? Like Sabrina?"
"Who's Sabrina?" Hermione asked, wondering if Mr Stark actually knew any witches.
"Never mind," Tony muttered, waving the thought away. "Pop culture reference from the nineties, probably before you were born." He frowned. "And again with the feeling old." He muttered to himself. "Ok, start at the beginning." He said, leaning to sit against the workbench nearest to him.
"I'm a witch," Hermione said again, a bit louder this time.
"We covered that," Tony nodded. "That doesn't tell me what you mean by witch though." He asked, saying the word 'witch' and making quote marks in the air. "And I'm guessing you mean both of you by that, and not just you?" He checked then continued when Ginny nodded quietly.
"I can use magic," Hermione clarified.
"Magic, right," Tony frowned. "I'm going to need a bit more to go on here than witches and magic." Tony said firmly. "What was that you shouted to pull my armour away?" He asked, turning to Ginny.
"Expelliarmus," Ginny said quietly when Hermione nodded at her. "It's a disarming spell, I thought…"
"Ah," Tony shook his head. "Trying to think about this without making plans to lock myself in a padded room with a straight jacket." He said, cutting Ginny off. "Words like 'spell' aren't helping." He explained.
"I'm sorry," Ginny said, looking to Hermione this time instead of Tony.
"Why are you saying sorry to her? I'm the one who's armour you ripped off?" Tony asked with a smirk. "Which, despite freaking me out, was definitely cool." He grinned.
"Because we were supposed to wait," Hermione explained. "You're not supposed to know about magic until someone comes to tell you about everything."
"And we're back to magic," Tony frowned. "Ok, so tell me?" He said firmly. "Not that I'm believing any of this right now, but I'm listening."
"We can't," Hermione said firmly. "We're not allowed to. Ginny shouldn't even have done that." She explained.
"Why not?" Tony asked. "She thought I was a threat, she defended you." He said with a shrug. "Hell, I'd be proud of her if I wasn't still confused about what she did." He said with a small smile at how Ginny beamed slightly at his words.
"We should tell your dad," Hermione said, looking to Ginny. "He'll know what to do."
"Wait, her parents know?" Tony asked. "About witches and magic and black cats and things?" He asked, doing his very best not to roll his eyes at the idea. It was obviously some sort of prank or practical joke from the girls, it had to be.
When both the girls nodded he sighed loudly, leaning down heavier on the bench.
"I didn't want you to find out like this," Hermione said quietly. "I'll go." She whispered.
"What? No," Tony said firmly, standing up from the bench. "Why would you go?"
"Harry," Ginny explained. "One of our friends." She clarified. "His aunt and uncle hate magic, he's bullied about it at home a lot. They even put bars on his windows and stuff to stop him from owling his friends." She explained.
"Mum and dad didn't like it either," Hermione whispered. "They only let me because it made me happier than normal school ever did." She explained. "They got over it, but were freaking out at first."
"You think I don't want you here because of that?" Tony asked, stepping forward and putting his hand on Hermione's shoulder. "Can you do that? The whole disarming thing, you know, literally disarming?" He grinned at the play on words until he saw Hermione's distraught face. "Hey kid, nobodies kicking you out. This is your home now, as long as you want to be here, you're staying here." He said firmly.
"You… you're not mad about the magic?" Hermione whispered.
"Firstly, I'm still dubious about the whole magic thing." Tony admitted. "But hey, it's not a deal breaker. Convince me you're Glinda and not the Wicked Witch of the West, and we're all good." He said with a smile that faltered when he saw the confused looks on the girls faces. "Pop culture references are completely lost on you two aren't they?" He asked with a sigh.
"Sorry," Hermione said with a small smile.
"Forgotten," Tony waved the thought away. "Listen, you don't have to leave. Not over something like this. Hell, I fly around in a red and gold suit of armour, I've got nothing to judge about." He said with a small smile.
"I like the colours," Ginny spoke up with a bashful smile. "Red and gold, they're our school house colours." She explained.
"Really?" Tony asked, then grinned when Hermione nodded at him. "See, you're definitely part of the family." He said with a laugh.
"But… what about…" Hermione started but Tony cut her off.
"The elephant in the room." Tony nodded. "Ok, your parents can clear this up?" He asked, looking to Ginny for clarification, then continuing when she nodded. "Fine, JARVIS, have one of the cars brought around, and find me directions for Otter… where was it?" He asked, looking to Ginny again.
"Ottery St Catchpole sir," JARVIS confirmed before Ginny had chance to speak. "Directions are being forwarded to your phone. The car will be ready shortly."
"Fine," Tony nodded. "Ok, grab your coats. We'll go sort this all out."
"Mum and dad?" Ginny asked, realising he meant to drive down to The Burrow.
"Sure," Tony nodded. "Need a hand with the lift?" He asked gently, looking at Hermione who still looked upset over what had happened.
"I can manage," Hermione said quietly as she followed him with Ginny towards the lift and back up to the apartment to collect their coats.
It was quite possibly the most uncomfortable journey of Tony Stark's life. Despite driving the comfortable Audi A-Five that had been readied in the garage for him, in his usual hotrod red, the girls had sat in the back in silence for nearly three hours as he drove in quiet, following the directions JARVIS had pulled up on the satnav screen in front of the steering wheel for him to follow.
The ride was doubly uncomfortable for him every time he glanced in the rear-view mirror and saw the girls, both looking like they'd done something terrible and were in trouble over it, but neither of them wanted to talk about it. He hadn't even known teenage girls could stay quiet for three hours at a time, not talking with him, let alone talking with each other.
Thankfully the sun was still up, if low over the horizon, when Tony drove into the small town and JARVIS' directions vanished from his phone screen. "Ok I'm going to need directions from here." He admitted, still trying to play out in his head what had happened and how, or if it was just some ploy by the girls to get him to let them out of the house for a bit. He didn't think so though, as he was reasonably sure the girls had been settling in alright, and even Pepper had said Hermione had started to open up a bit when she'd taken them up to the roof.
He waited for a beat until Ginny spoke, then followed her directions through the town itself and out again, heading south and into rural countryside and down narrow roads that winded between woodland that looked almost overgrown with trees.
He could appreciate countryside, he didn't particularly enjoy it, but he could appreciate the cleaner air and feeling of being away from everything. He hadn't thought about it when Ginny had said they didn't have a phone at home, but now seeing the woodlands and rolling hills he was driving through, he could well imagine phone lines having trouble reaching their home.
"Right up here, it's a dirt track." Ginny said quietly.
"JARVIS, you tracking all this?" Tony asked hopefully, keeping an eye out for the dirt track Ginny had mentioned while hoping that JARVIS was recording their path so he wouldn't get lost driving back to the city.
"Yes sir," JARVIS' voice came back over the phone speakers. "I believe the road in question is thirty-two yards ahead."
"Great," Tony nodded to himself, looking in the rear-view mirror again and catching a concerned look between the two girls. "I hope this isn't some sort of trick." He whispered to himself under his breath, then thought about it, if it wasn't a trick, then magic was real and he had a witch for a daughter. If it was some sort of trick or game, then he'd just driven three hours in uncomfortable silence for nothing. "Here goes," He muttered, shaking his head as he slowed down and caught sight of the think dirt track that led off of the main road between another winding woodland.
He slowed down the car to a comfortable pace, driving slowly over the dirt track over one hill before the woodlands opened up into green meadows and rivers, letting him drive a bit faster and feel better without the oppressive woods surrounding him. "Just follow the road?" He asked, looking to the rear-view mirror to catch Ginny's eyes.
"You'll know it when you see it Mr Stark." Hermione said quietly.
Tony sighed at being relegated back to Mr Stark after the day they'd had. He honestly thought they were doing better, she'd been calling him Tony and seemed to be settling in ok, even enjoying a meal with him and Pepper. He'd been planning to order Chinese for dinner and introduce the girls to every type of food he could think of, but all that seemed to vanish now because of his mistake in the workshop.
"Ok," He said quietly, focusing on driving onwards and doing his best not to show how hurt he was at losing the ground he'd made up with Hermione. "What the…" He muttered as he followed the road around a hedgerow that followed a small river, coming up on the most impossible building he'd ever seen in his life. "Is that it?" He asked in what he hoped sounded like shock, and not disgust.
The house he was driving to, if it could be called a house, looked like an architect's nightmare brought to life. He was pretty sure it must have started as a two-story house at some point in it's life, but since then several more had been added on top of it, jutting out at odd angles and bringing it up to five floors that he could see above the ground, at least three of which he was pretty sure broke the laws of physics in how they were holding themselves up.
"I've been drugged, it's the only explanation." Tony muttered to himself as he drove on towards the impossible house, driving slowly up the dirt track that lead towards it and relaxing slightly when he saw Mrs Weasley come out of the house in question. "Ok, right place then. Impossible, but right." He muttered to himself as he drove up to where Mrs Weasley was looking at the car, a stick in her hand as well that vanished up her sleeve when she saw him through the windscreen and worry coloured her face. "So that's who you take after then," Tony smirked when he realised he'd seen Mrs Weasley do the same thing with her stick that Ginny had done.
"Hi," Tony said as he turned the car ignition off, waving as he got out of the car and moved around to open the door to let the girls out.
"What happened? Is everything alright dears?" Molly asked, rushing to the two girls.
"We're fine," Ginny said quickly. "There was… an accident," She said bashfully. "I thought he was attacking us!" She defended herself quickly.
"Really wasn't!" Tony said just as quickly when Mrs Weasley turned to him. "Mistake, really." He said when he saw her glare.
"It was a mistake Mrs Weasley," Hermione nodded as she got out of the car with Ginny's help. "Mr Stark was showing us some… technology, and she thought he was going to attack us." She explained.
"Oh Merlin!" Molly whispered, rolling her eyes. "What did you do?" She asked, looking at her daughter.
"Disarming spell," Ginny said bashfully.
"Again with the spell word," Tony frowned. "The girls said you can clear this all up?" He asked, looking from her back to the house, and raising an eyebrow at the impossible structure.
"Come on then dears, lets get you inside." Molly smiled, busting the girls back to the house while Tony followed, a bit unsure what he was actually walking into here.
Tony's eyes lit up as soon as he walked through the door where Mrs Weasley had led the girls, obviously a back door to the house that led into a kitchen slash dining room area, there was a large rustic table that stretched the length of the room where Ginny was helping Hermione into a seat, somehow the modern metal crutches feeling out of place in the old fashioned wooden surroundings.
The kitchen was definitely warm and inviting, with the smell of home cooking coming from the oven, but it was the way the washing up was doing itself automatically that made his eyes widen, scrubbing brushes floated around through the suds and worked on frying pans and saucepans while dishcloths hung in the air to take the items when they were done and dry them off.
"I've walked into wonderland," Tony muttered, looking around at various other impossible things, noting the way the lights were hanging candle lamps, there was a large clock on the wall that only had one hand, but instead of numbers were nonsense phrases like 'time to make tea' and 'you're late'.
"I'll floo Professor McGonagall, just get comfortable dears." Mrs Weasley said with a smile, indicating for Tony to take a seat.
"Do you want a drink?" Ginny asked quietly as Tony continued to look around the 'impossible kitchen' as it was quickly becoming named in his mind. He nodded absently as he caught sight of a book case, idly looking at it then frowning at the title as he read it out loud. "Enchantment in Baking?" He asked in bemusement.
"It's really useful," Ginny said with a smile as she came back over.
"Sounds it." Tony replied deadpan, not knowing what else to say as he accepted a cold glass of orange liquid from the girl. "Orange juice?"
"Pumpkin juice," Hermione corrected him with a small smile.
"Right," Tony nodded, putting the glass down on the big table gingerly and catching the small laugh that Hermione tried to smother. "Really?" He asked, looking at her.
"It's really nice, when you get used to it." Hermione said quietly.
"And how long does that take?" Tony asked, raising an eyebrow.
"A few months," Hermione admitted.
"I'll pass," Tony said, hoping he wasn't offending anyone. "But I've got to know, who built this house? And how is it still standing? I'm pretty good, ok, I'm amazing with buildings, and if I designed something like this, it wouldn't get past the first floor before falling down."
"It's…" Hermione trailed off as Mrs Weasley came back into the kitchen, followed by Professor McGonagall behind her. "Professor!" Hermione said in surprise.
"I came as soon as Molly floo'd dear," Professor McGonagall smiled reassuringly.
"I'm sorry, who?" Tony asked, looking between the people he knew and the new addition. The woman was wearing emerald green robes along with a very stereotypical witches hat over tied back black hair, and was looking at him with an appraising expression he'd normally seen on members of The Stark Board at meetings.
"Professor Minerva McGonagall," Professor McGonagall introduced herself. "You are Mr Stark I presume?"
"You presume correctly," Tony answered automatically.
"This isn't the way we normally do things," Professor McGonagall said, looking down at the two girls. "I had planned to come and see you on Monday in fact to talk about Miss Granger." She explained. "But Molly tells me you have somewhat been enlightened already."
"Sorry, talk, about…" Tony frowned, trying to get his head in gear when he was interrupted.
"About magic of course." Professor McGonagall said sternly. "And Miss Granger's continued education."
"Ok, you lost me." Tony said, shaking his head as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Do you mind?" He asked as he looked at an empty chair at the table.
"Of course," Molly smiled, flicking her wand automatically at the chair, causing it to slide out and turn for him.
"Handy," Tony quipped, sitting down gingerly in the self-moving chair. "More sticks then?" He asked. "Do you have one?" He asked curiously, looking at Hermione.
"It… it broke," Hermione said softly, her eyes starting to tear up again.
"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean…" Tony sighed, knowing he'd said completely the wrong thing again.
"Hush dear," Molly said quietly, instantly swooping in and wrapping her arms around the girl in a gentle hug.
"Her wand was broken in the crash," Ginny whispered quietly.
"Oh," Tony whispered back, not knowing what else to say to that.
"We'll get you to Diagon Alley soon dear," Molly whispered. "Sooner than I'd have thought now I'd think." She said, trying to bring a smile to the girl's face.
"Can we start again? Because I'm lost here." Tony asked, hoping he wasn't going to say anything else that would upset Hermione.
"You are Miss Granger's father?" Professor McGonagall asked, eying Tony carefully before flicking out here wand and pointing it at Tony.
It took all his will not to move as the strange woman muttered 'colligatio aparecium', causing the stick to flash bright green for a second, it was when he saw the same glow coming from Hermione that he got worried. "What did you…" Tony frowned as he pointed at the woman to demand an explanation, and saw a similar yellow glow coming from his hand, arm, and the rest of his body when he looked down. "I see just fine in the dark thanks, I don't need to be a personal glowstick." He said just before the glow around him and Hermione faded away.
"A simple spell to determine your relationship with Miss Granger, nothing more." Professor McGonagall said calmly, her face a bit more relaxed now. "I established you are her father for my own, and Molly's peace of mind. As well as official business of course."
"Of course," Tony muttered, but caught the look of relief on Hermione's face. "Did that help?" He asked quietly, looking at Hermione then smiling when she nodded. "Ok then." He said with a shrug, the woman had turned him and Hermione into a glow light for a few seconds, but aside from that it didn't seem to do anything that he could see.
"Why the different colours Professor?" Hermione asked, and Tony flicked his eyes to Professor McGonagall as well, intrigued to the answer.
"Green for you, yellow for your father." Professor McGonagall explained.
"And blue…" Tony caught on. "Blue and yellow make green." He said, remembering basic colour mixing. "Must be useful at family gatherings." He said with a chuckle, trying to move away from the fact that blue would have been Hermione's mother if he followed the logical path.
"Indeed," Professor McGonagall smiled wryly at him. "I apologise, but you understand the need to confirm these things." She said as she sat down at the table opposite him.
"I'd have gone for a DNA test personally, but if the glowstick of destiny helped Hermione feel better, it works for me." Tony admitted with a smile.
"It did," Hermione said with a small nod.
"I'm all for it then." Tony nodded back. "Now that that's out of the way, will someone tell me what on earth is going on here?"
"Mr Stark, Miss Granger, much like myself, Miss Weasley, Molly and many others, is a witch." Professor McGonagall said calmly. "Someone with the ability to use magic."
"Magic? Like pulling rabbits out of hats?" Tony asked in amusement.
"I could turn you into a rabbit if you'd like," Professor McGonagall said wryly. "Transfiguration is always a good way to prove things."
"Pass," Tony frowned at the idea. "I'm not really a furry person."
"What would convince you that I am telling you the truth then?" Professor McGonagall asked with a raised eyebrow, turning it into a challenge.
"You want me to believe magic is real?" Tony asked, doing his best not to laugh as he could see Hermione's watching him carefully. "Ok, hands up, I honestly…" He sighed when he saw all the serious faces around the table. "Fine, rabbit me." He said. "If you can do that I'll…" He didn't have time to finish the sentence before Professor McGonagall flicked her wand at him again, and suddenly he felt a lot smaller sitting on the chair.
He blinked once, then again, then looked up as Ginny Weasley, now easily ten times the size she had been before, reached down and picked him up from the chair he'd been sat on and placed him on the table.
He tried to demand to know what was going on, but found he couldn't speak. In the confusion he tried to look down at his mouth, only to see dark brown fur in front of his eyes. He slowly reached out an arm, only to see a furred paw reaching out instead. Looking down he could see for certain that yes, his body was that of a small dark brown furry animal, and he'd be willing to bet that there were large floppy ears coming off of his head as well.
'Ok, I'm a rabbit.' Was the only thing that went through Tony's mind as the shock settled in, leaving him stunned and feeling very very lost.
"He makes a pretty cute bunny," Ginny laughed, causing Tony to look over at her and glare. "Wow, I didn't know bunnies could glare." She said, continuing to laugh, and even Hermione smiled a bit at that.
He turned his head as he heard a door open again, seeing Mr Weasley come through smiling, the phone he'd given him in pieces in his hands. "Marvellous thing, genius muggles, however do they…"
Then there was a strange sensation through his body, and everything became the right size again, leaving him crouched on the table in his clothes and feeling very self-conscious. "I was not a cute bunny." He said, looking over at Ginny as he climbed off the table.
"Oh, Mr Stark, you're here!" Arthur said happily, putting the bits of the cellphone on the side for now. "What on earth are you doing in my kitchen?" He asked, seemingly catching himself and trying to find out what was going on.
"A good impression of a rabbit apparently," Tony admitted, not really knowing what else to say.
"My word, were you really?" Arthur laughed.
"Ok, how did you do that?" Tony demanded, looking over to the woman who'd flicked her stick at him, apparently successfully turning him into a rabbit in answer to his challenge. "Magic, right." He nodded, catching himself. "You can do that?" He asked, looking to Hermione.
"Advanced transfiguration is tricky," Hermione answered bashfully. "Human Transfiguration is sixth year magic." She explained. "We won't start it for another year."
"Quite, Miss Granger is one of my top students in fact." Professor McGonagall said proudly.
"You teach that?" Tony asked in shock. "If I said I needed a drink, would anyone be surprised?" He asked with a small smile.
"Not at all," Arthur smiled widely, heading to a cupboard and bringing out a bottle and a small glass tumbler, putting them on the table in front of him.
"Blishen's Firewhisky," Tony read off the label. "Thanks." He said, pouring out a large measure then tipping it back, swallowing it in one go.
"My word, good sport." Arthur said proudly, patting Tony on the back when his face started to turn red. "Thirty-nine years old, good stuff." He said happily.
"Smooth," Tony choked out, doing his best to ignore the burning sensation in his throat and stomach.
"Do be careful, Firewhiskey is a lot stronger than normal alcohol." Professor McGonagall said, Hermione catching the warning and nodding her head.
"Really Mr… Tony…" Hermione corrected herself quickly. "I wouldn't." She said quietly.
"Right," Tony nodded, seeing that Hermione was worried for him after what he'd told her about his drinking before, between that and the fact he'd actually called him Tony again, he pushed the bottle and glass away. "Thanks though." He said, looking to Hermione. "Thanks." He nodded to her, smiling when she nodded back.
"Evening all," Two voices shouted as they came in the door. "Blimey, Professor, what are you doing here? And… who are you?" One voice asked, causing Tony to turn his attention to the door again and catch sight of two identical twins walking through, both carrying broomsticks.
"Fred, George! Both of you, out, now!" Molly ordered firmly. "You know jolly well brooms stay in the shed, not in the kitchen!" She said, standing up from her chair.
"We just brought them in for waxing mum," Fred said quickly. "The rain got into the shed, don't want our brooms ruined."
"We'd never play Quidditch again on ruined brooms." George confirmed.
"Quidditch?" Tony asked, looking to Hermione and Ginny. "Like cricket?" He asked, remembering their earlier conversation in the car.
"This is Hermione's father," Arthur said proudly.
"Oh, nice to meet you." Fred said happily.
"Must be right proud with a brain box like Hermione." George confirmed.
"Um, I am." Tony answered honestly.
"Brooms upstairs, now!" Molly interrupted before the twins could say anything else, herding them through the kitchen and out of view, catching sight of how Hermione was beaming at Tony saying he was proud of her.
"Brooms? Those were broomsticks, real broomsticks." Tony asked, looking to Hermione and Ginny for an explanation. "You mean… flying?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.
"You play quidditch flying," Ginny explained.
"It's nothing like cricket really," Hermione said, her face scrunched up as an apology.
"Ok, flying on brooms, turning people into rabbits." Tony ticked off his fingers. "I'm beginning to see a pattern here." He said with a small smile. "Witches?" He asked, looking around the table.
"Wizard if you don't mind." Arthur said proudly.
"Wizard," Tony nodded. "Like… like Merlin." He muttered as more pieces clicked into place.
"Remarkably so," Arthur laughed at the shocked look on Tony's face.
"Ok, so what else can you do?" Tony asked, looking to Hermione. "That disarming spell? Would it work on guns? Anything?" He asked, his brain running in a thousand different directions.
"Disarming spell?" Arthur frowned. "Girls? What happened?" He asked, not having put together why Mr Stark had driven the girls down to The Burrow yet.
"An accident, not their fault." Tony waved the problem off. "I got careless showing the girls some new technology I was working on. It… it shocked them I think, next think I know I've got a stick…"
"Wand," Hermione corrected him.
"Magic wand," Tony sighed then nodded at her before continuing. "pointed at me." He explained. "They said I should come here for an explanation, so, here we all are." He explained, waving around the room.
"Good lord, really?" Arthur smiled excitedly. "What technology was it? I'd love to…"
"Not now Arthur," Molly admonished him across the table. "Really, we have important things to talk about here, not indulging your curiosity."
"Sorry dear," Arthur nodded bashfully.
"As I said," Professor McGonagall continued, drawing the conversation back on track. "I had planned to come and see you on Monday to talk about all of this with you and Miss Granger." She explained. "But now we are here, might we forgo the girls needless suffering?" She asked.
"What?" Tony frowned, wondering what the strange woman was talking about before realising she was pointing her wand at the cast on Hermione's arm. "Wait, what are you…" One flick and the sling and plaster cast around Hermione's arm vanished in a twinkle of lights, another flick and swish and her arm glowed for a second before fading leaving her arm looking perfectly normal again.
"Thank you, professor," Hermione said, breathing a sigh of relief as Professor McGonagall repeated the actions on her leg, leaving her feeling so much better.
"You can heal broken bones with a flick of your stick?" Tony asked in shock.
"Wand," Hermione corrected him again.
"I do have some training as a medi-witch, broken bones are not the worst thing in the world to heal Mr Stark." Professor McGonagall answered him. "I dare say I've healed my share over the years." She said enigmatically. "Though Miss Granger will need plenty of sleep to recover from the spell."
"Useful," Tony said, shutting his mouth before he could say anything stupid.
"I wanted to tell you, but… We're not allowed without special permission." Hermione explained.
"Permission from who?" Tony asked with a frown.
"Magic is kept secret for a reason Mr Stark, several reasons in fact." Professor McGonagall explained sternly. "I trust you can appreciate that."
Tony was about to say something but caught the look on Hermione's face practically begging him not to argue with her about it. "Ok," He settled with, trying to find something neutral to say.
"Miss Granger is a rather talented witch, quite one of the smartest I have ever come across." Professor McGonagall explained. "One I believe has been upset at the thought of missing school because she was unable to talk to you about such matters."
"Missing school?" Tony asked, wondering why the conversation had changed tracks from magic to education all of a sudden.
"Why yes, the girl cannot attend school without permission from their guardian." Professor McGonagall explained. "We start Trans-species Transformation next year, and I know for a fact Miss Granger has been eagerly looking forward to it."
"Trans…" Tony breathed out. "You teach magic." He whispered, putting all the facts together before looking at Hermione. "You go to a magic school?" He asked in shock. "That's why JARVIS couldn't find your school records." He sighed, putting everything together. "Sorry, hold on. Lots of pieces falling into place now, it's like a puzzle and I just got the key to solving it all."
"You're handling it better than… than dad did." Hermione said, whispering the last sadly.
"I'm…" Tony caught on to what Hermione had said and simply nodded at her, intent on not letting her down. "Ok, so Hermione's a witch, like… like all of you." He said, looking around the table. "World view just shifted a bit, give me a minute and I'll be good." He smiled, his tone full of self-assurance.
"Indeed," Professor McGonagall smiled wryly at him. "I did visit The Ministry earlier and discussed things with Minister Thickness," She explained, looking to Hermione. "It appears, either through various eager assistants or gossiping, that word of your family has reached schools in America as well." She explained, looking at Mr Stark and then back to Hermione and continuing on when she saw Hermione's shocked expression. "Both Ilvermorny and Salem Institute have contacted me and asked for copies of your transcripts. I'd expect you would hear from them both soon to offer you places at their respective schools."
"Salem?" Ginny asked in shock. "Wow!"
"Salem Institute?" Tony asked, feeling very lost right now.
"A Witches Institute," Professor McGonagall explained. "Quite prestigious."
"Their quidditch team is amazing," Ginny breathed out. "The Salem Sirens won the American National Seven years running!" She exclaimed.
"I thought you were a Hollyhead girl," Molly smiled over.
"Hollyhead are amazing," Ginny nodded firmly. "But the Sirens play all over the world, they're famous all over for their games."
"There's a lot of words here that I'm getting confused with," Tony admitted. "And I think I'm the only one, which is bugging me."
"Quidditch is a sport played on brooms," Ginny explained. "There's the world cup, the British Leagues, American Nationals, and others." She said eagerly, happy to talk about the Quidditch teams she supported. "Hollyhead are my favourite British team," She said proudly. "Salem…"
"Salem are American, from this Institute," Tony caught on. "Right, gotcha." He nodded. "You play?" He asked, looking to Hermione. "And did she really just heal your arm and leg with a stick?"
"Wand," Hermione corrected him yet again, rolling her eyes as she stood up so he could see that she was standing and moving her arms and legs without any pain.
"Strictly speaking, The Salem Institute isn't a school as you would think of it, more an education organization dedicated to giving young witches the best start in their life." Professor McGonagall explained.
"Four members of the American Quidditch Team came from Salem," Ginny said proudly. "That's over half just from one school! They were all Sirens, I'd kill to be able…" Ginny was cut off by her mother swiping her arm gently across the table.
"Enough about Quidditch dear," Molly said firmly, having got used to the constant Quidditch talk over the years from all her children. "Tonight, we're discussing Hermione's future."
"Quite," Professor McGonagall nodded. "I am to understand both Salem and Ilvermorny will be offering you places to study shortly." She explained. "A loss for Hogwarts I assure you."
"I won't be going to Hogwarts?" Hermione asked in shock, looking between Professor McGonagall and Mr Stark.
"That would be between you and your father," Professor McGonagall said, catching how Hermione was looking at Mr Stark and then how she looked away quickly when she'd said 'father'. "I apologise, that was thoughtless of me given your recent tragedy." She said softly.
"It's.. it's alright professor," Hermione said, her eyes clouding a bit. "You proved Mr… Tony… he's really my dad."
"I haven't earned that name," Tony said quietly, 'not yet' he added silently, promising to himself that he would though. "What are these schools like then? You said there's Salem…"
"Ilvermorny," Professor McGonagall nodded. "I visited several years ago, quite an impressive castle, a rich library I'm sure Miss Granger would appreciate."
"And this…" Tony frowned, stumbling over the name. "Ilvermorny? That's a witches school too?"
"Witches and Wizards," Professor McGonagall nodded.
"Co-ed," Tony nodded, fixing that with a more familiar term for his own peace of mind.
"If you like," Professor McGonagall confirmed. "Much like Hogwarts, where Miss Granger has studied for the last three years."
"Hogwarts is the best," Hermione said happily, thinking of the school fondly.
"Ok, so you're getting invitations to these other schools as well?" Tony asked, looking to Hermione. "Sorry, this is just a lot to take in." He admitted, feeling a bit lost in the whole conversation. "I'm still processing the whole 'magic is real' thing."
"Quite understandable dear," Molly said with a small smile. "Spot of tea? Something to eat perhaps? You're welcome to stay for dinner of course?"
"Oh mum! We had pizza for lunch!" Ginny grinned wildly. "It's the most amazing food ever!"
"That's nice dear," Molly smiled patiently at her excited face. "I've got a chicken roast on if you'd like." She said, looking at Mr Stark.
"Oh, um, sure." Tony nodded absently.
"Wonderful," Molly smiled, clapping her hands together. "Ron's out camping and Percy's working late, so it'll be nice to have some more people in the house." She explained happily. "Why don't you all move into the living room, give me and Arthur some space to clear up and finish dinner?"
"Of course," Professor McGonagall nodded, standing up from the chair. "We can continue our discussion there Mr Stark?"
"Yeah," Tony nodded, still trying to wrap his head around everything he'd been told. "Wait, let me call Pepper, let her know what's happened and why we drove off like that."
"Pepper?" Professor McGonagall asked, narrowing her eyes at him. "Your wife perhaps?"
"Partner," Tony said, nearly choking when the woman had said wife.
"I see," Professor McGonagall nodded patiently. "Very well, we shall wait for you in the living room then. Girls?" She asked, prompting Ginny and Hermione out of their seats to follow her through into the living room.
"You're doing just fine," Arthur said with a wide smile as he clapped Tony on the back.
"Really doesn't feel like it," Tony admitted quietly. "My phone's in the car, I'll be one second ok?"
"Take your time dear," Molly smiled at him before watching him leave the kitchen and head outside to his car. "Poor muggle, must be so confused with all this." She said softly to Arthur.
"He's doing fine," Arthur said with a nod. "Just needs some time to adjust."
"Seems to be quite taken with Hermione already," Molly said thoughtfully. "I saw how he looked at her when Minerva called him her father." She explained. "And it wasn't a surprise to him at all." She said as she cleared away the table. "He's already the girls' father in his heart, he just has to let his brain catch up with him."
"Yes dear," Arthur smiled, knowing better than to argue with his wife about things like that.