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.
The Burrow
Ottery St Catchpole
Tony took a minute to breath as he leant against the hood of the car, he'd called Pepper and told her he'd taken the girls out to pick up some forgotten things from Ginny's family, not really knowing what else to say. If he told her what the girls had told him, he was reasonably sure that Pepper would be waiting for him back at home with a straight jacket and several orderlies.
Looking up he took another look at the house that offended his sense of logic in so many ways, it shouldn't be standing, by all rights it should have collapsed under the weight, if not toppled right over because of the odd angles of some of the extensions that had been built onto it without proper load bearing support, but it hadn't, it was happily standing and looked like it had been so for quite a few years now without issue.
"I hate you," He said emphatically to the house, his brain arguing that the laws of physics shouldn't be broken like this, but the house in front of him was proof of what was happening.
His daughter was a witch. His daughter, and an entire family of friends, were witches. They used magic. Hell, they'd turned him into a fluffy bunny just for an example and it had actually worked. He had to admit, he'd still been hoping it had all been some sort of trick, maybe everything had been done with smoke and mirrors or something until then. He snorted in amusement at that, yeah, pulling his armour off of his arm into her waiting hands using just a stick, that had been done with smoke and mirrors. He might have been called obtuse by some people, but he wasn't stupid, he knew what he'd seen despite how much his logical brain had rebelled against it, and now he needed to understand it.
Taking another deep breath he pushed himself off the car and walked back to the house, walking through the open door into the kitchen where Arthur was happily directing floating plates around the room with his wand and organising the table for them all.
"Everything aright dear?" Molly asked, looking up from where she was fiddling with some vegetables on another counter.
"Um, yeah, all good." Tony nodded, unable to take his eyes off the floating plates.
"I know it must be a bit of a shock, you'll get there though." Molly smiled reassuringly at him. "I know it means a lot to Hermione that you're doing your best with it."
"Seeing, still working on understanding." Tony nodded.
"Nobody expects you to understand magic dear," Molly laughed with a smile as she came over. "Most witches and wizards don't understand how things work either, but if anyone can help you, that girl of yours will be able to." She said, reaching up and giving Tony's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Now go on, go and talk with the girls and the Professor, I'm sure you have all sorts of questions for them." She said, shuffling Tony through the kitchen into the living room. "I'll call when dinner is ready."
Tony nodded at that as he was left in the doorway of the living room, the two girls had already settled into a small couch while the strange woman that had turned him into a rabbit was sitting in a smaller chair doing her best to look professional while sinking into it's soft furnishings.
"Is Pepper ok?" Ginny asked first, speaking up before anyone else.
"She's good, just continuing on with work. I don't think she'd even noticed we'd gone really." Tony said with a smirk.
"Did you…" Hermione started to ask but trailed off when Tony shook his head.
"Not sure I even know what I'd tell her," Tony admitted. "Not the sort of thing you explain over the phone." He explained. "Without any proof or anything, she'd probably think I'd gone mad." He said with a chuckle. "Madder." He amended after thinking about it.
"Quite possibly," Professor McGonagall nodded with a small smile quirking the corner of her mouth.
"Sorry, still working processing all of this." Tony admitted. "I might have caught your name before, but after everything…" He admitted, floundering a bit.
"Professor Minerva McGonagall." Professor McGonagall smiled, introducing herself again and smiling thinly at Mr Stark's attempts to integrate himself. "I am the deputy headmaster at Hogwarts along with the transfiguration teacher."
"The school Hermione goes to," Tony nodded. "Ok, upto date." He said with a smile. "I'll probably have a load more questions as we go, so you'll have to bear with me." He admitted.
"I would expect nothing less," Professor McGonagall chuckled. "I assure you Mr Stark, I have done this many times with muggle born children, and I will admit, you are taking it far better than most."
"Thanks, I think?" Tony muttered, ruffling his hair with his fingers. "Muggle born?"
"Muggles are people without magic," Hermione explained when Professor McGonagall gestured for her to join in the conversation.
"So this magic thing, it can happen spontaneously from parents without magic?" Tony asked, wondering where it actually came from.
"It is rare, but it happens." Professor McGonagall nodded. "It is however more likely that somewhere in the past, one of Miss Granger's ancestors, either on your side or her mothers, was a squib." She explained. "And the magic simply re-emerged in Miss Granger."
"Squib?" Tony frowned at the unfamiliar word.
"Someone born to magic parents but can't use magic." Hermione explained again.
"Ok, so it can happen both ways." Tony nodded, musing over that and wondering if he could isolate the gene that allowed for this magic to occur so he could understand why and how it happened.
"Indeed," Professor McGonagall nodded. "Why don't you sit down, you're making the place look untidy standing around like that." She smiled at the lost look on Mr Stark's face as he looked around before walking to an open chair.
"Professor, why would the American schools be asking for my transcripts?" Hermione asked, sensing a point in the conversation to ask her own questions now. "Do students transfer between schools a lot?"
"It is rare, but it happens." Professor McGonagall nodded. "I know of several students that have transferred from Hogwarts to Durmstrang and Beauxbatons Academy in the past due to various reasons, however, as to why they are interested in you, I feel I must admit that that is my fault."
"Your fault professor?" Hermione frowned, why would it be Professor McGonagall's fault that other schools were contacting her.
"I asked, well, in the process of arranging things to speak with Mr Stark on Monday, I made the mistake of asking for some information on Mr Stark with the American Congress of Magic. Needing more information rather than the hearsay and whispers I had gathered so far." Professor McGonagall explained. "I gather that in the conversation it came up that you were Mr Stark's child, and I am to understand that you are someone of some influence and resources?" She asked, looking at Mr Stark.
"You could say that," Tony smirked back.
"I feel that it is likely then that the schools in America wish to contact you to offer places to you," Professor McGonagall explained. "Either for the prestige of bringing Mr Stark's name to their school, or for any other number of reasons." She continued when she saw the look of shock on Hermione's face. "Don't be surprised Miss Granger, the American Congress works far closer with their muggle counterparts than our own Ministry does. And from what I'm told, Mr Stark's name is a rather well known one in those circles."
"You are?" Hermione asked in shock, looking to Mr Stark.
"I've dealt with Congress before," Tony nodded. "Quite a few times actually, and senators regularly, and The President." He admitted. "Ok, yeah, I can see where your Professor is coming from here." He admitted with a bashful smile. "Honestly, I hadn't even thought about how people would react when they found out you… you were my daughter." He explained. "I figured the press would go mad, that was a given. Maybe I'd have to get some extra security around you or something, but I hadn't thought about schools or anything like that."
"Is that normal then? In America?" Ginny asked. "For schools to get famous children to go there?"
"Normal?" Tony frowned. "Most times, if it's someone famous or powerful, there are private schools that can offer better security than regular schools." He explained. "But yes, the more prestigious schools might approach families offering spaces there for the children, either to bolster their own reputation, or for money." He nodded.
"And you think this is why Salem and Ilvermorny are asking for Hermione?" Ginny asked in shock. "But she's brilliant! Surely they'd want her on her own without any of that stuff."
"Rest assured Miss Weasley, I am sure that once The Salem Institute and Ilvermorny receive Miss Granger's transcripts, they will be beating down the door to offer her a place on her own merit rather than that of… Mr Stark's." Professor McGonagall smiled, happy that she'd caught herself before calling Mr Stark Hermione's father again. "Though do not be surprised if conditions arise where funding and influence is brought into question. I am led to believe Mr Stark's fortune is one of some wealth."
"You could say that," Tony smirked at that.
"How rich?" Ginny asked bluntly, then grinning when Hermione smacked her arm.
"Ginny!" Hermione frowned, blushing at her friend's question.
"What? You're saying he's so rich schools would be asking him for money," Ginny laughed. "Are we talking quidditch player rich here or Malfoy rich?"
"Off hand?" Tony asked. "Last estimate was somewhere in the twelve billion mark." He explained. "That's not including Stark Industries annual net worth of around twenty-three billion." He said with a smirk at the shocked look on the three other faces in the room. "That's dollars, I've no clue what the current exchange rate is." He said with a shrug.
"Merlin," Professor McGonagall whispered. "You must excuse the shock Mr Stark, I… I was told you had resources, but… my, that is quite a magnitude above what I had expected."
"Billion?" Ginny whispered in shock, unable to wrap her head around the numbers Mr Stark was talking about.
"The exchange rate is about one galleon to…." Hermione trailed off in her explanation as she calculated the figure in her head, remembering the exchange rate from when Bill had been talking about it before with Mr Weasley when he was working with MACUSA on a curse breaking expedition in Nevada. "So that… oh Merlin!" Hermione whispered as she calculated Mr Stark's worth in galleons, her eyes going wide at the number. "Nearly three billion galleons."
"Galleons?" Tony asked, raising an eyebrow. "Don't know that one."
"We use our own currency Mr Stark," Professor McGonagall explained, thankful to have something to talk about and think about instead of the very large number Hermione had just presented her with. "As American witches and wizards use a different currency as well."
"Oh," Tony nodded at that, looking over to see the two girls still looking at each other in shock.
"I fear the understanding of your personal wealth might have broken them Mr Stark," Professor McGonagall chuckled good naturedly at the two shocked girls. "Such resources are extraordinarily rare to come across in our world." She explained. "The Malfoy family, which Miss Weasley equated you to, is worth some several million."
"I put that in a trust fund for Hermione," Tony said blandly. "Ten million, when I was flying over." He explained. "I… I didn't know what would happen, if she'd want to see me or not. But either way, I didn't want her to have any problems with money, not when she's… she's mine." He said with a nod.
"You… you gave Hermione ten million?" Ginny asked in shock, her eyes wider than they'd ever been in her life.
"Dollars, not whatever money you're talking about." Tony said with a nod. "But… um, yeah." He nodded, scratching the back of his neck and hoping Hermione wouldn't be mad at him for it. "I had JARVIS set up a trust fund with it." He explained.
"Ten… ten…" Hermione was breathing out, unable to comprehend what she'd just been told.
"Breath," Ginny laughed at her. "Use your head, focus on something else. Work that out into normal money." She said with a grin, watching as Hermione's forehead furrowed as she calculated it before her eyes went wide again.
"Two… two million galleons." Hermione whispered in shock, feeling extremely light headed as it sunk in.
"Is that a lot?" Tony asked, looking to the professor. "I can transfer more if she'll need it?" He asked with a shrug causing Professor McGonagall to chuckle loudly at his confused look.
"I dare say that that is more than enough to cover Miss Granger's finances for many years to come," Professor McGonagall said between chuckles. "Whichever school she decides to attend."
"Great," Tony nodded, satisfied that Hermione would be taken care of no matter what. "You'll have to walk me through having it converted into whatever money she normally uses." He said with a smile.
"I'm sure Miss Granger would be more than happy to explain these things to you," Professor McGonagall said with a small smile. "Once she has recovered from the shock that is." She added, seeing the two pale faces of the girls on the couch.
"Ok, I just wanted to…" Tony trailed off as a large orange ball of fur jumped onto his lap interrupting him, causing him to look down at the monster of fur. It looked like a very large cat, with a squished face and an extremely fluffed out tail. Somewhere between a Norwegian Forest Cat and something that had been hit in the face with a frying pan at birth. "Ok?" Tony muttered to himself as the large cat sniffed around him curiously before curling up in his lap. "Family pet?" He asked, looking to Ginny, and managing to break the girls out of their shocked silence.
"Crookshanks!" Hermione shouted, causing the kneasle cat hybrid to look up from where it had curled up happily before settling back down again and purring loudly.
"Well, that settles is then, you're approved." Ginny laughed at how comfortable Crookshanks looked on Mr Stark's lap.
"Your cat?" Tony asked, looking at Hermione. "It is a cat right? Not some cat-tiger crossbreed?" He asked, trying to gauge how big the animal was under all it's fluffed up fur.
"A kneasle cross," Professor McGonagall explained with a small nod. "Quite an intelligent familiar for Miss Granger, one I'm told that is exceedingly good at filtering out untrustworthy persons."
"A large psychic cat?" Tony asked, blinking at that. "I don't know what's worse, the fact that doesn't surprise me at all, or the fact that it should." He said with a wry smile.
"Crookshanks! Come here!" Hermione hissed, trying to bribe Crookshanks off of Mr Stark's lap by clicking her fingers at him, only succeeding in making the Kneasle look at her then return to his curled-up position.
"He's fine," Tony waved the thought away. "He's not going to claw me up or anything right? He is a he?"
"He," Hermione confirmed. "No, he won't attack you. He's good at knowing who he likes." She said happily.
"I should take the guy to board meetings, would save a lot of time," Tony chuckled as he gently ruffled the fluffy fur on the cats head, causing him to purr louder at the attention.
"Dinner!" Ginny was off her seat first as the call sounded from her mother, with Hermione up next.
"I should be on my way then," Professor McGonagall smiled thinly as she stood up from her chair. "I'm afraid we didn't have as much time to cover the important questions I feel you must have. Though if you are still willing, I do still have plans to see you on Monday if that is acccpetable?" She asked as Mr Stark stood up from his chair, displacing Crookshanks who glared up at him from where he moved to the arm of the chair.
"Monday?" Tony asked, looking to Hermione. "Is that ok?" He checked, then turned back to Professor McGonagall when Hermione nodded. "Works for me." He said with a smile, offering his hand to the professor to shake.
"Very well, I shall see you and Miss Granger then." Professor McGonagall nodded before walking to the fireplace along the middle wall dividing the living room from the kitchen. "Hogwarts!" She enunciated clearly, throwing some floo powder into the fireplace before vanishing in a cloud of green fire.
"What the!" Tony shouted, falling back as the professor exploded into emerald flames.
"We didn't tell him about the floo," Ginny said with a giggle as Hermione smothered her laughter. "It's ok Mr Stark, that's perfectly normal."
"Normal?" Tony demanded. "She… she…"
"Floo'd to Hogwarts," Hermione explained, doing her best not to smile at the horrified shock on Mr Stark's face. "It's a normal way to travel around here."
"It is?" Tony asked in shock, seeing how the two girls seemed completely fine with this. "You travel through fireplaces in green fire?"
"Pretty regularly," Ginny nodded with a smile. "Food?" She asked, reminding everyone that dinner had been called.
"Come on," Hermione smiled gently at him. "I'll explain it to you while we're eating." She said gingerly.
"Still finding the whole healing with a stick thing weird," Tony admitted. "Do you mind?" He asked, gesturing to Hermione's arm that a few hours ago had been painfully broken in two places and badly bruised.
"Ginny dear, go and fetch your brothers," Molly asked, coming to the doorway to see what was taking everyone so long. "Minerva left already?" She asked with a sigh. "I had hoped she'd stay as well."
"She floo'd back to Hogwarts Mrs Weasley," Hermione explained as Ginny jogged away and headed up the stairs in the corner of the room. "She's coming back to see Mr Stark on Monday though."
"Tony," Tony said off hand. "Please?" He asked hopefully.
"Tony," Hermione corrected herself with a small smile.
"That goes for me as well dear," Molly said. "It's Molly, to you as well." She said, looking at Mr Stark. "Any family of Hermione's is family here too." She said firmly. "Now, come on before the food starts getting cold." She said with a warm smile, herding Hermione and Tony through into the kitchen.
Tony sighed happily as he leaned back in his chair and quirked an eyebrow at the way Molly was directing plates and dishes towards the sink with her wand, causing them to silently fly through the air and land in the slowly filling sink to wash themselves up.
The meal had been surprisingly fun, Ginny's twin brothers were natural born jokers and he could appreciate the sense of humour they brought to everything. Hermione had sat next to him with Ginny, explaining everything in text book like fashion whenever something was said that he didn't understand. Apparently, it had been the same for her in her first few months finding out about magic, so she recognised the look on his face whenever something was said that didn't make sense to him.
"So, how are you dealing dear?" Molly asked with a smile as she waved her wand, levitating a cup and a pot of tea over in front of Tony and pouring it for him. "Milk? Sugar?"
"Uh, please." Tony nodded absently as he cocked his head to the side, looking around the floating tea pot in front of him to see if he could work out exactly how it was hovering in the air like that. "I'm…" Tony frowned, trying to think of a word that summed up how he was coping right now. "It's a shock." He settled with, blinking as two cubes of sugar floated over and swiftly dropped into the cup which stirred on its own.
"I dare say," Arthur laughed from his seat at the table.
"Just wait until you see Diagon Alley, it's amazing," Hermione breathed out happily, fondly remembering her own first time visiting the magical world.
"Diagon…" Tony raised his eyebrows. "I've got a lot to learn don't I?" He asked hesitantly. "Are there books? Pamphlets even? I'd take notes at this point?" He said with a laugh.
"I've got some school books you could look through?" Ginny said helpfully. "Even if you can't do the magic, you might like reading them?"
"Oh, I'll have to get you a copy of Hogwarts: A History, you'll love reading about everything in there." Hermione beamed at him. "It's biased in parts, but still one of the best books if you want to know about Hogwarts." She explained.
"That's the school?" Tony nodded, recognising the name from when the professor had been talking about the various schools earlier. "Like Salem and…"
"Ilvermorny," Hermione nodded before frowning. "I can't believe Salem and Ilvermorny contacted Professor McGonagall."
"Why not?" Tony asked curiously. "Aren't they good schools?" He asked, hoping to find out a bit more about what Hermione wanted.
"Salem is," Ginny nodded enthusiastically. "Not just the quidditch team," She said quickly when Hermione looked at her. "They've got loads, they even teach Animagus Transfiguration in lessons there." She explained.
"Wow," Hermione nodded, not knowing that. She'd always focused on knowing about Hogwarts and the history of the school she was at, not thinking about all the other schools around the world and their histories.
"So, maybe you should hear them out?" Tony shrugged, not having a clue what animagus transfiguration was, but seeing it was something Hermione had been impressed by he made a mental note to ask about it later. "No reason not to, right? Or there's places like MIT or CalTech as well."
"I suppose," Hermione nodded hesitantly, of course it make sense to look for the best school to teach her, it was only logical. "I don't think I could go to a non-magical school though, it would be like hiding who I was."
"That's fair," Tony nodded, he could accept that.
"Girls, it's getting late." Molly said, interrupting the conversation. "I'm sure Tony has a lot to think about tonight."
"Yes, sorry." Tony nodded, idly pulling out his phone to glance at the time. "Should probably be getting back." He said with a smile. "Thank you for the food though, it was delicious."
"My pleasure," Molly beamed happily. "Will Ginny still be staying with you? I know Hermione has been fixed up now, but she's still been through an awful ordeal."
"I'm fine with it if she is," Tony nodded. "I'm sure Hermione will be happier with someone around her own age to talk to as well." He added with a smile.
"Of course," Molly smiled happily, a lot more comfortable now that she'd actually had time to sit down and enjoy a comfortable meal with the man after Minerva had confirmed he was indeed Hermione's father. "You'd better be off then, I dread to think how long it'll take you to get back to the city."
"Good point," Tony nodded. "Anything you want to grab then?" He asked, looking at the girls. "Trunk's empty, so if you've got anything then now's the time." He said with a smile, watching as Hermione looked at Ginny before they dashed off from the kitchen and upstairs.
"Stop running dears!" Molly shouted as the two girls vanished before shaking her head in dismay. "You'd think they'd have calmed down by now." She said with a smile. "Finish up your tea dear, it's a long drive back to London."
The drive back to London was considerably more comfortable than the drive down had been, Ginny and Hermione had packed the car with some of Ginny's school books for them to help Tony with, along with various other bits and pieces that he had no clue about.
Then for nearly two hours the girls had been talking about Hermione's favourite classes at school, how she was doing brilliantly in all her lessons and what subjects she'd chosen for her OWLS, something Tony still wasn't sure he knew what they stood for, but had chosen to stop asking questions for the drive and let the girls simply talk without him interrupting their discussions.
He did however allow himself a smirk as he drove past somewhere called 'Basingstoke' when he looked in the rear-view mirror after a period of quiet, which he'd assumed was the girls whispering between each other, only to see both of them asleep, with the smaller redhead comfortably leaning up against Hermione.
He was actually thankful for the break in conversation, giving him time to settle down and think. Today, hell, the past few days, had been a complete whirlwind for him. Racing across countries when he found out he had a daughter, seeing her in hospital and then introducing her to his home life. Then finding out about magic of all things, and that his daughter was a witch apparently. It was all… His thoughts trailed off as he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.
"Sir, Director Fury is attempting to contact you." JARVIS announced from the car speakers, causing Tony to glance up and check that the girls were still sleeping.
"Put it through, half volume. Drivers side only." Tony said with a nod to himself. "Fury, what have I done to earn the pleasure today?" He asked with a smirk.
"I don't know, what have you done?" Fury's impatient voice came back over the line. "I've got people I've never even heard of before crawling out of the woodwork asking about you. Including people you shouldn't even know exist."
Tony smirked at that, imagining Fury's glare. "Oh? Do tell?" He asked through a grin.
"You tell me!" Fury demanded. "What's this about you having a daughter, is she…"
"Leave her out of this!" Tony said firmly, cutting Fury off. "
"Stark, you don't get to…"
"I mean it Fury," Tony interrupted him again. "Come to me, talk to me, whatever. Throw your threats around, do whatever you want." Tony bit out. "I see one SHIELD agent within ten feet of her, I'll take your vaunted SHIELD database and post it on the internet for the world to see."
"Stark, I don't know who the hell you…"
"I'm not playing around here." Tony cut him off again. "Come anywhere near her and I'll declare war on SHIELD myself, and damned anyone who gets in my way." He said firmly. "JARVIS, hang up." He ordered, cutting the line before Fury could respond.
"Sir, Director Fury is attempting to contact you again." JARVIS announced after a beat.
"Block it, no more calls tonight." Tony said instantly, glancing at the mirror to check the girls hadn't been woken up by his outburst before looking back to the road and concentrating on following the directions JARVIS had put up for him on the satnav screen and focusing his mind on other things away from Director Fury.
Stark Offices
London
It was after eleven when Tony finally drove into the underground parking lot at the Stark Offices, pulling the car around in front of the elevator and turning the ignition off. It had been quite a peaceful drive for the last hour, he'd refrained from turning the music on so he wouldn't disturb the sleeping girls, something that would probably come as a shock to anyone that had said he only ever thought about himself, but the quiet had actually let him focus on getting his thoughts straight in his head over what to say or do about Hermione and all this magic stuff.
"We there?"
He turned around with a small smile as he heard the sleepy voice coming from the back seat. "Just arrived." He nodded, slipping out of the car before quietly closing the door then opening the back door for Hermione.
"I should wake her up," Hermione said before she got out.
"Leave her," Tony smiled, shaking his head. "Come on, I've got her." He explained, offering his hand to Hermione to help her out of the car.
"What about the bags and things?" Hermione asked as she stood to the side, watching as Tony reached in and scooped Ginny up and lifted her out of the car easily.
"I'll have someone bring them up later on," Tony explained as he moved away from the car, carrying the younger girl easily over to the elevator. "JARVIS open up." He asked, knowing the camera would recognise him even without him using the security system.
He smiled as the doors opened, letting Hermione in first before he walked in with Ginny. "Up to the apartment." He ordered before the elevator started moving in response to him. "It's been a long weekend." He admitted with a small smile to Hermione.
"Still got lots of questions?" Hermione asked, looking up at him.
"Oh more than lots," Tony chuckled. "You sure you're ok? After the… you know, your arm and leg?" He asked, nodding down at her.
"All healed," Hermione nodded. "Means I can actually wear jeans again." She said thankfully.
"Not a skirt person?" Tony asked curiously, eying the light brown skirt she'd been wearing all day.
"It's Ginny's," Hermione explained. "I don't think I even own a skirt that isn't part of the school uniform." She admitted with a small smile as the elevator doors opened with Pepper coming into view on the corridor waiting for them.
"Tony, what…"
"Shh," Tony smirked, nodding to the sleeping girl in his arms before he walked out of the elevator with Hermione following him. "It's a long story." He explained to Pepper with a wry grin. Oh if only she knew, he chucked to himself at the thought.
"I've got it," Hermione said, opening the door to the room that Tony had set aside for the girls earlier.
"Thanks," Tony nodded as he waited for Hermione to go through first and then walked in, moving to the nearest bed where the big white fluffy bear he'd bought in the morning was propped up against the headboard. "She'll be ok here?" He asked as he gently laid the girl down on the bed, being careful not to disturb her.
"We can do it from here," Hermione nodded, moving over to the other bed. "Thanks." She said with an honest smile.
"My pleasure," Tony smiled back, feeling his heart jump a bit as he got the first real smile from his daughter. "See you in the morning ok? Just ask JARVIS if you need anything."
"I will," Hermione said quietly with a nod.
"Night," Tony smiled as he moved to the door, lowering the lights automatically as he walked through and closed the door quietly behind him.
"Tony! What did you do?" Pepper hissed out as he got out of the room into the corridor.
"Me? Nothing?" Tony said quickly. "What makes you think I did anything?"
"Tony," Pepper glared at him. "Not twelve hours ago that girl could barely walk, she had casts everywhere and needed painkillers to get a good nights sleep. Now she's walking around like nothing's wrong at all?"
"It's…"
"A long story," Pepper rolled her eyes at him. "It always is with you." She muttered angrily. "Just… Just tell me you didn't do anything stupid."
"I didn't," Tony said honestly. "Really, nothing to do with me at all, it's all her."
"What? She just healed a broken leg like magic?" Pepper said in disbelief.
"Something like that," Tony snorted in amusement at Pepper's wording. "It's been a long drive, can I just relax for a moment before I get the third degree?" He asked hopefully. "I'm sure the girls will tell you all about it in the morning." He explained.
"Fine," Pepper bit out before her face softened slightly. "At least she seemed to be getting along with you better now." She admitted.
"I think I understand her a bit more," Tony nodded in agreement. "I'll be in the workshop ok?" He asked, heading back to the elevator.
"Don't stay up too late," Pepper said, knowing full well Tony would ignore her as she headed back to the living room to continue on with her work and the glass of wine she had waiting for her.
"Sir, Mr Johns has the bags from the car." JARVIS announced, drawing Tony's attention away from the circuit board he was working on at the moment.
"Bring them up, actually, bring them to the workshop," Tony ordered before finishing his last bit of soldering and setting the board down ready to be wired in tomorrow. He'd just put the board down when the elevator doors opened.
"Sir," One of the security guards from downstairs announced himself as he walked out of the elevator carrying the two bags.
"Just put them on the workbench, pick an empty one." Tony said offhand, waving to the various workbenches around the workshop.
He focused on tidying up the workbench for a moment, replacing the gauntlet he'd been working on earlier that had started this whole mess on it's stand so he could wire in the new board tomorrow. He hadn't worked on the Mark Four systems in a while now, and after the summer upgrading the new arc reactor with the new modified cores, he had to readjust all of the old systems to accept the increased power so that they didn't blow whenever he connected them together.
He tidied up a bit longer before curiosity got the better of him and he put everything aside to have a look at the bags the girls had packed to bring with them.
"Ok, what do we have here?" He muttered to himself, idly looking through the bag for anything that looked amusing, possibly magic potions that he could examine and test or maybe something else that could provide an equal distraction for him.
"Hmm?" He raised his eyebrow as the bag started to move on its own as if there was something alive inside it. His curiosity piqued he hunted around to see if he could find what was moving around in there, finally coming across what felt like a large furry book that he pulled out to examine.
The book was definitely furry, a sort of brown grey colour, with a moulded clasp over the front that looked like teeth, along with various bits hanging down from the cover that looked like tentacles or small legs or something equally strange. It was wrapped up tightly in scotch tape that flattened the fur down and made it easy to read the title. "The Monster Book of Monsters?" Tony read aloud with a wry smile, eying the four obviously fake beady eyes that were under the scotch tape as well. "Oh this sounds promising." He said with a grin, looking around for a boxcutter before slicing the scotch tape open and peeling it away.
Immediately the book opened and growled at him, and his eyes went wide as he realised the moulded teeth clasp wasn't moulded at all, but were actual teeth, and the fake eyes that had looked glassy and fake under the scotch tape were now looking at him hungrily. "What the…" Tony whispered in shock before the book lunged out of his hands towards him and drove him to the floor.
AN: Calculations for Tony Stark's wealth comes from the various movies, and converted roughly into wizarding money using the 'Beyond Hogwarts' exchange rate calculator which I believe works out about $6.64 to a Galleon.