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Chapter 11

Albus Dumbledore was having a bad day. First, anything he ate turned to lemon drops, meaning his favourite sweet was rapidly becoming his least liked sweet, especially after his second discovery. He'd opened the door to his office and been toppled over by a mass of lemon drops, most of which would stick to him, especially his hair and beard, so the hairs pulled painfully at the skin. He pulled himself to his feet, waist deep in lemon drops and peered into his office. It was filled with lemon drops, and all his devices were replicated again and again, adding to the mess. On the wall across from him, in green letters, were the words, 'Stop messing in people's lives- Night Strider'.

Night Strider? Who in Merlin's name was Night Strider?

Jade was having a particularly good day. Having decided to use the nickname that Franklin had given her, she'd left Dumbledore a message using a very easy spell that Loki had taught to her. Her time table didn't seem too bad either. Double care of magical creatures' class with the Ravenclaws, followed by break, then double Transfiguration, once again with the 'claws, then Lunch and then Herbology with the Gryffindor's. Over the week, she'd once again share potions and Defence with the Ravenclaws and then Astronomy and Charms with the Slytherins and History of Magic with the Gryffindor's.

Care was an interesting class, and seeing as Jade loved animals, magical animals were no problem for her. She loved the Mooncalf, which had been tricked into thinking it was the night through the use of a spell darkening its enclosure. Others may have thought it looked odd, but she thought it was cute with its large eyes. She even managed to take a picture of it on her phone when the teacher wasn't looking.

"How does it work? The phone, I mean?" Hermione asked quietly. "Electronics aren't supposed to work around magic."

"My dad's a genius, Hermione. His entire company is based on tech. When I was younger, I used to short circuit everything. That wasn't a good thing. So, now we have tech that can not only work around magic, but be powered by it. That means I don't have to worry about it loosing charge. I have excess magic that it feeds from. All of us do. Basically, without even realising it, we're walking batteries."

"Your right, your dad is a genius." Hermione said.

"I'd probably be able to get you one, if you wanted. That way, you could phone home."

"Jade, that would mean so much to me!" Hermione said, hugging her friend. "Thank you!"

"Don't thank me yet. I have to convince my dad first." Jade said laughing. "Hey, Neville, do you need a phone?"

"A what?" Neville asked.

"Never mind. I'll take that as a no." Jade said, before she explained to Neville and Ernie what a phone was. Ernie had taken to frequently joining them so it meant that they could always pair up. After break, in Transfiguration, Hermione was the first to transfigure her match into a needle, followed by Jade. That gained them five points each from Professor McGonagall. They then moved to help Neville and Ernie. Jade was helping Neville who was really struggling.

"It's no use!" He said. "I'm no better than a squib!"

"Neville, if you were a squib, then you wouldn't be here. Your problem lies in your lack of confidence in yourself!" She caught sight of his wand. It looked old. "Neville, is that wand yours? Did it choose you?"

"No. It was my dad's. Nan gave it to me." Neville informed her.

"How can you expect to do magic properly with a wand that isn't yours?" Jade asked. "That's just asking for trouble."

"Quite right, Miss Stark." McGonagall said from behind them. "Another five points to Hufflepuff for useful knowledge that will be a benefit to your classmate. Mr Longbottom, I shall be writing to your grandmother to inform her of the situation and that you are in desperate need of a wand of your own. In the meantime, I suggest you keep practising, and you, Miss Stark, try to help him with his confidence."

Neville blushed slightly when she said that, loud enough for the rest of the class to hear. But Jade had already resolved to help Neville gain confidence in himself. Now all she had to do was actually bring him out of his shell.

Herbology with Professor Sprout was interesting, the class was allowed to swear if the venomous tentacular grabbed them from behind. Professor Sprout was a kind woman who had a 'do as I say and you'll leave in one peace' policy. But she was a good teacher.

Over the day they had found that Ernie was from an old pureblood line, and didn't mind studying, which made him a great addition to the group- seeing as Neville, Hermione and Jade all read a lot. He was also eager to find out more about the muggle world. One of the main topics of conversation was when Hermione brought up the avengers.

"Your dad funds them, right?"

"Yeah." Jade said.

"What are the avengers?" Ernie asked.

"They're a group of people in the muggle world who have extraordinary talents and abilities." Hermione explained. "One of them works for Jade's father- Iron Man. He's in this suit of armour that allows him to fly and he can attack from cannons he has in the armour at his chest and hands. He also has other weapons, isn't that right, Jade?"

Jade nodded. "Yeah. Then there are the others- like Captain America, who is the ultimate soldier, extra strength and stamina- they came from a serum injected into him when he wanted to enter the army."

"Oh, and don't forget the heroes like Spiderman, the Fantastic Four and more!"

"They're a large group. The Fantastic Four normally work on their own, but they do team up with the Avengers, who were put together by a government division to help protect the world from large threats. They're a well-known group in the muggle world." Jade said, and suddenly found herself bombarded with questions from Ernie and Neville. Hermione, thankfully, helped, but she was glad to get to her room to be able to call home for a while. Tony picked up after the third ring of the phone.

"Jade, are you alright?" He sounded slightly panicked.

"I'm fine, dad." Jade said. "Did you think something would have happened in between yesterday and tonight?"

"There's a problem. Thor believes you're in danger."

"What, why?" Jade asked. She was frowning deeply by the time her dad had finished explaining. "That doesn't sound good, you're right, but…"

"Jade?"

"I've made a couple of friends already. And I planned to try and help bring Neville out of his shell. He needs a confidence boost. I can't just leave!"

"A boy? Do I need to come over there and make sure he doesn't get too many ideas? I can be over there in no time, and I'm sure I won't be alone!"

"Dad! He's just a friend! I've only known him for around two days!"

"You make sure it doesn't go any further than just friends! I know what teenage boys are like."

"Because you never progressed past that stage!" Jade heard Pepper yell.

"I hate to say it, but mums right dad." Jade said.

"Which is why I know teenage boys and the way their minds work. So, I take it I won't be able to pull you out soon then?"

"No."

"Then I'll give you till Christmas."

"I thought I had the whole year!"

"Not anymore. Jade, I'm sorry, but I don't want to take any chances." Tony said. "It's just too dangerous."

Jade sighed. "Alright dad." She said, nodding.

"Now, how has school been?" Tony asked.

"It's been good. I got sorted into Hufflepuff, and on the train I made friends with Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom. I'm sharing a room with Hermione. Today, a boy called Ernie McMillan joined us for meals and classes, seeing as he's sharing with Neville. The both of them were raised in the wizarding world, so they've had a load of questions about the muggle world. Especially when Hermione remembered that it's a well known fact that you fund the avengers. I was glad to get into my room."

He laughed. "I bet you were. Oh, your mother wants to talk to you, so I'll pass you on."

"Jade? Are you there?"

"Where else would I be mum?" Jade asked.

"Are you sure you don't want to come home to where it's safe, Jade?"

"Mum, I'll be fine." Jade assured.

"You just make sure that when you leave your room you aren't alone for too long, you understand?"

"I will, mum. Don't worry." Jade said.

"Good." Pepper said, but she was obviously still worrying. Jade took the time to reassure her before talking about everything that had happened in Hogwarts so far, minus the pranks. It was good to be able to talk to her parents. When she was done, what her dad had said about Thor being worried came back to her. She chewed her lip worriedly. Had she made the right decision in coming to Hogwarts? She shook it off. She wasn't going to let some invisible threat scare her off that easily.

Finally, after all these years of waiting, things were almost ready. He had waited years for this, and had a back up plan ready for if the original failed. But finally the prophesy would be fulfilled, and he would have a body once again. He had waited for years. A couple of months would be no trouble. The old coot should never have told the faculty that Jade Stark was Jade Potter. The girl may have been safe then, but no longer.

A/N: Please review!