Recommendation: Story recommendation for this chapter is "Wand and Shield" by Morta's Priest. This HP/Marvel crossover isn't complete, but the author is actively updating it. Harry, who's had enough of the wizarding world, ends up in the Marvel world. OK, that might not sound like an exciting summary, but too much happens in the story to be easily summarized. If you enjoy this story at all, you'll probably enjoy that one as well.

Chapter 8 - Break Out

Malibu, California. July 28, 2009.

Iris walked into Tony's tiny library. At least, it used to be tiny, but Hermione had considered the woefully inadequate room to be almost a personal affront. Despite merely being a houseguest, she had expanded it via magical means, so it now included a wide range of both muggle and magical books. Tony still hadn't noticed, as far as the two witches could tell, but Hermione didn't much care so long as it suited her research needs.

It gave Jarvis fits, though, because nothing on his sensors was consistent or comprehensible now when it came to the library. Apparently Jarvis could simultaneously "see" both the original size and the expanded size, creating a contradiction in facts that his programming couldn't resolve. In the end, he simply shut down one set of sensors to eliminate the contradictions in incoming data and pretended that the library didn't exist at all.

As she had expected, Hermione was concentrating on yet another potions book that she hoped might provide a key to helping Tony. The sight of Hermione Granger poring over a musty old book was something that had become deeply etched in Iris' psyche, and she found it comforting somehow.

Hermione, of course, had no idea that she was being watched, so Iris could stand there for a while, reliving happier memories and trying to steel herself to dredge up some of the darkest hours of her life.

At least, Iris thought that Hermione had no idea that she was being watched. Anyone else might have been oblivious, especially if they had the sort of focus on research that Hermione did; she, however, somehow knew Iris was there even before she'd entered the library. The moment she noticed the green-eyed witch, Hermione also knew that Iris had something she needed to talk about but was reluctant to bring up.

"Why don't you come sit down, Iris," she said without looking up. "When I'm finished with this part, you can tell me whatever it is that's bothering you so much."

A short time later, Hermione closed the book and set it aside, then turned to Iris. "I know you well enough to tell that whatever it is you have to say, you're not happy about it. Why don't you spit it out and get it over with."

"Right, then," Iris responded. "This goes back to when I took Stane down. Well, it goes back a lot further, but I said something to Stane that day which Tony heard, and he's argued that I should tell you as well."

Hermione's eyebrows rose at that — she hadn't expected anything involving Tony, much less Stane.

"You see, Stane challenged why I was there and interfering with him," Iris explained. "When I told him about you getting hurt, he claimed I was engaging in petty vengeance, and I explained to him — rather forcefully, as I recall — that there was nothing petty about my feelings. I believe my exact words were: 'I have battled and killed monsters for her. I have walked through fire for her. I have fought hordes of demons for her. In her name I have flown against dragons. I literally walked to my death and surrendered my life, all for her sake.' Neither he nor Tony took those words seriously. Well, you know what happened to him, and Tony has since reconsidered."

It was now Hermione's turn to do an impressive imitation of a fish. She had always known that Iris held her in high regard, even though it had been less than a year since she discovered that Iris had been in love with her — had possibly been in love with her for quite a few of their years at Hogwarts, in fact. It was also shortly after their reunion that she had learned that Iris had died at the final battle — voluntarily died and come back. However, despite Iris saying that she'd done it for her, she hadn't entirely believed that she'd done it for her personally, as opposed to doing it for all the people like her who'd fought against Voldemort. She certainly hadn't realized that Iris had, in her mind, done all of those things and faced all of those dangers specifically for her sake.

This new revelation put Iris' feelings in an entirely new category... one that Hermione wasn't sure she deserved. Indeed, she wasn't sure it was something that anyone could live up to.

"I... I..." she said, feeling at a complete loss for words. After what seemed like several hours, she collected herself and asked a question: "How long?"

"How long what?" Iris asked, confused.

"I know you love me, Iris, even though you haven't said the words," Hermione explained. "Your actions make it obvious." Iris blushed but didn't deny it. "So how long have you loved me?"

"That's... a hard question to answer. I didn't grow up in a home where I had a lot of models of loving relationships, and I certainly wasn't loved myself, so it was a long time before I felt I could understand what love is — especially any sort of romantic love. Through most of our time at Hogwarts, if anyone had asked me about my feelings for you, I wouldn't have been able to describe them as love. It's only looking back and thinking about my actions and feelings that I'm able to say anything."

Hermione nodded, not the least bit surprised.

"I certainly felt something first year, though it was probably only friendship because I didn't have romantic thoughts about anyone, boys or girls. However, I did want to live up to your expectations. I had never wanted anyone to be proud of me before you. ...Well, OK, I did with the Dursleys, once; but when I proudly showed off my good grades I was beaten for having cheated and done better than Dudley. So other than that, you were the first, and that meant a lot to a scrawny, scared, eleven-year-old kid."

Hermione reached out and took Iris' hand, knowing that this was difficult for her to talk about.

"I think my feelings started to coalesce in second year," Iris continued, "though again, I wasn't having romantic feelings about anyone, and I couldn't have described myself as preferring girls over boys. I was, however, outraged that you had been petrified, and even at the time it seemed that my reaction was a bit too strong if you were simply my friend. Looking back, I'd say it was definitely over the top; so while I may not have understood what romantic attraction was, I think I must have been feeling it... or at least something close."

"It was in third year that I think my feelings for you started to be conscious," Iris then said, "but only at the end. After all the adrenaline surrounding rescuing Sirius, feeling your arms wrapped around me as we rode Buckbeak was incredible. It was a whole new rush; and while at the time I didn't understand that rush, I knew I liked it and wanted more. Again, I don't think that at the time I could have called it a romantic or sexual attraction, but I knew it was physical, and I knew that I wanted more than friendship. I was not, however, confident enough to say anything, so I tried to be content with what you gave me."

Iris paused, then said, "Just out of curiosity, what would you have done if I had said anything?"

It was Hermione's turn to blush, and she hesitated a moment before saying, "Honestly, I might have been willing to try for something more than friendship at that point. I'm not sure it would have gone well because I knew nothing about relationships, what I might want from a romantic relationship, or what to do with another girl; but at the time I was definitely feeling something more. Like you, I wouldn't have been able to easily identify it, but I knew that it was more than simple friendship."

"You're right — as inexperienced as we were, we probably would have bollixed up any attempt at a romance," Iris agreed with a sad smile. "However, that doesn't mean I won't have dreams about how it might have been if I had said something."

Hermione mutely nodded, agreeing with the sentiment.

"After that, my feelings grew. Fourth year was important because of how much you helped me, and I even felt my first pangs of jealousy as I watched you dance with Krum."

"You were jealous?" Hermione asked, a little surprised.

"Very," Iris responded. "And what's more, I knew it. I didn't quite understand why I'd be jealous because I hadn't figured out that some girls like other girls instead of guys. It was all so foreign to me. Anyway, I don't think it was until we were alone in the tent during the Horcrux Hunt that I was able to finally identify my feelings for you as romantic and sexual. Boy, what a surprise that was when I first realized it and admitted it to myself! I alternated between being happy that so much about myself suddenly made sense and shocked that I not only liked girls, but you in particular. My best friend."

Iris sighed. "Unfortunately, you were already involved with Ron, and I wasn't about to intrude on that. It wasn't exactly the best time and place for a sexual awakening or to come out of the closet. Yet even if I had been a guy, I wouldn't have done anything — it would have seemed like too much of a betrayal of both of you."

Hermione nodded. "I understand — I'm not surprised that you'd feel that way. However, if you had made any move or sent any signal, I might have responded positively, even then. The stress and living situation would have made it hard to think about such things, but at the same time I think I would have welcomed any expression of love and affection — and would have returned it happily, especially since I'd long had suppressed feelings for you. I think I understood my feelings before you understood yours, but since I never saw any indication that you weren't straight, I kept my emotions bottled up."

"What a pair we are," Iris said as she gently stroked Hermione's hand. After a moment, she added, "So, that's your answer to your question."

"I never had any idea that your feelings were so strong or went so deep. And you did all of those things... because of me? I mean, me personally?"

Iris nodded. "I didn't risk my life to save an abstract ideal of 'Wizarding Britain,' nor did I do it to save a society that spent so much time ridiculing and attacking me. I had no roots in Britain, muggle or magical. The failure of muggle authorities to protect me from the Dursleys ensured that I had no loyalty to muggle society or government. Dumbledore keeping me isolated from wizarding society ensured that I never developed any attachment or loyalty there. I was indifferent to both, and under other circumstances, I would have been as willing to fight and die for them as I would for any country you might randomly pick off of a map."

"Which was not at all," Hermione surmised.

"Exactly. Avenging my parents played a role in what I did. Protecting my very, very few friends did as well. But none of that would ever have been enough for me to keep pushing past normal limits... to keep fighting against all odds. None of it was enough to walk out into the Forbidden Forest and let Riddle kill me without my lifting a hand in self-defense. You, however, were. You always were. I walked out there in the expectation that I was ensuring your survival and future, and that was enough. I didn't think that I had any chance at a future with you, so I was willing to do whatever it took to create a positive future for you."

Hermione started quietly crying, overwhelmed by the revelation. Iris, feeling no less affected, put her arm around her, and Hermione leaned into her for comfort. Thus they held each other for a time, both struggling to come to terms with memories — and feelings — they had long thought buried.

After that, Hermione was no longer in the mood to do research, so they headed to the kitchen for some ice cream — a tried-and-true method of coping in the aftermath of such heavy emotional upheaval.

Before they could dig in, though, JARVIS had a message for Hermione. "Miss Granger, there is a news report matching one of the parameters you told me to monitor for."

"Can you put it on the kitchen TV?" Hermione asked.

"I'm already routing the signal to your location," the computer AI responded. Immediately, the two witches were watching a live news report from Virginia where it appeared that a massive green monster was battling military troops.

"...that's right, Jim, we're still waiting on word about casualties, but we have heard from several people who claimed to be eyewitnesses to a massive explosion involving at least two military vehicles with multiple passengers as well as numerous soldiers who had been standing nearby."

In the background of the shot, the two witches could see what looked like the remains of several military vehicles, all burning.

"Thanks, Holly. For those of you just joining us, we're reporting on an unusual incident that is still going on in Willowdale, Virginia. Some sort of large, green beast has been locked in a fight with U.S. troops on the campus of Culver University. The exact nature and origin of this beast is completely unknown, but it seems to be impervious to bullets and explosions — everything that the military has fired at the thing has bounced off."

"Jim... Jim, are you seeing this?"

"We're switching to you now, Holly — can you describe what's going on?"

The picture suddenly changed from the anchor in the studio back to the reporter in the field. The camera was zoomed to its max, showing an unclear image of a large, green creature bent over in the middle of a field.

"I'm not sure, but it looks like a woman is trying to talk to the beast and... Oh, my God!"

"Are you alright, Holly?"

Iris and Hermione watched as a large fireball engulfed the green creature.

"I'm fine, Jim, but... a helicopter started firing on the two, then the beast threw something at the helicopter, bringing it down. The helicopter almost crashed into the creature and the woman, but the creature protected her, I think. Both were caught in the explosion, then the green creature walked away with her in its arms."

"Were there any casualties from the explosion, Holly?"

"I can't tell from this far away, Jim, but it's hard to see how anyone in that helicopter could have survived the crash. I'm surprised that more people on the ground weren't killed."

"Thanks, Holly. On the line we have General Stanley Lieber, retired, U.S. Army. General Lieber, thanks for joining us today. Can you tell us what you think has happened today at Culver University?

"Juvenile delinquents, obviously, Jim. Products of a permissive society, liberal education, and comic books. And LSD, too, probably. 'Nuff said."

Iris muted the volume, leaving the picture on in case something new happened.

"It's the Hulk!" Hermione whispered.

Iris' head whipped around to look at Hermione. "Where did you hear that name?" she asked.

"I, uh, well, I..." Hermione stammered. "Oh, sod it. I saw it on a file in Nick Fury's office when he talked to me a few months ago."

"Oh?" Iris asked, raising one questioning eyebrow. "Did you go and rifle through his desk or something?"

"No!" Hermione responded, scandalized. "I'd never do such a thing. He left me alone so he could take care of something, and while he was gone, someone else came in and left a file. I got curious and... well, I kind of looked at it."

"Which is oh-so-much better," Iris observed dryly as she started to dish out some chocolate ice cream.

Ignoring Iris' comment, Hermione continued, "It was fascinating. There was stuff in there that I thought might let me help you — you know, questions involving control."

"Really?" Iris drawled. "Nick Fury accidentally left you alone in his office with a classified file — a file which coincidentally might have implications for me?"

Rolling her eyes dramatically, Hermione said, "Oh, please, Iris. I knew it was a setup. The S.H.I.E.L.D. agent they had drop off the file wasn't exactly the best actor. I'll admit that I didn't see the setup immediately — I was too curious about the file to think carefully about what was going on. Later, though, when thinking about the whole incident, I realized what must have happened."

"Well, that's something at least. You had me worried there for a minute. The Hermione Granger I grew up with wouldn't have been quite so easily fooled."

"Do you think Fury will be upset that I saw through his ruse?"

"Pfft. He may be a little disappointed if his hard work goes to waste, but if anything he'll be more impressed with you. If he does want you to head up W.A.N.D., he'll be happier that you can see through plots and lies."

"He'll have to try harder if he wants to trick me into joining S.H.I.E.L.D.," Hermione muttered.

"Trick you?" Iris responded as she set two bowls of ice cream on the table. "He wasn't trying to trick you, Hermione. He was trying to tempt you."

"You don't think that's the same thing?" Hermione asked, a little offended.

"Not if you're being tempted by legitimate bait that you'd be given access to if you joined," Iris replied. "You could complain that he tried to fool you into thinking that you saw the file accidentally, but he didn't try to fool you into joining — that would only happen if you found the material in the file interesting enough that you wanted more, but then were denied access to once you did join."

Hermione nodded grudgingly. "OK, so he was simply being Slytherin in his approach. I guess I can accept that. I'm not exactly happy about being set up like that, but I can think better of him if he wasn't trying to trick me."

"So," Iris said, shifting the topic of discussion, "what did you think of the Hulk?"

"It seems like an incredibly tragic thing to happen to a nice man," Hermione said. "And it's made all the worse by the fact that the military keeps chasing him instead of leaving him alone." After a moment, she added, "I'd love to meet him some time. He sounds fascinating."

"You have a crush?" Iris asked teasingly.

"No!" Hermione said quickly, though there was a slight hint of a blush. "I think he's fascinating — someone so smart and driven yet who has such a bestial alter-ego which comes out when he's angry. It's very... Freudian."

Iris nodded in agreement. "And why do you think it relates to me?"

Hermione looked a little uncomfortable but pressed on. "Well, you are concerned about your ability to control yourself once you get going and start using powerful magic. Dr. Banner has a similar problem. If anything is found that can help him, it might not help you as well because you two have different background issues. No treatment for gamma radiation would help you. However, any techniques that he or others develop to help him stay calm and in control might work for you as well."

"It's a possibility, but I wouldn't get your hopes up too high on that. Banner has been trying for a long time to keep his rage under control, and he has only ever found temporary success."

"Yes, I saw that in his file," Hermione said, "but I won't be giving up on you so easily. I know that I've been focusing on Tony these past few months, but I haven't forgotten you, and I'm not going to ignore your problems."

"Thanks," Iris said with a smile. "I appreciate it."

"And, to be perfectly honest, helping you might mean helping me as well," Hermione added.

"Oh? Is something wrong?"

"Not wrong, exactly," Hermione answered slowly. "But... well, I'm not sure what's going on. I haven't said anything because it hasn't been an actual problem, and I haven't had time to investigate it. But now that Tony's problem is closer to being solved, I can shift some of my attention to this." Iris gestured impatiently for Hermione to get to the point, so she continued, "When you tried to heal me, you might remember that I said I not only felt better, but a bit stronger, too? Well, that feeling has persisted — in fact, it might have increased a bit, though I'm not sure."

"Stronger? Do you mean magically?"

Hermione nodded. "I don't know if I am because I haven't been able to test it. If I am, I'm not sure why I am, or what it might have to do with you since we don't even understand what's going on with you in the first place," she finished helplessly. Then she sighed and took a bite of ice cream. "I don't know what's going on, but I'm finding more and more things I need to investigate."

Just then, Tony came charging in with a bunch of large pieces of wood. A few minutes later, he went back outside, then returned with more of the same.

"Tony," Hermione said. "do you need any help?"

"Nope!" he called back. "I'll be in my lab for the next... few days, probably. Maybe a couple of weeks. No visitors!" And with that, he was gone.

Iris and Hermione looked at each other, both a little worried, but Hermione assured Iris that this wasn't all that unusual for Tony and that if they didn't see him after five days, they'd take a look to make sure he was still alive. In the meantime, Iris decided to start working with Hermione to determine if she was a bit more powerful — and if so, how to use that power.

Malibu, California. August 25, 2009.

Five days later, Hermione had joined Tony, leaving both Iris and Pepper annoyed because neither of them could readily contribute to whatever was going on down there — a fact they were reminded of bluntly every time they tried. The best they could do was make sure that a steady supply of coffee from the kitchen and pizza from Tony's favorite take-out joint was delivered to the lab.

This did give them a chance to talk and get to know each other, however, and was something much easier to do alone. Pepper was eager to talk because in the wake of her emotional conversation with Tony — something she thanked Iris for pushing him to do — she and Tony had grown much closer. They had, in fact, progressed to the point where Tony had started admitting his feelings for Pepper, though not without more than a little prodding.

They were taking things slowly, in no small part because Pepper had to be tolerant of Tony's tendency to get obsessed with this or that project and disappear for days. Normally she'd talk to Hermione about it... except that Hermione could be as bad as Tony when it came to her projects, and right now, she was down there with him.

"We're like the relationship equivalent of football widows," Iris observed ruefully.

Eventually even Hermione was kicked out of the lab too. Apparently Tony was willing to share his playroom and toys for only just so long, though Hermione didn't look too put-out by it. When Iris talked to her about it later in private, the brunette witch explained that they had gotten to a point where it was getting more and more difficult for her to help without revealing how her magic and the arc reactor energy interfered with each other.

"So what were you doing before that?" Iris asked.

Hermione took a sip of tea before answering, happy to have gotten away from the black, bitter American drink that Tony preferred. "The starting point was discovering that his father had left a message for him — a message and a bit more of a legacy. Apparently, Howard Stark understood the flaws in the arc reactor technology, but lacked the means to overcome them, even though he had a good idea of how to do it. Hidden in the model of the old Stark Expo was a diagram of a new element — an element that Howard thought would do a better job of powering an arc reactor."

Iris was surprised. She'd often heard Fury praise Howard Stark and his vision, but apparently Tony's father was even cleverer than they realized. "I'll bet that stung a little," she observed, "that his father knew both the problem and the solution long before he did."

"A bit, but Tony doesn't like to talk about that part, for some strange reason."

"Were you able to help with that?"

"Indirectly," Hermione answered. "Tony needed a small particle accelerator to start creating this element. That would have been a major job all by itself, but with careful use of magic I was able to cut the time down a lot. I also needed to add quite a few runes to the accelerator to help ensure that the element would be stable enough to use. While he started working on that, I investigated how magic might be useful in assisting with the final design."

"Wait, wouldn't the energy from the arc reactor interfere with magic?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes, if done in the wrong place. Remember, though, that the arc reactor doesn't leak energy. What I mean is, there's no electrical charge in the reactor's housing. So long as I employ magic outside the components which create and release energy, then insulate the magic from any energy released into the environment, it should be fine." She took another sip of tea. "Of course, that left me with little space to work in."

"Like that's ever stopped you before, Miss Beaded Bag," Iris said with a grin.

"You know me too well," Hermione said, returning the grin. "The first thing I did was create a small space expansion charm, one tied to a rune etched into the metal housing and then insulated from any outside energy. Tony almost cried when I showed him how much more of the new element he'd have to create. After that I etched in more runes to provide stability, health, and protection from radioactivity, "

Iris frowned, noticing a glint in Hermione's eyes. "Then what? You did something else."

"Well, I know you didn't take Arithmancy," Hermione responded slowly, "but you do know that three is a magically and arithmantically significant number?"

"You didn't!" Iris whispered hoarsely.

"Three slots instead of the one, with specialized runes at each point of the triangle!" Hermione crowed. "Tony did break down and cry when I showed him that, but Jarvis agreed with me that it would be far more powerful than Tony's original design, or even the modified design with a single, enlarged slot for the new element." At this point Hermione's expression became almost sad. "That was yesterday. As soon as he recovered from the blow, he threw me out, complaining that he didn't want me around 'improving' things anymore."

Iris laughed so hard that it took hours for Hermione to stop pouting.

Harlem, New York City, USA. August 29, 2009. 5:45 PM.

The cracking and shifting under his skin was painful, but he would endure. He needed to endure for a little bit longer.

At one time, he had been known as Emil Blonsky. That was what his mother and father had called him, first in Russia where he was born and then later in England, where his family moved to. For years he had served Britain as a professional soldier. He had dedicated his life to fighting the good fight in defense of his adopted nation. He was one of the best of the Royal Marines — so good, in fact, that he was regularly chosen for difficult and dangerous operations around the world.

The fighting had taken its toll on his body and his mind, but he never gave it up — not even when repeatedly offered promotion. Other soldiers his age accepted promotion or early retirement. Or they simply left the service, moving into easier jobs. But not Blonsky. He was a warrior — he lived to fight. In fact, over the years, he had slowly become more and more obsessed with the fight for its own sake, regardless of the cause or reason.

He screamed. Now things were pushing out through his skin — sharp, unnatural things. The ripping and tearing were excruciating, unlike any pain he'd ever experienced before. Not even when the Hulk kicked him into that tree at Culver University and shattered every bone in his body did he suffer this much agony.

General Ross had given him the opportunity to improve himself by offering an injection of an experimental Super Soldier serum which made him stronger and faster. He would have been happy with a body like what he'd had ten years ago, but he had been gifted with a superior body that launched him well beyond what any normal soldier would ever be capable of. He didn't like Ross, though, and probably should have remembered that before accepting the man's "help."

The serum helped him fight the Hulk, but it hadn't been enough. He still lost. The serum helped his body recover from the beating the Hulk had given him, but it still wasn't enough.

Blonsky felt his bones thickening and lengthening. He was growing taller and denser, with new muscles and even new bones taking their places along his body.

He couldn't stand being beaten. Even worse, the Hulk had beaten him without even trying. Blonsky was quicker and more agile due to the serum, but he had been beaten with a single, almost negligent, kick to the chest. In the instant between the kick and blacking out after hitting the tree, Blonsky had realized that he'd never stood a chance. He'd only been fooling himself that the serum would do the trick.

It wasn't enough, but now he had a chance for more... oh, so much more. Whatever it was that had turned Banner into the Hulk, he was getting it now: a gamma ray burst like Banner received so many years ago, this one courtesy of Dr. Samuel Sterns. The man had required a little... persuading, but he knew better than to resist for long.

With a final scream, he ripped apart the bindings that kept him strapped to the table and stood up, marveling at how much bigger he was now. Looking down at himself, he saw the power and resilience that were there now. He also sported a compliment of spikes that jutted out from different parts of his body. This is a body made for fighting — for war, he thought. It's exactly the sort of body I've always needed. Now I am finally what I always should have been!

Shoving aside equipment that was hampering him, Blonsky... or the creature that used to be Blonsky... pushed his way over to a window and leapt out into the night, looking for something to destroy.

Flushing Meadows, New York. August 29, 2009. 6:00 PM.

Pepper, Iris, and Hermione all sat together in the audience, waiting for Justin Hammer's presentation at the Stark Expo to begin. Pepper was there as a representative of Stark Industries and because she thought it was appropriate to show support for a colleague. Iris was there because she didn't like or trust Hammer — and because Tony was still locked up in his lab, so she might as well be useful here. That didn't make her any happier about it.

"Remind me again why we had to come here," Iris whinged.

"Because it's good publicity to show support like this," explained Hermione. "And because you woke up this morning with a funny feeling and wanted to be here, 'just in case.'"

"That doesn't explain why you're here, though," Iris pointed out.

"I'm supporting both of you," Hermione said, starting to get a little annoyed.

Pepper watched the two witches out of the corner of her eye, wondering if they were always like this. Suddenly, the lighting changed, signalling that the show was about to begin. When Justin Hammer walked out, Iris said, "I still don't like him. Something about this guy hacks me off."

"Ssshh!" hissed Pepper.

"If he presents a system that actually works, it'll be a miracle," Hermione pointed out.

"Doesn't he remind you of an especially sleazy used car salesman?" Iris asked.

"Ssshhh!" hissed Pepper again.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I have for you today a new face for America's military: the Hammer drone."

"Hammer drone?" asked Iris. "Sounds like a painful medical condition."

Everyone oohed and aahed as similar looking drones for each branch of the military rose up from underneath the stage. They all looked impressive and dangerous.

"Didn't I see a movie recently about killer robots?" Hermione asked. "I'm pretty sure it turned out badly for everyone involved."

"Will you two shut up?!" cried Pepper in exasperation. "I can't take you anywhere!"

Iris and Hermione looked at each other, then turned back to Pepper and stuck out their tongues in perfect unison. Pepper just tsked and rolled her eyes before turning her attention back to the stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Justin Hammer announced again, "I have the honor of presenting to you today the first-ever prototype of the Variable Threat Response Battle Suit, piloted by Air Force Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes!" Again from underneath the stage rose Rhodey wearing the spare Iron Man suit which he had taken from Tony on his birthday.

"Well, that looks familiar," observed Iris.

"Very," Hermione said dryly. "With a little more firepower," she added, eying the arms and shoulders now bristling with additional weaponry.

"If they were designed by Hammer, it's more like a fire hazard," Iris responded.

"Tony was being an ass!" Pepper pointed out.

"Right," Iris said, "and that completely justifies taking his toys to his closest and most annoying competitor!"

Pepper shook her head; she had mostly forgiven Tony after he admitted to what had been going on with him, but she still held a grudge over how he'd behaved on his birthday.

"Do you think S.H.I.E.L.D. will ever buy equipment from Hammer?" asked Hermione.

"On the day I quit," Iris declared.

All of a sudden, Tony flew into the pavilion in what appeared to be an upgraded Iron Man suit and immediately landed on stage. None of the women could hear what he was saying to Rhodey, nor what he next said to Hammer — though that second conversation didn't appear to be friendly. One thing that was obvious to Iris was the triangle of light on the suit's chestpiece — the new arc reactor that Hermione had managed to improve, much to Tony's consternation.

Then, before anyone could react, Rhodey's suit started targeting Tony, who immediately launched himself into the air and left the pavilion, thus moving any potential fight away from all of the civilians.

"This is what I was afraid of," Iris said. "Hermione, stick to Pepper and keep her safe. I need to get out there." Hoping that the panicking muggles weren't paying any attention to her, she ducked down between the other two women, twisted, and apparated with a pop — presumably to a pre-planned position, Hermione expected. With all of the panic and screaming around them, it was unlikely that anyone would notice or remember.

Grabbing Pepper's arm, Hermione said, "Come on, we need to get to safety."

That was when all hell broke loose.