A/N: I'm so glad y'all like this so far! Just a reminder that while Tony has more purpose at this point in his life, he's still Tony lmao. Fair warning for any strict lovers of Magical Britain in this chapter.
i.
The only good thing about moving to London is that cousin Sharon comes with them. Aunt Peggy and Uncle Michael had mentioned wanting Sharon to experience her family's home country, and so Hermione finds herself across the pond with her best friend in tow.
It's not so bad. There's lots of history in Britain, and Hermione has always been excited at the prospect of learning new things.
Tony doesn't join them on their first outing. Hermione is slightly disappointed, but she doesn't let it distract her. She knows whatever he's doing is important, and he'll tell them once he's back.
ii.
The Magical community in London had been laughably easy to find, actually.
Tony had brought along the second-generation magic detector he'd created, and unlike the water above 13th Avenue in New York, there is no such natural dampener for the Magical areas in London.
Edwin Jarvis escorts him and Hermione to the Ministry of Magic first. Tony had waited and watched the area, only entering the dingy red telephone booth after a third person had entered the box and never reappeared.
And really? The extent of their security for the entrance was the code M-A-G-I-C using the telephone keypad?
Tony was not impressed with Magical Britain yet.
He is slightly more impressed by the sight of the Atrium when they exit the telephone booth, several stories below ground.
iii.
Hermione falls back into her "Stark spare" persona as Tony leads them across the opening hall of the Magical Ministry. She can see some people staring at them curiously. It makes sense, considering the three of them are not clad in robes like the majority of those present within the hall. Tony had instead dressed them like wealthy Magicals from the States (which, Hermione supposed she was a wealthy Magical from the States), while the Magicals in Britain seem to jump straight from the pages of her books on fairytales.
Tony flashes a winning smile at the man seated behind the security desk. "My sister and I have recently moved to London. I would like to speak to someone about clearing our immigration process."
The words don't seem to fully register with the man as he sighs and flicks through a booklet in front of him. "You'll want level five: Department of International Magical Co-Operation," he replied in a monotone. "Ask for Bertha Jorkins."
Tony guides her to the entrance and another man, this time decked in plum-colored robes, stops them.
"Sir, miss: I'm afraid I must ask you to produce your wands for registration. It's standard procedure for all guests."
Hermione looks up at him with wide, innocent eyes and a bright smile.
"I don't have my wand yet, sir! I'm only nine. And my brother's wand broke during our travels… You wouldn't happen to know where we could replace it? I read all about the high-quality wands that come from Britain!"
Tony coughs something under his breath that sounds suspiciously like "flatterer!" but Hermione's distraction has worked, and the man waves them through after directing them to Ollivander's in Diagon Alley.
An adventure for tomorrow, perhaps.
iv.
Their visit to Diagon Alley is more troubling than Tony ever imagined.
He sees the way the goblins (goblins!) in the bank are treated by some of the finer-dressed denizens. He sees how Knockturn Alley is shadier than any black market Stark Industries weapons end up in, and how there is no restriction on who can enter.
He finds a history book detailing the war that ended nearly a decade ago, and the words on the pages have his blood run cold.
There are not just Magicals and non-Magicals here in Britain. There are purebloods (Tony cringes at the genetic implications that go along with that), half-bloods, and muggle-borns that make up the Magical population, with Squibs and Muggles that are strictly non-Magical. There is a Statute of Secrecy that calls for the mind-erasure of muggle-borns and their families if they do not attend the one Magical educational institution on the island.
There was a war where skull-masked bigots murdered muggle-borns and Muggles alike, all under the claim that muggle-borns– innocent children– had stolen magic and that Muggles were inferior to Magicals.
Tony wonders if any British Magical has seen the results of a nuclear warhead.
His instinctive reaction is to pack up now and take Hermione home, back to New York and safety. The Magical communities in the States were in no way perfect but had no such threats to this scale that targeted his baby sister.
But even Tony can't go against his father at that scale. Hermione will be staying here, so Tony must adapt and learn how best to protect her.
He nearly purchases the entire history and politics section of the bookstore. Thank goodness for shrinking charms on shopping parcels.
v.
Diagon Alley would be overwhelming without Sharon at her side. As it is, Hermione hardly lets go of her cousin's hand, afraid of losing her in the crowds.
They make friends at the ice cream store – Fortescue's – and as children do, promise to become the best of friends.
The two youngest girls are very sweet, in Hermione's opinion. The elder girls– a blonde and brunette, like her and Sharon– are polar opposites, but even the brunette's brash attitude softens over the course of the conversation.
When Tony comes to fetch them, her new friends all stare at her brother with stars in their eyes.
Hermione sighs fondly. She's used to that reaction by now.
Daphne and Pansy both give her their contact information – "although we're cousins, so if you send it to one of us, the other will get it eventually," Pansy says with a wave of her hand– and bid her farewell. If they don't meet up, they'll at least see each other at Hogwarts!
It's a long way off, but Hermione finds herself excited nonetheless.
vi.
She's curled up by the fireplace after dinner when she first reads of Harry Potter. He's a young wizard around her age, and the history books credit him with the defeat of the dark wizard, self-titled Lord Voldemort.
Hermione doesn't understand how a toddler could defeat a terrorist.
Harry Potter intrigues her. The Magical community may be small, but it is tight-knit, and he has her family's level of fame within it. However, no one has known where he's been since that fateful night. The only statement made was from the headmaster of Hogwarts, who said the Potter heir was safe and hidden from those who wished vengeance.
Hermione finds it all smells fishy.
Nevertheless, she resolves to seek him out once they begin school. She knows how difficult fame can be. It's nice to have a friend to weather through it all with you.
vii.
Tony forges a pamphlet about Hogwarts and slips it in amongst the other boarding schools Maria Stark looks at for her daughter. She is in it for appearances, not for Hermione's sake later on in networking, but for her own.
Tony grits his teeth and stays up, creating more fake information packets throughout the night.
viii.
The media calls them the Stark Prodigy and Stark Darling.
Tony enjoys watching his sister grow more confident in her image, but despairs over the way she learns to hide herself behind a mask like he does. At the same time, he does his best to bride the photographers to focus on him instead of her. The less recognizable she is, the less trouble she will have at Hogwarts. He wants her to thrive in her identity as an American abroad, not with a target on her back as a muggle-born.
ix.
He thinks Aunt Peggy knows more than she lets on.
He knows that she knows more than she lets on when she sits down with them and the Jarvises and presents them with a stack of documents: all a forged identity for Hermione.
"You know I was in the SSR with your father," she tells them, face devoid of any levity. "We worked on many… unconventional projects from different sources. The memory of World War II is still fresh here, and I believe it best you do not enter this new… school with the Stark name attached. Not when we can't watch over you as easily."
Neither Stark complains. They'd been informed of the other reason they'd moved to London on such short notice. There had been an assassination attempt on their father. They will not argue against the need for Hermione's safety.
"Who will I be?" Hermione asks. Tony is so proud of his brave little sister, of the way she fights to keep her voice steady, but he wishes she did not need to be.
Peggy Carter gives her a small smile and lifts the top folder from the pile. "Hermione Jean Granger. There was a…" She hesitates but then pinched the bridge of her nose and sighs. "There was a wizard, Hector Dagworth-Granger, who acted as our liaison with Magical Britain during the war. Their conflict was more intertwined with ours than we'd like many to believe. Hector's brilliant– worked in tandem with Howard on a few creations, actually, and created a scientist's guild to have an excuse to cross borders. Regardless, he agreed to have you use the cadet family name for your protection."
Tony leans forward. "Why hasn't our dad ever mentioned this?"
Aunt Peggy's expression is grim. "I believe you've heard of the Statute of Secrecy."
Hermione gasps. "They wiped his memory?"
"The work was done in Britain, so yes, Magical Britain had jurisdiction."
"Why not you?" Tony asks, growing warier with each information bomb the woman drops on them.
"First, I am a British citizen, so my oaths and his are sworn to the same head of state." She purses her lips. "Second… SHIELD has liaisons between most governments. Someone had to remain in contact with the British Ministry of Magic."
Tony's fingers curl into a fist as he listens to Peggy Carter continue her explanation into his sister's new identity.
He learns a valuable lesson that day: trust no one… except Hermione.
x.
Hope Van Dyne convinces her family to take an extended vacation to England to visit their satellite office. It returns Hermione's bright, carefree smile to the world.
Tony pulls strings to have Hope and Sharon receive internships in England for all of the following summers. He won't have his sister go without her non-Magical friends.
Hermione finds out somehow. She always does.
Her hugs makes it all worth it.
xi.
Tony hates seeing his sister holding her dainty British wand. He knows she needs it, for safety's sake. Having a staff will draw too much attention to her, especially in a Magical community that appeared so xenophobic that they refused to accept help from other countries during their blood purity war.
Vine wood and a dragon core heartstring. What better way to prove that his sister had an inner fire.
xii.
King's Cross is officially Tony's least favorite place in England.
He stands on the platform, arm slung around Hermione's shoulders as Sharon hugged her on the other side. There are people of all sorts crammed onto the platform, but the one thing they have in common is they are there to see off the Magical children in their lives.
He won't see Hermione until Christmas holidays. It's like a repeat of his college years. He hates it.
Ever since Sharon– ever since Hermione– Tony's swore to be their protectors. He is their big brother.
Hogwarts: A History had informed him that there was a village only for Magicals right outside of Hogwarts' walls. Tony's newest goal was to become the first non-Magical to move to the town. Perhaps he could sponsor a store filled with Magical gifts from the Americas… now that was an idea.
But for now, he cherishes the few moments he has left with his baby sister before she boards that red train and leaves for the next few months.
He holds her a bit tighter.
xiii.
Howard and Maria Stark die in a car crash on December 16, 1991.
Hermione Granger is sent home through the Headmaster's floo connection the next morning.
Hermione Stark stands next to her brother and holds his hand at the funeral several days later.
Both their eyes are dry.