Author Notes: May 9th, 2021
Hey guys! Another chapter in the books! I can't believe that I was actually able to stick to an upload schedule. Let's hope I can keep this up because I really don't want to keep you guys waiting for chapters.
As always I have to give credit to my Beta's Rhi my editor who fixes all my fuck ups and Luke our marvel expert. The Doc Brown to my Marty McFly, the Chewbacca to my Hans Solo, the Chandler Bing to my Joey Tribbiani. (Yes, I will keep adding more every week because Luke HATES it).
Now time for me to respond to any questions or comments from the last chapter. If you have any questions or comments that you think should be shared in the comments. Do it!
Ninjettey: I guess we'll just have to see about that. He definitely will find out about the scar soon, but Hermione might not tell Tony the truth about how she got it. But you know what they say, the truth comes out eventually
Fatalromance: It may happen in the future. However I don't know if i'll bring Happy with Hermione to Hogwarts. I haven't decided yet. What do you guys think?
CallaRose4Ever: Who knows anything is possible? But whatever does happen I really do want Steve and Hermione to be really close, almost like siblings.
LoganLeit: That's why it's call fanfiction. I believe that you meant to say "getting touchy with Hermione". But I believe that in this specific instance, Minerva wouldn't care. Her student has just lost her parents and needs someone to be there with her. I like to believe it was how she was with Sirius when she found out that his parents abused him and then disowned him. It's a side of Minerva rarely shown but in specific instances it does come out.
saralinn: OMG. When I told you I screamed when I saw your comment, I mean it. I mean I had to click on your profile to recongnize the fic you were referring too. But holy crap. Hermione Stark is a weekly read fic for me. I cannot believe that you actually read this fic. Sorry to fangirl like this but 'Spellbound' and "Hermione Stark" are literally some of the fics that inspired me to write this in the first place. So now that my fan girl rant is overwith, I would just like to say, thank and welcome to this fic.
Also I am still encouraging fanart for this fic because I really want to see it. Which brings me to my next piece of news…
WE HAVE AN INSTAGRAM!
It is called " . " and you can follow it right now. There isn't anything on it yet but I will post any art I create for the fic. Reference pictures will be available for things like Hermione's suit (If there is one) and I will also be posting song recommendations to listen to while listening to the fic! Honestly I don't know what I am going to post on it yet but I will have things posted on it soon. I should also say that this instagram won't be for just "A Stark Contrast" it will be for all of my present and future fics.
I do not own Marvel or Harry Potter. If I did I would be married to Sebastian Stan. Or Tom Hiddleston. Or Tom Holland. So that's all for right now. I hope you enjoy this chapter!
-Delaney
June 22nd, 2012 - London, England (4:03pm)
"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!"
Everyone in the room fell silent at Pepper's words. They had just exposed the wizarding world to a muggle. The two witches and Happy knew that would mean one thing for Pepper's future. Obliviation. Unless one of them could think of a reason why Pepper should keep her memories, Pepper wouldn't remember this conversation. Happy was confused as to why members of the ministry hadn't arrived with the obliviation squad. Hermione whispered to him that Professor McGonagall had the status to obliviate unsuspecting family members while informing muggleborns of their situation. The ministry wouldn't have gotten a notification about muggle obliviation since McGonagall was in the room.
"Minerva was it? Please don't do that to her, it will destroy Tony." Happy pleaded. He knew that Tony hated keeping things from Pepper. So he didn't. Unless it was for her safety. Tony saw the look of worry on Hermione and Happy's faces. He saw the apologetic look Minerva was sending his direction. He was missing something. Something big, what he was missing was anyone's guess.
"Please feel free to keep me in the loop here since it seems to be revolving around my girlfriend and myself." Tony said, irritation evident in his voice. He wasn't used to being out of the loop and it seemed like it was happening to him more and more today. Hermione and Happy looked at him with sad eyes.
"Muggles aren't supposed to know about us." Hermione said simply. She didn't want to be the one to have to tell him about this. "Ever since the Witch trials in the US, we've stayed hidden. We let everyone who knew about us die out and tell their tales. We became a myth or an urban legend. They only let children like me into the magical world about 100 years ago. Before that the children who had magic like me were killed or locked away, being thought of as products of the devil."
"Yeah kid I know, you and Minerva were kinda already explaining it before Pepper and Happy walked in." Tony said in a "duh" kind of tone. Hermione went to speak again, but Minerva held a hand up to silence her.
"It might be better coming from me dear." Minerva took a deep breath, walking closer to Tony and Pepper. "When muggles find out about us, we have to perform a spell on them so they will never be able to expose us. That is not just a rule amongst wizards Mr. Stark. It is the law."
Tony's face dropped and Pepper was once again pale as a ghost. Pepper didn't know what exactly was happening but the word "spell" didn't sound all warm and fuzzy. Tony didn't know what Minerva was talking about. He knew what spells were but he had no idea what they were capable of.
"Hold on...then why am I allowed to know about Hermione and not my girlfriend." Tony argued. "Also you aren't going to do a damn thing to Pepper. I don't care if it's the law, it's not my law."
"Not that I'm disagreeing with you Tony but it is kinda your law. In every wizarding community, we work with the muggle government. Whatever law we have regarding who knows about witches and wizards, is the same law you would have. It is a law in both the wizarding and muggle world. It just isn't easily found in texts. In fact the only person who would have enough clearance to know about us, is your president." Hermione explained shyly. He didn't want to insult Tony or Pepper, however she felt he deserved to know that Minerva had every legal right to do what was necessary to protect the wizarding world.
"So what the hell do you think you're going to do to her?" Tony wrapped his arm around Pepper pulling her close. Pepper nustled her head in his chest and wrapped her arms tightly around him. "And just what is this law?"
"The law of our world is that if a muggle discovers our secret, we must obliviate them." Minerva said sympathetically. Tony went to ask what this meant but Minerva held up a hand to him, the man reluctantly silenced himself. "Obliviation is where we erase a muggle memory of magic. Your partner will not remember anything to do with the reality of magic."
Tony scoffed angrily: So my daughter and I are just going to have to lie about who she is? If I ever got married to her I'd still have to lie? That's utter crap." The witches and squibs looked at each other. This did not go unnoticed to Tony. "What?" He asked, annoyed. He was sick of being left out of the loop.
"The law states that if the parent of a witch or wizard is engaged or married they have permission to know about the magical community." Hermione said softly, her voice far away in thought. "Unless of course, you have permission from the magical community to know about the magical world, getting permission from the ministry could take months…"
Happy looked at Tony. The billionaire was looking back at him smirking. Happy knew that look. It was the look that Tony Stark always had when he got an idea so crazy it just might work. It was the same look as when he decided to be Iron Man after his kidnapping.
"Tony no-" Happy started to say but Tony, being Tony, cut him off.
"Happy give me the box." Tony said, still smirking. He held out his hand in a "gimmie" fashion.
The 3 females in the room had so many mixed emotions. Pepper was confused as to what "the box" was. She was dealing with way too many things in her head. There were only a few things she was sure of at this moment. Firstly, Tony's daughter was a witch. Next, Happy's family were magical. Lastly, she wasn't supposed to know any of this. She would have to lose her memories of this entire conversation. Would she even remember coming into the hospital? Would she remember Hermione?
The old professor smiled. Minerva knew that Tony Stark was a smart man. She knew that he might figure out a way around the obliviation law. Whether or not his partner would agree to it was another thing entirely.
Hermione wasn't an idiot. She knew what Tony meant by "the box". She couldn't help but worry about what it would mean for her if Pepper agreed to Tony's plans. How did Pepper feel about her boyfriend suddenly having a teenage daughter? If Pepper didn't agree would Tony let her be obliviated? Or would she be obliviated and Tony be so resentful of his daughter that he refuses to take her home?
Happy seemed to notice the young girl's worried face and gave her a reassuring smile. He knew the young girl was worried but didn't know how to narrow down the reason. All he knew was that his girl needed reassurance right now. "At least this is a distraction from her parents," Happy thought, trying to be positive.
Happy sighed and pulled a small black velvet box from his suit pocket, he gave Tony a look asking, "You sure about this?" Tony was more sure than anything in his life. He took the box from Happy. The billionaire took a deep breath before pivoting away from Happy and walking towards Pepper. The redhead was still looking down at the floor, working everything out in her head.
Tony bent his knee is true proposal fashion. Happy was surprised, knowing Tony probably would've pulled out the ring, tossed it to her and said "we doing this?" Tony, still on his knee, gently grabbed one of Pepper's hands to grab her attention. Pepper looked up slowly and saw a rare smile instead of a smirk on Tony's face. Then Pepper noticed the box in his hands, and she gasped in shock.
"Tony-," Pepper started, she was in shock. Of course she remembered what the older women in the room had said. In order to keep her memories she and Tony had to be married. Of course she loved Tony and wanted to get married eventually but not under these circumstances.
"Pep, Virginia 'gross', Ms. Potts. I have carried this ring around since 2008. Well, I bought it then and Happy has been carrying it around for me ever since. When I came back from my kidnapping the first thing I saw when I got off the plane was you. You'd clearly been crying and it was at that moment I realized that you were so much more to me then my assistant. You are the one person who could always make the day better. The one person who is able to pull me out of the lab and make sure I take care of myself. I'm going to be clear right now, this is not the time nor the way I wanted to do this. However, I do not want to have to lie to you about what my daughter is. The law says we have to be married or engaged. Which means if you agree to this and allow me to become your husband, you can keep your memories. We can be engaged for whatever length of time you want. It can be a couple years from now or even decades."
Pepper understood now what Tony was thinking. They've only been dating a few months so this whole proposal was an insane idea even for him. Even though this whole engagement is for convenience, she knew that Tony meant every word he was saying.
"It's up to you. If you want to wait so we can have a real engagement and you're okay having your memories erased, then Hermione and I will just have to lie-"
"Tony, will you shut up?" Pepper interrupted, Tony silenced himself quickly. The few seconds it took her to continue her sentence was complete agony. He couldn't get any clues from the look on her face. Her expressions were blank. This was a rare feeling for Tony. Nervousness. It was something he hadn't felt in a long time. Tony inhaled a deep breath as Pepper began to speak. "I mean seriously, you haven't even opened the box so how in the world am I supposed to say yes?"
It took a moment for everyone to realise what Pepper had said. Tony abruptly stood up and looked deeply into Pepper's eyes.
"Really?" He asked in wonder. He looked in her eyes for any sign that this was a joke or a dream. Pepper had never seen Tony Stark this way before, all dreamy eyed. She couldn't help but tease him for it.
"Really Stark? Never took you as the sentimental type. Now come on, open the box, I need to see the size of the rock before I agree to anything." Pepper teased. That snapped Tony out of his trance. He rolled his eyes at her word, knowing that none of that mattered to Pepper. He opened the box, and Pepper gasped once again. The ring had a simple gold band, but in the centre was a huge oval shaped diamond, supported at the corners by small gold clasps. It sparkled brilliantly under the fluorescent hospital lights.
"So? What do you say Potts? Tie yourself to me forever?" Tony said, smirking. Pepper rolled her eyes.
"For someone so smart, Tony Stark, you are a big idiot." Pepper stated simply. "Yes, of course I'll marry you."
Tony only heard the phrase yes before he picked her up and spun her around in his arms. They were both smiling and out of breath before Tony before putting her down. He looked at her for a second, noticing the glossiness of her eyes before kissing her soundly.
Hermione didn't know how to feel seeing Tony kiss someone. Even though she only knew the man for a couple of hours, she felt very close to Tony. She felt a touch of guilt for the couple because even though they would've gotten engaged in the future, she was the reason for this sudden engagement. Her secret was already burdening another set of parental figures. She also felt guilty for beginning to form a relationship with her biological father and his fiance when the family who had raised her wasn't even in the ground yet. Even though she tried to stay strong so she didn't ruin this beautiful moment for Tony, she couldn't help but let the tears fall.
Happy noticed this and coughed loudly to get the attention of the couple. Tony and Pepper pulled back and immediately heard the sniffles of the young witch. Tony rushed over to console his daughter. Pepper couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of guilt. Here she was, newly engaged and kissing her fiance on the happiest day of her life. While this little girl sits in a hospital bed trying to cope with the loss of her parents. Pepper crossed her arms and looked at the ground in shame until she heard Tony's voice calling her over a few minutes later.
"Pep? Someone here wanted to meet you." Tony said softly. Pepper walked towards the hospital bed, her head lifting up with each step. She looked up to meet the young girl's eyes.
Hermione had calmed down at this point. She was never one for being consoled or pitied, however since meeting Tony she couldn't help but feel an understanding between the two of them. They had a connection, it all just fit so perfectly.
"Hi Ms. Potts and I'm Hermione. I apologize for ruining your engagement but wish you both all the best for the future." The young Brit said shyly, holding her hand out to shake the redhead's hand. Her eyes were still bloodshot from crying. This was the first real look Pepper had seen of her future step daughter. Pepper thought she was the cutest thing she'd ever seen. Pepper couldn't help but walk towards the girl and give her a much needed hug. Pepper pulled away after a few moments realising that Hermione might be uncomfortable.
"There is nothing to apologize for. After everything you've been through you have still been remarkably strong from what I've seen." Pepper said softly, before saying a bit more cheerfully, "And please don't call me Ms. Potts. It makes me feel old." She turned to Tony who was about to make some smart ass comment about her age. "Don't you dare Anthony Stark."
The young witch giggled softly at the redheads spunk. She would've had to warn Harry and Ron the same way in that situation. Hermione once again felt the same comfortable feeling she had with Tony, with Pepper. It was odd. Even though she hadn't known them both long, she knew they'd be in her life for a very long time. Hermione knew then that she didn't have to worry about Tony leaving her, because Pepper would never allow it. Tony and herself were just too similar and connected not to be in eachothers lives.
The corners of Minerva's mouth turned upwards slightly looking at the newly engaged couple and the young witch. She saw Happy walk towards her, also not taking his eyes off the newly formed "family".
"So, no obliviation?" Happy asked with a smile, already knowing the answer. Minerva smiled at the squib, she had a feeling this one would've been a Gryfindor or a Hufflepuff had he been granted the gift of magic.
"No, however I will have to interrupt soon as I have to find out what the plan is regarding Miss. Granger's future living situation and in turn, her future at Hogwarts." Minerva explained calmly. Internally however, she was selfishly hoping for Miss. Granger would return to Hogwarts. It was selfish to hope that she would stay to help Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley as well as the Order with what was to come. They would need all the help they could get and Miss. Granger is an invaluable asset.
On the other hand, Minerva felt the urge to inform Mr. Stark as to what had been happening during Miss. Granger's years at Hogwarts. She had grown attached to the young witch and enjoyed teaching her. Minerva wanted to ensure the young witches' safety. She saw what had happened to her previous students in the face of war, she didn't want the same fate to fall upon Miss. Granger. She knew that if she informed the young witches father of what his daughter has faced in the last several years, Minerva knew that he would withdraw her from the school. The young witch would be safe but Minerva feared that Mr. Potter would fail without Miss. Granger's guidance.
After what had happened in the Department of Mysteries a few weeks ago, Minerva wondered how Miss. Grangers would tell her father the tale of that scar. The old witch had a feeling that the young girl didn't want her father to know of what was happening in the wizarding world. Minerva understood that. It is what young Miss. Evans did. She had already lost her parents and didn't want to lose her sister too, no matter how estranged they'd been. Young Miss. Evans started a fight with her sister and disappeared into the wizarding world, never mentioning her sister again. It saved Petunia Evans' life. Minerva just hoped Miss. Granger wouldn't suffer the same fate as Miss. Evans.
Minerva coughed, catching the attention of Pepper, Tony and Hermione: "I hate to interrupt this beautiful reunion. However, we do need to discuss your living situation and education, Miss. Granger." The old witch said carefully not wanting to cause the young witch any more strain on her emotions.
Hermione's face shifted a bit. She had already thought about this since discovering the truth about her parentage. She wanted to go to America. At least for the summer. England just doesn't feel like home to Hermione anymore. Not without her parents. She didn't want to give up Hogwarts and she couldn't leave Harry. Not now, not after what happened in the DoM.
Tony sat beside Hermione and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close to him. He sat sort of half standing and half sitting on the hospital bed. Tony could tell she was thinking hard but he wanted her to know all of her options before making a decision.
"Hey," He said softly, pulling her away from her thoughts. "I just want you to know that there are options. I know you go to this fancy school in…" Tony realised then he didn't know where Hogwarts was.
"Northern Scotland." Minerva was quick to say.
"In Scotland," Tony said as he finished his previous thought. "But you can still go if you want. It's boarding school so you'd only stay with me during summer vacation and christmas holidays. During that time if you want I could come stay here with you at your house-"
"NO!" Hermione interrupted. She looked up at Tony from her bed, tears forming in her eyes. She could not go back to that house, it had too many memories. "I-I can't go back there. Not without them there. I want to go back to America with you."
Tony sighed, not in annoyance but in remembrance of his own folks death. He didn't set foot in that house for years after they died. He knew what she was feeling and he knew how to help, but he couldn't help but be reminded of his own grief for his parents. He was a little happy that he didn't have to stay in England almost 3 months out of the year. He didn't have anything against the country but he'd miss American food and lingo too much.
"That's okay. I'll get in contact with your parents,- Your parent's had a will right?" Tony asked, he knew it was a sore subject but he needed to help her come up with a plan. Getting the funeral together, packing, figuring out what to do with the house. Hermione nodded in confirmation to his question.
"It's in their office, top desk. They told me where it was in case…" She couldn't finish her sentence but refused to cry anymore. For today at least.
"Okay so I'll get in touch with the executor of their will. Do you have the keys to your house?" Tony asked his daughter trying to get all of the information in one go so it was less painful of a reminder.
"It should be with my stuff from the crash, they had their own set. I think the hospital may have bagged it all when I was checked in." Hermione answered while taking deep breaths to stay calm.
"I will go get those things for you Miss. Granger, I have the rest of the day off of Hogwarts business to help you anyway I can. Just give me a task Mr. Stark and I will help." Minerva offered. She told Albus that Miss. Granger needed her more than Hogwart or the Order today. Miss. Granger was a big help to Harry when Sirius Black was in the hospital after the battle at the DoM. Luckily he is recovered now and remains in hiding at Grimmauld Place. Minerva contemplated for a moment whether or not she should pay a visit to Mr. Potter so that Miss. Granger would have the same support as he did with his Godfather. But she decided that Miss. Granger didn't need him now, but she would after the funeral.
Tony turned to look at Hermione for a moment before asking: "I know this is a big decision but I'm sure your parents left you everything. Which means as far as the house goes, what do you want to do with it?"
Hermione had thought about this before Tony had even got here. She knew what was in her parents' will. Before she left for Hogwarts last term they told her that she would be getting everything. Their dentistry, the house, and all their valuables. She knew what she wanted to do and this is what she was good at, giving orders. She didn't even have to think before saying:
"Okay here's the plan. Professor McGonagall, Pepper and Happy are going to the front desk to get the belongings from the crash. I'll have Tony text you the address to my house. I want to get the will from the top drawer of my parents desk. You can scan the will and send it to Tony so he can call the executor. Professor, I want you and Pepper to pack up whatever you think I'd want from my room, basement, and the photo albums in the living room. Clothes, books, pictures, posters, everything. Happy, I am trusting you with this. In the will should be a code to a safe in my parents closet. I would like everything out of that safe. It is very important that you do this, it's filled with my mum's stuff and Grandma Peggy's old pictures."
"Pepper, once you and Professor McGonagall organize what I want to take with me, she can pack it with magic. If you could organize people to come to the house and close it up for the foreseeable future that would be great. I do have one more task if you wouldn't mind. I-I just can't bring myself to even think about it let alone do it." Hermione said finally taking a breath from giving orders.
Everyone in the room was stunned. They all knew this was probably her way or coping, so they went with it. Minerva started taking mental notes of her tasks while the rest of them made notes on their phones. Pepper, hearing the direct request, looked up from her phone. Usually she wouldn't since she was so used to looking at her phone while people gave orders. However she knew Hermione needed to see attentiveness for whatever she was about to ask.
"Yes?" Pepper asked, waiting for instructions.
"Are you able to organise the funeral?" Hermione asked quietly. Pepper stared at the girl in shock. Happy and Tony looked up from their phones. Hermione noticed the looks on their faces and began to ramble "My parents planned everything out and it's in their wills I just need someone to make the phone calls. You can totally say no, but I figure you organize and plan things for Tony all the time-"
Pepper sat beside Hermione on the bed and took one of the young witches' hands in her own, "It would be an honour. But are you sure you want me to do it?" Pepper asked the girl. Hermione nodded, Pepper was smiling internally at Hermione's response. She was happy that Hermione would place so much trust in her. Pepper had hope that in time Hermione would grow to see her as a friend or a godmother. Maybe even one day another mom.
"The only thing I need to add to the funeral guest list is some of my friends and their families from school. My parents weren't close to them but would understand that I need to see them before I leave for the summer. I can give you their names and since they all mostly live in magical communities Professor McGonagall can relay the information." Hermione told Pepper. The redhead opened a new note on her cellphone and gestured for Hermione to start listing off names. "Harry Potter, The Weasley Family there's about 7 of them if they all come, Remus Lupin, Nyphadora Tonks, Sirius Black but Professor please tell him not to put himself at unnecessary risk to attend."
Hermione took another moment before continuing: "I think that is it. I would like you there Professor if you aren't too busy. My parents never forgot the first time they met you. I always spoke highly of you so they were quite fond of you. They would've wanted you there.
Tony had been thinking about the guest list and didn't even think before asking: "What about Peggy? Or your cousin Sharon?" He remembered her mentioning them the first time he heard her voice not more than a few hours ago.
"I think my parents put them on the list. However I don't want to put Grandma Peggy at risk by flying her over here. I should call Sharon though, to let her know."
Tony grabbed the hospital phone from beside her bed and had Hermione write down the number for him.
"That should be it for now if you guys want to get started. If I remember anything specific I'll have Tony call you." Hermione told Pepper, Happy and Minerva. Pepper walked over to Tony to kiss him goodbye before heading out.
Tony typed in Sharon's number for Hermione and passed the phone to her. Tony sat in a chair by the hospital bed, he wanted to try to hack SHIELD and see if they knew anything about magic. Mostly out of curiosity and concern for his daughters safety. But also to see if he had actually one upped SHIELD when it came to knowledge of the unknown.
Sharon Carter - June 22nd, 2012 - New York City, New York (12: 53pm)
It was a normal day at SHIELD for Sharon Carter. She had plans to visit her grandmother Peggy after work. It had been about two weeks since her last visit and even though Peggy couldn't remember her often, she would be able to sense her own loneliness. Sharon had an uneasy feeling but chalked it up to a small bug going around the office. It wasn't until an unknown hospital's number called her personal line that she knew something was way off about today.
Sharon reluctantly picked up the phone, she was feeling slightly worried as to who was on the other line: "Hello?"
"Sharon?" A young british voice said as it came through the line. It was a broken and tired voice, but Sharon knew it was her cousin all the same.
That was when the gears in Sharon's head started turning. Why the hell was Hermione calling her from a hospital? Sharon didn't even know she was back from school yet. Her Aunt Helen always called after she picked up Hermione so that the two cousins could video chat and catch up. As far as Sharon knew, Hermione's school had no internet or cell service so she had to be home from school. But why wasn't it Aunt Helen calling?
Sharon could hear sniffing coming from the phone, Sharon knew from her cousin's cries that something was really, really wrong. Sharon was in the lobby of SHIELD headquarters at this point and knew she needed to get somewhere without cameras. This wasn't a conversation that needed to be overheard.
"Just give me a second Hermione. I have really shitty service right now, I'm trying to get somewhere with better reception." Sharon told her cousin, buying herself some time to get to a quiet alley. She heard Hermione mutter a soft 'okay' on the other end of the line.
Sharon walked out of the front doors of SHIELD, and quickly walked half a block away where she knew there was an empty alley. Sharon walked a couple of feet into the alley. Enough space where you wouldn't hear the traffic but close enough that she wouldn't be attacked by anything lurking in the alley. The blond leaned against the brick wall behind her casually, blending into the setting that would require a person to be in an alley. Internally however, Sharon was freaking out.
"Hermione? What's going on? Usually Aunt Helen calls me to let me know you're home, and why are you calling from a hospital?" Sharon questioned a little harsher than she meant. She was still in SHIELD interrogation mode. Before receiving this call Sharon had just finished an interrogation with a suspect SHIELD's been tracking for months.
That was when her cousin burst into tears, Sharon knew she was harsh but wasn't harsh enough to have caused Hermione to cry. Her cousin was a strong woman, SHIELD material if Grandma Peggy had her way. Her grandmother always had the thought that all Carter women should work for SHIELD. Something about a legacy and all that. But Peggy would never do that on anyone, hence why Aunt Helen is a dentist.
Sharon could hear a person, a male consoling Hermione in the background. Sharon didn't push for an answer on her questions. However, her fear for the worst was growing even more as the minutes went on. She could hear Hermione taking a couple deep breaths before hearing a shaky voice on the other end of the phone.
"Sharon? Are you still there?" Her cousin asked. It had been a long time and Hermione probably wondered whether or not her cousin had hung up yet.
"Yeah of course I am. Hermione, you're starting to scare me. What happened?" Sharon asked much calmer than that last time she asked. "Take as much time as you need."
"T-There was a crash. We were on our way back from school, m-mum was about to call you. T-Then this car came out of nowhere. I-I remember the lights of the ambulance…" Hermione's voice trailed off as she sniffled again.
"Hermione, is everyone okay? Aunt Helen? Uncle Dan?" Sharon asked. Hermione was clearly distraught and would need coaxing to get anything out of her right now.
"I'm okay. Really just a little banged up. But Mum and Dad t-they…" Hermione started but choked up before giving a response. Sharon knew then to begin fearing the worst. The blond could hear her cousin taking more deep breaths, the same voice of a man helping Hermione calm down. It took a couple more seconds but Sharon heard Hermione clear her throat before beginning once again. "T-The doctors said the crash did too much damage. T-That they weren't able to save them."
Sharon couldn't hear anything but the sobs Hermione let out after finishing her sentence. The blond couldn't think straight. She and her Aunt Helen were close. They had a phone call every Tuesday night unless Sharon was on a mission and had to cancel. Sharon would call everytime she went to see Grandma Peggy and ended up crying because her Grandmother could no longer remember her. Even though they hadn't seen each other in person in years, they had they're weekly calls and twice a month video chats.
Sharon's legs gave out beneath her as she crouched lower to the ground in case she passed out. She couldn't think straight, and the world around her started to blur. She realized Hermione was on the phone still, and she needed to support her. Sharon took one more deep breath before putting her thoughts together, trying to create a plan.
"Oh my god, Hermione I-I'm so sorry. I'm booking my flights the second I hang up." Sharon told her cousin. She didn't know how the hell she was going to convince Fury to give her time off on such short notice but Sharon knew one thing. She needed to be with her family right now.
"W-What about...work? O-Or Grandma Peggy, she needs you right now. She needs to be told that her daughter is…" Hermione began to ask. Sharon knew that Hermione didn't question her about SHIELD duties because someone else was in the room. Her cousin was smart, thank god for that. Sharon did not need to serve gag orders right now. As far as her Grandmother… She would have to wait. She wasn't well enough to leave the home let alone the country to go to her daughter's funeral. She and Hermione would just have to tell Peggy when they got back to New York. Or if Hermione even came with her to New York.
"Don't worry about that right now. I've got it covered. Who are you with? And has social services been called? I-I can make a few calls before getting on a plane to make sure that you can come home with me, if that's what you want…" Sharon started to tell Hermione. Not that Sharon was equipped to take care of… literally anyone but she would not be letting her cousin get dumped into foster care.
"About that Sharon...You know how my dad isn't - wasn't - my biological father?" Hermione asked Sharon in a sad tone. Having to use past tense when referring to her parents was going to be a hard adjustment for her.
Sharon recalled the fact that Uncle Dan wasn't Hermione's biological father, however he'd raised her as his own since she was 3. That was enough for Sharon. Aunt Helen never talked about Hermione's biological father. She'd just assumed he wasn't in the picture or he died.
Sharon heard her cousin clear her throat before finishing her sentence: "Turns out he had no idea I existed, and he's now here." It took Sharon a minute to realise what was being said.
"Wait what? Who is he? How did he find out?" Sharon questioned. This was just too weird, she was already trying to grapple with the fact that her Aunt and Uncle were dead but now suddenly she finds out she has an 'uncle' who's really alive?!
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Hermione said being as vague as possible. Sharon heard her cousin cover the receiver, saying something to a new female voice in the background. "Listen, the nurse wants me to get some rest. I hope you are able to get here soon because… I really need you here right now."
Sharon could hear the emotion from her cousin's voice. She was sure she'd have the same tone if she was able to speak. It took Sharon a moment to gather herself and stand up, adjusting her phone to her other ear.
"Yeah get some rest. I-I will be there as soon as I can. Call me if you get discharged and call me if you go anywhere okay?" Sharon told Hermione. The cousins said their goodbyes and hung up. Sharon knew what she had to do.
It was time to beg Nicholas Fury for time off.
Sharon was walking back towards the SHIELD building when she remembered that she needed to get to England soon. It was the start of summer vacation so getting quick non commercial flights to London would be nearly impossible. Sharon knew it was time to call in that favour to Phil. She pulled out her work phone from her suit pocket and found Coulson's number quickly. he answered on the second ring:
"Go for Coulson." The male agent answered on the other line
"Phil, I need to call in that favour." Sharon said simply, trying to get her emotions in check. The less people knew about this, the better. If it got out that Peggy Carter's daughter died, SHIELD would be pulling all their higher rank staff to be at the funeral. To pay their respects to the daughter of their founder. She nor Hermione needed that right now. If they saw how old Hermione was and pulled her overly perfect grades, they'd be getting recruitment paperwork ready.
"Anything. You know I owe you for saving my ass in El Salvador." Phil said with humour evident in his voice. He didn't work with Sharon as often as he used to since he began recruitment for the Avengers. He knew when something was bothering her though and right now he knew something was really off with her. "Is everything okay? You don't sound like yourself."
Sharon groaned. It wasn't that she didn't trust Phil because out of everyone at SHIELD she trusted him and Maria the most. However, he was obsessed with the two people who knew Peggy the most and somehow they are alive in SHIELD headquarters as we speak. Anyone who has seen Hermione and a picture of Peggy Carter would know that Hermione is her twin. Sharon didn't want Steve Rogers or James Barnes to meet her cousin if she could help it. She didn't want her cousin to be a reminder or a replacement for Peggy. If SHIELD knew more about Hermione, they would agree with Sharon's thoughts.
Sharon pulled herself out of her thoughts and was trying to decide what to tell Phil. It was an unwritten rule to not discuss personal business with other agents. But she needed to vent so that she didn't lose control in front of Fury.
"Yeah...God no I'm not. I just got a call from my cousin from a hospital in London. Her mum and dad...my Aunt and Uncle just died in a car crash. I-I have to get over there...I just need to be with family right now." Sharon said in a sad voice. She wouldn't cry. Mostly because she didn't want anyone to see her cry but she was also too close to SHIELD. Anyone could recognize her and she didn't need to be talked about right now.
"Jesus...I don't even know what to say Sharon. I'm so sorry. Let me make a few calls, I'll send you a car and flight information when it's all set up. Have you talked to Fury yet? Any SHIELD personnel invited to the funeral?" Phil asked, trying to be sympathetic to Sharon's situation but let his curiosity get the better of him. He knew everything about Margaret Carter and knew Sharon had a cousin but the SHIELD database had nothing on the kid other than a date of birth and her name.
"No, I'm on my way to talk to him now. As far as SHIELD personnel...I'm trying to keep Hermione, my cousin out of it. Of course she knows about us but she takes after our grandmother, smart, strong, confident. If SHIELD knew that they would be hounding her with recruitment papers." Sharon told Phil honestly. He would understand her concerns more than anything. Phil was the one tasked with serving her recruitment papers right out of school. Even that was after University, Hermione hasn't even finished high school the last thing she should be worrying about is training to meet SHIELD expectations.
"Got it. Let me know how it goes and give my condolences to your cousin. I think Fury was going to give you an assignment starting in a couple days but I'll cover it for you." Phil offered. It was the least he could do for her family.
"Thanks Phil. If all goes well with Fury i'll be on a flight in the next few hours. Thank you for everything. I'll keep you updated." Sharon and Phil quickly said their goodbyes and hung up.
Sharon was infront of SHIELD headquarters and quickly made her way through the building . She didn't want to stay long, she just wanted to talk to Fury and get out. The quicker this was the sooner Sharon would be able to get to England.
It wasn't long until was in infront of Fury's office. He'd finished all his meetings for the day so he'd just be doing paperwork at this point. She had specialized access to enter the office from the outside, however she still knocked on the door and waited for him to grant her access to the room. It took a moment but the door unlocked and Sharon knew that was her signal to enter the room.
"Sir?" Sharon asked, stepping inside the room, closing the door behind her.
"Agent Carter." Fury said in his booming voice. She was right, he was filling out paperwork. He didn't even look up when speaking to her. "I thought you left for the day?"
"I did. However while leaving I received some personal news that I need to discuss with you." That was when Fury looked up to meet Sharon's eyes. Personal wasn't often discussed among agents but personal problems were NEVER brought up to Nicholas Fury. The tall man leaned back in his chair eyeing the girl down.
"Personal...got it. The floor is yours, Agent Carter." Fury told the blond women in front of him.
"I have received some quite disturbing news from my cousin Hermione." Sharon took a deep breath before continuing which intrigued Fury. She was trying to get her emotions in check which Agent Carter never had to do. "Yesterday, her parents tragically died in a car accident. Before you ask...no my grandmother has not been informed."
Fury's expression was unreadable as always: "I am sorry for your loss Agent Carter. How do you want this handled?"
That question surprised Sharon. She expected Fury to want to take control of the situation. But she had already come up with a plan as to how she wanted it handled.
"No SHIELD personal present. My Aunt Helen may have been Peggy Carter's child, however she was not SHEILD. There is no reason to have SHIELD at her funeral. I am hoping to take the week off to spend time with my cousin in England where the funeral will be held." Sharon told him simply. "Agent Coulson tipped me off that you may have been assigning me a new mission this week. If that is true, I must ask that I have the week off so that I am with my family during this time. I would recommend that Agent Coulson be my replacement on this mission."
Fury took a moment to consider her plan and couldn't think of any reason to interfere with it. He only had one thing left to ask her and he wasn't sure how she would respond.
"What about Rogers and Barnes?" Fury asked her vaguely.
"What about them?" Sharon asked Fury, irritated.
"Should we inform them on the loss of Peggy Carter's child?" Fury asked her, maintaining his calm facade.
"Why should we? You know that they'll want to come and they've never even met my Aunt or Uncle." Sharon was really close to losing it. When it came to her cousin she was highly protective. The blond took a breath before continuing. "I am showing you this because I trust you Fury."
Sharon pulled out her personal phone and pulled up a picture that Aunt Helen had sent from Christmas. It was a picture of Hermione and Aunt Helen in front of the tree. She flipped the screen to show Fury the picture of her cousin. Fury raised an eyebrow at this.
"My cousin looks exactly like a young Peggy Carter. If you told Rogers and Barnes about the funeral and they actually went, my cousin's face would freak them out enough to last a lifetime." Sharon said, pulling the picture back. She looked at the photo for a moment and smiled before pocketing the phone. "They are just learning to settle into this time period and to see someone that looks like someone they knew in the 40's. Someone that Rogers was even rumoured to be infatuated with...they would flip a lid. My cousin just lost her parents...she doesn't need questions coming from them.
Fury thought that the young agent made some great points. After their little escape, turned and escapade in time square, Fury really didn't need Rogers and Barnes to freak out anymore then they already had.
"Agent Carter, my condolences to you and your family. I hope you take this week off to mourn and grieve with your family. After all the Carter name has provided us, we can give you a week with your family." Fury said, holding his hand out to the young woman. "I must ask you for future reference. Does your cousin have any next of kin besides you or will you be returning with her as her legal guardian?"
Sharon took a moment before answering this question. She of course had an answer but it was a very complicated situation and Hermione didn't give a lot of details on the phone.
"Carter?" Fury asked to get her attention.
"Sorry sir, I had the same question for my cousin. However she didn't give me much detail other than this. You see, my uncle was not my cousin's biological father. My aunt Helen married Hermione's stepfather when she was 3 and raised her as his own. We all assumed that he was either dead or not in the picture, and Aunt Helen never told us who Hermione's biological father was. After speaking with Hermione, it seems as though her biological father had no idea Hermione even existed until he caught wind of the accident. She has decided that she will be staying with him." Sharon tried to explain which was difficult considering there was not a lot of information to tell. She really wished she had asked more questions but after all Hermione had been through she probably really needed to rest.
"You got a name for this guy? SHEILD promised your grandmother that we would protect you Carters. I want to run a background check on this guy. See how he suddenly 'missed out' on the fact that he was a father." Fury asked Sharon, he could tell that was all the information he knew so he didn't push her. But a name would certainly be nice to have, especially if he was going to run a background on this new father of Sharon's cousin.
"No sir. That is all my cousin told me." Sharon responded. Fury nodded before gathering a few items, it was looking as though he was leaving for the day as well.
"Well Agent Carter it seems like you have a plane to catch. I'll walk you out, I'm guessing a car will be waiting for you?" Fury said as he walked with Sharon towards the elevator. Sharon nodded in response.
"Yes sir. I called in a favour to Coulson. Are you heading home?" Sharon asked him curiously. He usually never left this early in the day, if he left at all. Everyone knew Fury worked through all hours of the night.
"Not home Agent Carter. Before your urgent busy was discussed I was planning on taking a visit to Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S." Fury told the female agent beside him. "Guess I'll just have to bring Coulson."
Authors Note:
So what did you guys think? I'm kinda proud of this chapter not gonna lie. Luke was really surprised I added Sharon Carter to the fic so early. He found it surprising because before FATWS I did not like Sharon Carter. I also didn't like her because apparently I resemble her quite a bit. But she's a badass now and I really like her. Not as much as I love Hermione, Wanda, or Peggy but she's okay in my books.
Now last week I asked a poll question regarding Bucky Barnes and the super soldier serum so congrats to me cause I think I won based on your comments.
Delaney-1 Luke-0
Now for this week's Poll question: Which version of Quicksilver is your favourite. Aaron Taylor-Johnson or Evan Peters? Luke think Evan Peters is the best Quicksilver whereas I think Aaron Taylor-Johnson is a better Quicksilver. So what do you guys think? Leave the opinions in the comments.
Now here is a personal question regarding a very important plot point. If I were to make Hermione an Avenger what would her super hero name be? I have a pretty good idea for a name if I make her an Avenger but I want to hear your ideas! Can't wait.
Alright that's all for me this week, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Finally I just want to thank you all so, so much for reading and for giving me all the support. It is what keeps me going. See you all next week!
-Delaney