A/N: Many thanks to my team of betas and support: xxdustnight88, gaeilgerua, & mystrana.

Chapter Three

Hermione picked up Natasha's call on the second ring. "Hello," she spoke.

"Miss Granger," Natasha said from the other side. "Director Fury said you have a few questions for me."

"Just a few things about where I should start with my research on the Winter Soldier." Hermione pulled out her notepad so she could start taking notes on the conversation.

"He's dangerous," Natasha began.

Hermione couldn't help but laugh. "I thought as much."

"I'm serious, Miss Granger. He's wild and dangerous. He kills without hesitation."

Hermione scribbled down her notes. "Appearance?"

"Mask, metal arm-"

"Metal arm?" Hermione asked, her voice going up an octave. "What do you mean a metal arm?"

"He has an arm made out of metal. He will use it to block most attacks as it's nearly indestructible. Also is enhanced - super strength and is fast."

"Like Steve?" Hermione asked before she could stop herself.

There was a pause on the phone. "Steve Rogers?"

Hermione cleared her throat. "Ah, yes, sorry," she muttered, mad that she let that slip.

"How do you know Captain Rogers?" Natasha's voice told that she was curious.

"I… We met tonight at a meeting," Hermione explained. "It was unexpected."

"I suppose you're correct," Natasha said after a moment. "There are similarities between Captain Roger's powers as a supersoldier and the Winter Soldier's physical strengths."

Suddenly, a thought occurred to Hermione. "Have you fought him before?"

"Yes, and I almost didn't live through it."

There was something else in Natasha's voice… almost like sadness, but she couldn't quite place it. Hermione pushed the thought from her mind. She underlined the word dangerous on her notepad. "Anything else?"

"I'm afraid that is all I have," Natasha said. "If I can think of anything else, I'll give you another call."

"Thank you very much," Hermione said. "I appreciate your help, Agent."

"Good luck, Miss Granger." Natasha hung up.

Laying on the sofa, Hermione groaned. While Agent Romanoff gave her some helpful information, it still wasn't much for her to go off of. Hopefully, she'd be able to pull some information from the database at MACUSA the next day.

Knowing there was nothing else she could do, Hermione decided that she would head to bed.

However, thoughts of Steve Rogers wouldn't stop running through her head.

"Good afternoon, Miss Granger."

Looking up from her desk, Hermione smiled at Miss Rodriguez. "Good afternoon," she returned cheerfully, albeit tiredly.

"How is your project going?"

"Good," Hermione said, shaking her head. "I'm scrounging for information everywhere I can, but I'll admit, there isn't much."

"Have you checked our records room?" Miss Rodriguez asked, leaning against the doorway.

"It was one of the first places I looked," Hermione replied, shaking her head. "Nothing. Mostly just information I have. Dangerous, do not approach, etc. is what's written everywhere." She bit her lower lip. "It's like he's a ghost."

"Someone's behind this secret project, clearly."

"Mhhmmm," Hermione nodded in agreement. "I'll just have to think outside of the box."

"Why don't you go home for the rest of the day?" Miss Rodriguez said. "Staring at your laptop isn't going to help."

"Have I mentioned how much that I love that MACUSA uses Muggle technology?" Hermione giggled as she closed her laptop. "I think I might go do some sightseeing," Hermione considered.

"Our technology isn't the only thing that makes us more advanced than the British Ministry," Miss Rodriguez said with a grin. "But go home, explore… rest your eyes. You're no use to us if you're blind."

Hermione resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she knew her supervisor was only teasing. "I'll be in tomorrow, hopefully with a clear mind."

Packing up, Hermione decided that she would head to the Smithsonian for the afternoon.

When she had decided to visit the Smithsonian, Hermione had not expected to find an exhibit on Steve Rogers. Walking into the room, she had initially been shocked, but the shock quickly gave way to curiosity.

She walked around the exhibit, taking in much of the information there. There were before and after photos of Steve - she could have never imagined Steve being that skinny.

Walking along, she saw that there was his old uniform. As she read about what had happened to him in the past before he had crashed into the ice, her heart ached for him. She couldn't even imagine how he was feeling. To wake up and know that everyone you knew was gone? To see that the world had changed so much in so many unexpected ways?

Steve wasn't just a soldier who had been through so much… He had gone through something that was unthinkable.

She let out a shaky breath, recalling him the night before. He hid it well, though. In that aspect, she suspected that they were the same. They both pushed all thoughts of what had happened from their mind until they were no longer to be able to ignore what had happened.

Hermione made a mental note to text Steve later that day to make plans. He was sweet, and there was something sexy about that. She wanted to see him again, and she hoped it would be sooner rather than later.

As she walked along the exhibit, Hermione froze as she came across the display regarding Sergeant James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes. She read that he was Steve's best friend, but that he had died during one of their missions. His body was never recovered.

Frowning, Hermione's heart ached once more for Steve. He had also lost his best friend in battle. Taking a deep breath, she moved on from the exhibit so she could see what else the Smithsonian had to offer.

Later that night, Hermione was doing some research on the Winter Soldier. She had tried to search the encrypted archive online, but everything she searched came up with nothing. She couldn't believe that neither MACUSA nor S.H.I.E.L.D. had more information on the Winter Soldier.

Knowing that she wasn't likely able to come across anything else that night, Hermione decided that she would search James Barnes. She was curious about his cause of death, so she typed in his name.

To her surprise, he came up on the server for S.H.I.E.L.D. She scanned the sight, looking for something interesting. She figured if she wanted information on his death, she'd scroll to the end of his report.

Scrolling down, her heart nearly stopped when she saw the last entry. A photo had been uploaded in 1991. The notation explained that the figure in the picture looked like James Barnes and had been taken in Siberia.

Narrowing her eyes at the picture, she did have to admit that it looked like Steve's friend James, but that he was more… muscular? Something wasn't adding up.

It hit her like a ton of bricks. This picture looked like Steve did after the serum project. If someone had found James' body after he had fallen and injected the super soldier serum, it was possible that this person was, in fact, James Barnes.

But it didn't make any sense. "Why would someone inject Barnes with the Super Soldier serum?"

She worried her lower lip. Her eyes widened. "Soldier? Is Barnes the Winter Soldier?"

She zoomed in on the picture from 1991. Though he was wearing a jacket, there was a shine to his fingers in the photo.

A metal arm.

James Barnes was the Winter Soldier.