"You can't be serious about going up there, Hermione."
"Of course I am." Hermione responded nonchalantly. "They are my friends, why wouldn't I go?"
Hermione turned from the stovetop with two plates, sliding one to both Stephen and Wong, who were sitting at the kitchen table. She had come to the Sanctum early that morning to do some reading since she knew the team was assembling later on that day to discuss the incident in Lagos.
"You do understand that Secretary Ross is going to be there." Stephen argued, obviously not a fan of her scheme.
"Stephen." Hermione sighed, looking up at him. "Tony asked me to be there, so I'm going to be there."
Stephen remained quiet for several moments, looking down at his lunch silently.
"Listen, I've got to go." Hermione said as she began gathering her bag. "They are going to be meeting soon, and I don't want to be late."
"I'm going with you." Stephen said suddenly, looking up at her with determination before tucking into his lunch quickly.
"That makes sense." Wong interjected with a laugh.
Hermione's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Seriously?" She said, feeling a bit thrown off by his offer. "I thought you hated Tony?"
"I don't hate him. We just operate differently." He said as he continued wolfing down his food.
"Or exactly the same…" Wong mumbled to himself.
Hermione shot the older man a grin of agreement.
Hopping up from his empty plate, he hurried from the room. "Just let me grab my coat, and we can be on our way!" He called back over his shoulder.
Turning back to Wong, she pointed to the empty doorway where Stephen had just exited.
Shaking his head, Wong replied. "I've stopped pretending to understand the ways of Master Strange." He said simply.
Rising from his, now, finished plate, he walked up to Hermione. "Thank you, for lunch, Miss Hermione. I've really enjoyed your continued presence in the Sanctum. It has been a welcome change to our existence." He replied before walking out of the kitchen without another word.
Hermione shook her head in bemusement. "What is going on with this place, today." She said aloud to the empty room.
Apparating Stephen and herself straight to the brand new Avengers Compound in upstate New York, Hermione couldn't help but take a moment to admire the imposing facility. She had been here only once, but she was still incredibly impressed with Tony's most recent brainchild.
Upon realizing that most of the current Avengers were, essentially, homeless, Tony had quickly begun work to create a place just for them. Using a pod of forgotten abandoned Stark warehouses, he renovated the buildings, sparing no expense and creating a compound that truly catered to the needs of the entire Avengers team. This facility would now serve as the new headquarters.
Hermione led Stephen through the compound, stepping into the conference room only a few minutes later.
"Granger! You made it!" Tony said with a smile as she stepped in the room. His smile dropping as he saw Stephen, he continued. "Oh, I didn't know Gandalf was coming with you."
"Stark." Stephen answered with a nod.
"Tony, be nice." Hermione scolded.
Tony rolled his eyes before continuing. "When am I not the paragon of politeness? Come on and grab a seat, you two. Ross is about to start."
"Five years ago, I had a heart attack. I dropped right in the middle of my back-swing. Turned out, it was the best round of my life, because after thirteen hours of surgery and a triple bypass, I found something 40 years in the Army had never taught me: Perspective."
Hermione saw Stephen smirk from the seat beside her. Glancing around the room, she noted that there were more people in the meeting than what she would have anticipated.
"The world owes the Avengers an unpayable debt." Ross continued. "You have fought for us, protected us, risked your lives...but while a great many people see you as heroes, there are some…" He said, pausing dramatically. "...who would prefer the word 'vigilantes'."
"And what word would you use, Mr. Secretary?" Natasha shot at him.
"How about 'dangerous'?" He replied firmly. "What would you call a group of US-based, enhanced individuals who routinely ignore sovereign borders and inflict their will wherever they choose, and who, frankly, seem unconcerned about what they leave behind?"
Hermione frowned as Ross flipped on the screen behind him and began rolling footage of the battles the Avengers had been involved in since forming.
"New York…...Sokovia…...Lagos" He rattled off, continuing to show terrified civilians, soldiers trying to protect the innocent, the Hulk wrecking a building, sending debris flying into a camera.
Hermione glanced around and saw the pain it was causing several of the team before she couldn't take it anymore.
"Enough." She spoke up loudly, locking eyes with Ross.
Ross looked over her curiously before nodding, the screen behind him going black.
"For the past four years, you've operated with unlimited power and no supervision. That's an arrangement the governments of the world can no longer tolerate. But I think we have a solution." He said before pausing.
Hermione jumped as Ross unceremoniously dropped a large booklet into the middle of the table. Signalling for an aide to continue passing a few more booklets around to the occupants in the room, he continued.
"The Sokovia Accords. Approved by 117 countries. It states that the Avengers shall no longer be a private organization. Instead, they'll operate under the supervision of a United Nations panel, only when and if that panel deems it necessary."
Steve cleared his throat. "The Avengers were formed to make the world a safer place. I feel we've done that."
'Tell me, Captain." Ross shot back. "Do you know where Thor and Banner are right now?"
The two men stared down the other silently as the tension in the room began to rise.
"If I misplaced a couple of 30 megaton nukes, you can bet there'd be consequences." Ross snarked. "Compromise. Reassurance. That's how the world works. Believe me, this is the middle ground."
"So there are contingencies." Rhodey piped up.
"Three days from now, the UN meets in Vienna to ratify the Accords." Ross replied. "Talk it over."
"And if we come to a decision you don't like?" Steve asked, the tone of his voice leaving no doubt as to how he felt about the proposal.
"Captain Rogers, it's time for the Avengers to be held accountable. The days where you roam unchecked, leaving a path of destruction in your wake are over." Ross said, beginning to show some frustration.
"A path of destruction?" Hermione scoffed. "Wasn't it the U.S. Government that tried to drop a nuke in the middle of Manhattan? I'm pretty sure that's a larger 'path of destruction' than the Avengers have ever dreamed of creating and a potential death toll exponentially higher than anything the Avengers have ever come close to."
Stephen squeezed her leg under the table, silently pleading for her to stop her verbal assault on the Secretary of State as Ross slowly turned his head to lock eyes with her.
"Hermione Granger...I don't believe we have had the pleasure." He said.
Something in his tone made the hairs stand up on Hermione's neck. Never backing down from a grade-A douchebag, she lifted her chin and stared him down in defiance.
The stare down between Hermione and Ross lasted for what seemed a lifetime. Hermione could see Stephen's jaw working with tension out of the corner of her eye as she refused to look away from the arrogant Secretary.
Finally, Ross looked back towards Steve, and responded to his earlier question.
"If you don't sign the Accords, then you're done." He responded ominously before exiting the room without another word.
"So let's say we agree to this thing. How long is it gonna be before they LoJack us like a bunch of common criminals?"
The group had migrated into the living room of the compound, all spread out amongst the space as they continued debating the Accords.
"117 countries want to sign this. One hundred...and...seventeen, Sam, and you're just like, 'No, that's cool. We got it'." Rhodey said as he dragged out each syllable.
"How long are you going to play both sides?" Sam shot back.
"I have an equation." Vision interrupted gently.
"Oh, this will clear it up."
Hermione swallowed a laugh at Sam's responding eye roll.
"In the eight years since Mr. Stark announced himself as Iron Man, the number of known enhanced persons has grown exponentially. And during the same period, the number of potentially world-ending events has risen at a commensurate rate."
Steve bristled slightly. "Are you saying it's our fault?"
"He's saying there may be a causality." Stephen interjected. "Strength invites challenge. Challenge incites conflict, and conflict breeds catastrophe."
"Precisely." Vision agreed. "Oversight is not an idea that can be dismissed out of hand."
"Boom." Rhodes replied to Sam as he leaned back into his chair.
"I'm sorry, who are you?" Sam said, looking at Stephen in confusion.
"Dr. Stephen Strange. Master of the Mystical Arts and protector of the New York Sanctum."
Seeing the blank looks on the faces of the team, Hermione interjected.
"He's with me." She said as she bumped his shoulder and smiled at the group.
"Tony." Natasha said, changing the subject. "You are being uncharacteristically non-hyper-verbal."
"It's because he's already made up his mind." Steve responded from his perch near the window.
"Boy, you know me so well." Tony snapped, getting up from his seat and walking into the kitchen. Rubbing the back of his head, he spoke. "Actually, I'm nursing an electromagnetic headache."
Grabbing a mug, he continued. "That's what's going on, Cap. It's just pain. It's discomfort. Who's putting coffee grounds in the disposal? Am I running a bed and breakfast for a biker gang?"
Placing his phone on the counter, he tapped it. Suddenly, an image of a smiling young man was displayed in the air above the device.
"That's Charles Spencer. He's a great kid. Computer engineering degree, 3.6 GPA. Had a floor gig at Intel planned for the fall. But first, he wanted to put a few miles on his soul, before he parked it behind a desk. See the world. Maybe be of service. Charlie didn't want to go to Vegas or Fort Lauderdale, which is what I would do. He didn't go to Paris or Amsterdam, which sounds fun. He decided to spend his summer building sustainable housing for the poor. Guess where?...Sokovia."
"Tony…" Hermione said with compassion as she rose and walked towards her upset friend.
"He wanted to make a difference, I suppose. I mean, we won't know because we dropped a building on him while we were kicking ass."
Hermione heard a gasp from someone behind her as she slapped a pill out of Tony's hand.
"Um...ouch?" Tony complained as Hermione dug around her bag until she extracted a potion vial and handed it to Tony. Glancing down at the vial, Tony shrugged and tossed it back, swallowing the contents in one go.
"Yuck." He said before turning back to the group. "There's no decision-making process here. We need to be put in check. Whatever form that takes, I'm game. If we can't accept limitations, if we're boundaryless, we're no better than the bad guys."
"Tony, someone dies on your watch, you don't give up." Steve argued.
"Who says we're giving up?" Tony asked.
"We are if we're not taking responsibility for our actions. This document just shifts the blame."
"Captain Rogers, with all due respect, that is dangerously arrogant." Stephen responded. "This is the United Nations we're talking about."
"Dr. Strange is right." Rhodey agreed. "This isn't SHIELD, and it's not HYDRA."
"No, but it's run by people with agendas, and agendas change." Steve interrupted.
"That's good." Tony said. "That's why I'm here. When I realized what my weapons were capable of in the wrong hands, I shut it down and stopped manufacturing."
Steve sighed, exhausted at the back and forth. "Tony, you chose to do that. If we sign this, we surrender our right to choose. What if this panel sends us somewhere we don't think we should go? What if there is somewhere we need to go, and they don't let us? We may not be perfect, but the safest hands are still our own."
"If we don't do this now, it's gonna be done TO us later." Tony said, his voice rising with the growing tension. "That's a fact…..and it won't be pretty."
"You're saying they'll come for me." Wanda Maximoff said from her position at the end of the table.
"We would protect you." Vision said quickly.
"Oh, you wouldn't be the only one." Tony continued. "Steve, Hermione, anyone considered 'enhanced' would no longer be safe."
"Not going to happen." Stephen said immediately.
"Maybe Tony's right." Natasha said as Tony shot a surprised look her way.
Sam looked over to Natasha. "Aren't you the same woman who told the government to kiss her ass a few years ago?"
"I'm just...I'm reading the terrain. We have made some very public mistakes. We need to win their trust back."
"I can't believe you are seriously agreeing with the Accords!"
Stephen rolled his eyes as he responded to Hermione's raised voice. "I'm not saying it's perfect, Hermione, but I think we can both agree that the Avengers have a tendency to be a little….messy."
"I don't disagree with accountability. I disagree with a registry for anyone who falls even remotely into the category of 'enhanced'." She said heatedly.
He and Hermione had arrived back at the Sanctum later that afternoon, and all they had done since returning is debate the Accords. Stephen had made the enormous mistake of commenting his support for Tony, surprisingly, which had sent them down a spiral of back and forth comments on their individual stance concerning the potential ratification.
"It's not a registry." Stephen said, bemused at her logic. "You aren't required to sign it if you don't want to. They even said today that that Barton guy went into retirement instead of signing. Everyone has a choice, Hermione. You heard Tony today. They would come for people like us if they felt like we were defying them. You aren't being logical."
Hermione narrowed her eyes, making Stephen realize he may have riled her up too much. "You think that this is going to stop with the Accords? It's not going to stop there, you arrogant git, and you know it. You know who Ross is, and you know how much he hates anyone or anything that is different from him. You should know that just from being in the room with him today."
"Ok, ok." Stephen said with his palms facing outward. "We've been going back and forth about this for over an hour. Why don't we agree to disagree about this, and table it for now?"
Sighing deeply, Hermione stormed towards the Sanctum's kitchen without another word. Stephen stood silently alone in the living room before heading towards the door where she had disappeared. Walking into the kitchen and seeing Hermione preparing dinner in a way that could only be described as aggressive, he cleared his throat gently.
"Hermione?" He said quietly.
Hermione stopped chopping the vegetables she had been working on and placed both hands on the counter, leaning against it heavily. With her head hung, she breathed deeply.
Stephen had decided she wasn't going to respond to him when Hermione finally broke the silence.
"In the last year of the war," She began, still staring a hole into the counter top. "The government issued a muggleborn registry. They pitched it as a program to keep count of magical numbers, similar to a census, but when the fighting really picked up, it turned into a way for them to track and execute the people who didn't fall into line…"
Stephen was frozen as she finally looked up at him, tears pricking at her eyes.
"MY name was on that list, Stephen. My friends, my classmates, we were all on that list, and they hunted us down like animals." She continued. "I know the Accords aren't the same as the registry. I KNOW that...but I see too many similarities to ever be ok with it. I left the magical world because of problems that started with restrictions just like the Accords."
Stephen didn't realize he was moving until he was gathering Hermione up into his arms, hugging her tightly. She had shared some of her history with her, but never in great detail. He knew that her past was full of war and pain, but even this small glimpse into it had caught him off guard.
"It's fine. I'm fine." Hermione said, eventually pulling away from him and wiping an eye discreetly.
"Hermione…" Stephen said again. When she finally looked up at him again, he continued. "Whatever side anyone takes on these Accords, I'm worried for what's to come. You know as well as I do that Captain Rogers won't sign, and he's not going to let them take him in without a fight. No matter what happens, can we please both agree to not get involved? I'm really worried about what's coming from all of this."
Seeing her begin to argue, he quickly added, "You said yourself that you don't want to be an Avenger, and I'm sure as hell not one, either. Could we just agree to take a page from Barton's book, and just sit this one out?"
Thinking for a moment, eventually Hermione nodded.
"Promise?" Stephen said, looking down at her earnestly.
"I promise." Hermione responded.