Chapter 7 - Soldier
"Желание.
Семнадцать.
Ржавый.
Рассвет.
Печь.
Девять.
Добросердечный.
Возвращение на родину.
Один.
Товарный вагон.
"Your target is Hermione Granger Stark, sister of Tony Stark. Golden Girl. Take her out quickly and efficiently."
"Ready to comply."
"Well done soldier."
Icy blue eyes met Antonin Dolohov's dark, almost black, malicious gaze.
"So, Captain America, what's that about?" Hermione asked Steve.
They were back on their bench at Central Park, trying to re-connect who they thought they had met weeks ago.
Steve chuckled, "I tried to enlist a few times with no success, I wasn't healthy enough, despite my eagerness. Eventually, I tried again and was accepted in the Strategic Scientific Reserve while enlisting during the Stark Expo."
"Is that how you met Howard Stark?" Hermione inquired.
"No, I met him later. I was accepted and did the regular bootcamp, although I was clearly smaller and weaker than other recruits."
Hermione arched a brow while looking his tall, wide and muscled frame up and down and he smiled.
"I didn't use to look like that, I assure you. From my group, I was selected for the serum, that's when I met Howard and Dr. Erskine."
"What is that serum? What did it do to you?"
"They called it a super soldier serum. Project Rebirth. It was supervised by your father, and by Peggy as a MI6 agent.
The aim was to improve someone to their limits, strength, flexibility, etc. An ideal soldier, at his peak."
"Why you?" Hermione inquired softly.
"I wasn't aware, at the time, of their criteria. I know now they disagreed on me at first. Until they launched a grenade in the middle of our group. I jumped on it." Steve replied.
"Nobility, selflessness, a soldier ready to sacrifice himself for others." Hermione concluded.
"Something like that. I guess I did sacrifice myself, only to wake up 70 years later in a world I don't recognise. They told me we won the war when I woke up, but we lost so much. I lost so much."
"You miss them."
"I miss what could have happened with Peggy, it's more a fantasy or wishful thinking than anything real. Especially because I know she had a full life and didn't miss out."
"I'm sorry you didn't share her life with her."
"So am I. It was harder at first, than it is now. She might have been the love of my life, but I'll never know, and I wasn't hers. I need to move on from the past."
"Grieving what could have been." Hermione replied softly.
Steve nodded, "I'm sorry you didn't meet them. Howard would have loved you. He did love you."
"War isn't pretty, it requires sacrifices no one is ever ready for."
"Is that why you were taken away from them? A war?" Steve asked.
Hermione nodded, "Yes. His name was Tom Riddle, but he called himself Lord Voldemort, and I was prophesied to help take him down along with my best friend. No where did it say I had to be taken away from my family, but someone made that choice anyway."
"Did you?"
"Yes. I was 18 when he killed him."
"How old were you when you became a part of the war?"
"In a way, a few days old when I was kidnapped. But really, when I was 12, my first year at Hogwarts."
"Where were the adults?" Steve wondered.
"Setting up traps to lure the monster into a school full of children." Hermione replied.
"War creates monsters. Children should be protected, not used as pawns."
"He always said it was for the Greater Good."
"Is he still alive?"
"No."
"Good."
"Back to you, what did the serum do?"
"Enhance every parts of me from what I understand. Honestly, your brother is better informed on it than I ever was. But I grew taller, wider, gained strength and agility."
"I assume they chose someone with a good heart to avoid negative faults being enhanced."
"Yes. That's likely why it worked on me when it backfired on others who didn't do it for the right reasons."
"What about Bucky? Didn't he take part too?"
"No, he was a regular soldier, a good one. I miss him everyday."
"I'm sorry."
"Me too."
"Did you have to make it this big of a deal?" Hermione asked, exasperated.
"Yes." Tony said, not looking away from his screens.
"And did you have to change my name too?"
"Yes. You're a Stark."
"The Grangers loved me, and they didn't know."
"I know. That's why it's Granger Stark. I'm not making you forget them, I'm adding."
"Fine." Hermione sighed and looked at his screens, "What are you even looking at?"
"SHIELD files."
"Aren't they classified?"
"Sure."
Hermione rolled her eyes and left the room, lest she be considered an accessory to his crimes.
While Tony had made a big public announcement about finding his long-lost sister, he at least didn't add a picture to the release so she could still move in the city anonymously so she left the Tower to run a few errands. Although, it was already dark out, she knew the stores she wanted were opened late.
She put a light cloak to fence off the light chill, even though summer was basically already here and started walking.
A few blocks later, she felt it. A presence, someone was following her. She made nonsensical turns, 4 right turns, it was still there.
She made the wise decision of going into a dark back alley. To make up for the ludicrous idea, she disillusioned herself.
A man, with shoulder length black hair, light eyes covered by a frown and a his face by a mask. She was quite sure she had never seen him before but he had an aura of power, danger. Not magical, but clearly something was there. Oddly, it reminded her of Steve's powerful presence.
She waited until he left the alley and silently apparated away, back to the Tower.
A few days later, she was lounging around Tony's lab, reading a book, while he was pulling up more and more classified information from SHIELD.
A picture popped up, a picture she recognised.
"Who is that?"
Tony startled, "Oh, they call him the Winter Soldier. There's not much about him, basically an assassin, I can't find who he works for.
Why?"
"No reasons." Hermione said, and left the room. She could have told him about the encounter, likely should have. Instead she went out again, to run the errands she didn't actually make the other day.
As she was walking back to the Tower, a few hours later, she felt it again. The presence, following her so she went to another dark back alley and waited.
He immediately pulled a gun when he found her alone, isolated and seemingly defenseless. Wandlessly, she raised a shield strong enough to stop bullets and waited for him to stop shooting.
She sent a non verbal stupefy his way, he dodged. She sent another one and he dodged again.
"Who are you?" She asked, as they circled one another. He did not reply.
"They call you the Winter Soldier, you know." She continued, conversationally.
He didn't react. She sent a tripping hex, he dodged. He didn't even seem to react to her magic. He was completely focused, on a mission.
She finally relented and sent 2 stupefy in quick succession, a tripping hex and finally an incarcerous that met his mark while he dodged the other spells. While he was busy trying to get the ropes off him, she sent a petrificus totalus, another stupefy and finally a curse to induce sleep that was used by Healers. Once she was sure he was out, she grabbed his arm and apparated back to the Tower.
She arrived in the middle of a conversation between Tony and Steve and dropped the man on their feet.
"What the fuck?" Tony yelled while Steve seemed frozen in shock.
"Right, he's been stalking me and tonight he shot me a few times. Pretty sure he's The Winter Soldier guy you were looking into." Hermione explained.
Without waiting for them to respond, she levitated him to a chair, secured more bindings to him, and to himself and the chair. Finally, she removed his mask.
"Bucky." Steve whispered.
"What did you say?" Tony asked.
"Bucky. It's Bucky."
"I thought he died in the war." Hermione replied with a frown.
"So did I." Steve said, "What was he like?"
"Focused, unresponsive, he didn't say a word, didn't even react to my magic. Although he dodged my spells in a way I've rarely seen, like a superhuman agility." Hermione said and trailed off, eyes wide and locked with Steve.
"The serum. Someone gave him the serum." Steve said.
"We need to call SHIELD." Tony said.
"No!" Steve shouted.
"Look Rogers, I know he was your friend but he's also a wanted assassin." Tony replied.
"He's also in SHIELD files, and I want answers. Not bureaucratic nonsense. Hermione, can you wake him?" Steve asked.
Hermione looked between the two, hesitating but relented.
"I will, but be prepared." Hermione said, and Steve picked up his shield while Tony suited up.
A few minutes later, Hermione murmured the counter charm for her sleep one and he opened his eyes.
He looked around, seemingly confused.
"Bucky?" Steve asked.
"Who the hell is Bucky?" He replied in a rough, seemingly unused voice and Steve recoiled in shock.
A/N - Activation words taken from Civil War script, last words taken from Winter Soldier script.