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"What was that?" Pepper whispered, her hand instinctively tightening on Tony's arm as they stood in the vast, pitch-black foyer of the Malibu mansion.
Hermione didn't answer. She just stood perfectly still, her head tilted, listening to a silence that wasn't empty.
Tony, his senses still sharp from the previous night's battle, also felt it. A subtle wrongness. The house was dead. The usual soft hum of Jarvis's servers, the gentle whir of the climate control—it was all gone. He silently moved in front of Pepper, his body a protective shield. His eyes were fixed on the small, black-robed girl, who now seemed like the most dangerous and reliable thing in the room.
"It's alright," Hermione's voice was a calm, reassuring whisper in the oppressive darkness. "It's an acquaintance. Don't be nervous."
She raised her wand, a slow, deliberate movement. "Lumos Maxima!"
A brilliant, blinding ball of white light erupted from the tip of her wand, shooting to the high ceiling where it expanded, flooding the entire hall with the stark, unforgiving light of a miniature sun.
And there, caught in the middle of the room in a deeply uncool, mid-stride pose on his way to the sofa, was a figure in a long, black leather coat. The figure froze, one hand in his pocket, the other halfway to an imaginary switch, a carefully rehearsed "I've been waiting for you" expression on his face now looking utterly ridiculous.
The bald, one-eyed head was particularly conspicuous.
"Pfft—!" Hermione couldn't hold it in. A loud, undignified snort of laughter escaped her lips. She knew exactly what he had been planning. The classic spymaster entrance: wait in the dark, let the targets come in, and then dramatically reveal yourself in a swiveling chair or on a sofa with a cool one-liner. She had seen it a hundred times in movies. But she'd just ruined his entire performance, catching him before he'd even gotten into position. It was, without a doubt, the funniest thing she had seen all week.
"Who the hell are you," Tony's voice was a low, angry growl, "and what are you doing in my house?"
Pepper, recognizing the man from S.H.I.E.L.D., just folded her arms, her expression a mixture of annoyance and disapproval. Breaking and entering was, apparently, standard procedure for them.
The man in black, after a moment of frozen embarrassment, recovered with the practiced ease of a man who had navigated far more chaotic situations. The awkwardness vanished, replaced by an aura of unshakable authority. He ignored Tony and walked forward, his one good eye fixed on Hermione.
"Nick Fury," he said, his voice a calm, deep baritone. "Director of S.H.I.E.L.D."
He's good, Hermione thought, still trying to suppress a giggle. That level of shamelessness is a superpower in itself.
"I came to talk to you about the Avenger…"
"Not interested," Tony cut him off, stepping forward. "I don't care who you are. Get out of my house. Now."
"Mr. Stark," Fury said, his patience already wearing thin, "I strongly suggest you listen…"
"Hey, Boiled Egg!" Hermione chirped, finally getting her laughter under control.
Fury's one eye twitched almost imperceptibly. He immediately shifted his entire focus from Tony to her, recognizing in an instant who the real power in the room was. "Good evening, Miss Wizard."
"Why are you here?" she asked. "Did you bring Sister Natasha with you?"
"Agent Romanoff is on another assignment," Fury replied.
"Oh," Hermione said, her tone flat and disinterested, and she said nothing more.
Fury's professional composure finally cracked, a flicker of genuine panic in his eye. That's it? Just 'oh'? That's not the right reaction! Where was the childish disappointment? Where was the concern for her favorite "pretty sister"? He glanced at Pepper, who was now standing protectively beside Hermione, her hand resting on the girl's shoulder.
Oh, no, he thought, a cold, strategic dread washing over him. I've lost her. The house has been robbed. His entire, carefully constructed plan to use Natasha as a handler for their most valuable and unpredictable asset had been completely undone by… by kindness and a steady supply of fruit! A major strategic blunder.
"Tony, just listen to him," Pepper said, her voice calm and reasonable. She gave his arm a gentle squeeze. "They did their best to help when you were missing. If it wasn't for S.H.I.E.L.D., I never would have met Hermione."
The words were meant to be calming, but to Fury, they sounded like a new girlfriend telling a man he should be grateful to his ex for the introduction.
"Yeah, Tony, listen to what the Boiled Egg has to say," Hermione added helpfully. "He did a very good job protecting Sister Pepper last night."
The ex even paid for the hotel room, Fury's mind supplied, a wave of despair washing over him. He felt like he was losing a custody battle he didn't even know he was in.
Seeing that both Pepper and his resident magical anomaly were against him, Tony let out a long, frustrated sigh. "Fine," he grumbled. "You've got two minutes. Talk."
Fury, deciding to cut his losses and push forward, regained his composure. "I'm here to talk to you about the Avengers Initiative."
"The Avengers?" Tony frowned. "Sounds like a boy band. Who are you getting revenge on?"
"It's not 'revenge'," Fury said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "It's a response team. An initiative to bring together a group of remarkable individuals to fight the battles that we never could."
What a stupid name, Tony mouthed silently. But then the rest of it clicked. This wasn't just a debriefing. This was a recruitment pitch. And he was the star player. A familiar, smug expression returned to his face.
"You've got a good eye, Fury, I'll give you that," Tony said, his head held high. "But the world already has Iron Man. I think I can handle global security on my own. No need to join your team of… wonder twins."
And there it is, Fury thought. The legendary Stark ego. He was prepared for this.
"Really?" Fury said, his voice dangerously calm. "Because as I recall, the 'omnipotent' Iron Man was getting his suit handed to him last night by a man in a clumsy knock-off. And if I'm not mistaken, you only survived because this 'Miss Wizard' stepped in and saved your life with her… powerful magic."
Tony's breath hitched. The words were a direct hit, a cruise missile aimed straight at his most vulnerable point. It was the truth, and they both knew it.
"That… that's because Obadiah stole my tech," he stammered, a weak and stubborn defense. "It was my suit fighting my suit. And in the end, Iron Man still won."
At that moment, Pepper pulled gently on his arm. He looked at her, and her expression was serious, pleading. "Tony," she said softly. "I think you should listen to him. Carefully."
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