For 40+ advance chapter: p atreon.com/Snowing_Melody
The launch of the clean energy conduit was supposed to be a triumph. Instead, it became a watery blur of near-catastrophe. Over the comms, Tony Stark's voice was a high-pitched whine of indignation, the sound of gurgling water in the background adding a ridiculous counterpoint to his ego.
"This is my big day, Hermione! The global unveiling of the clean energy Arc Reactor! The end of fossil fuels! My legacy! And you two are over there having a private pity party! Can't you show a worker some respect?!"
"Respect the workers?" Hermione shot back, her voice amplified by her suit's comms. "You almost electrocuted yourself on live TV, Tony. And your so-called 'clean energy' is currently short-circuiting the entire water main! Isn't the Iron Man suit enough for you to play with? Why are you trying to put Stark Industries out of business with your side projects?"
"This is not a side project! This is advanced science! Only I, Tony Stark, could even conceive of this!"
With a final, explosive burst of thrusters, the Mark VI suit ripped itself from the river, leaving a massive, white plume of steam in its wake. It landed with a heavy thud on the top of the tower. Tony threw off his helmet and marched into the penthouse, still shouting.
"Ark Reactor! Isotope isomer fusion! Clean energy! Look at it, look at my magnificent brain!"
He stopped, puffing, still radiating steam and indignation.
"Did you get taller?" Hermione asked, ignoring the physics lecture entirely. "Seriously, did you take a height potion? You're moving too fast."
"Please," Tony scoffed, running a hand through his damp hair. "I'm almost forty. I'd be worried if I was still shrinking. That's called 'not being a child'—a concept you might want to look up, little witch." He and Pepper exchanged a quick, knowing look, a silent acknowledgment of how quickly the small, terrified girl who had arrived months ago had grown into a confident, sharp-tongued young woman.
Before the argument could escalate, Jarvis's calm voice cut in. "Sir, Agent Coulson is awaiting you in the lobby. Urgent request."
Tony's face darkened instantly. "Tell him I'm not in the country. Tell him I've joined a monastery. Tell him anything. I'm not seeing a S.H.I.E.L.D. spook today."
The elevator door opened with a soft ding. Coulson, having bypassed the lobby entirely, stepped out. Tony's scowl deepened.
"Phil," Tony growled, using his usual patronizing tone. "When did you learn to teleport?"
"Mr. Stark," Coulson replied, unperturbed, "the situation is urgent. I need a moment of your time."
"What now? Did the Boiled Egg lose his car keys again?" Hermione muttered, her tone dripping with contempt.
"Hermione!" Tony shot back. "You're talking to a man who controls a global espionage network! Show some respect!" His tone was undermined, however, by a hint of genuine jealousy. "Why does Fury talk to you directly? What makes you so important?"
Pepper cut in, giving Tony a severe look. "Tony, stop it. Phil, what is the crisis? Did the Tesseract go missing?"
"Yes, Miss Potts. It has." Coulson handed her a tablet. "And the thief is Loki."
Soon after, the Helicarrier's massive command hall was filled with the anxious energy of a global security crisis. Bruce Banner, eyes wide with anxiety, stood beside a rigid, straight-backed Steve Rogers. Banner kept his head down, subtly trying to put the bulky, armored figure of War Machine between himself and the small, black-robed girl on the far side of the room. He had been thoroughly and publicly humiliated by her magic before; he wanted no repeat performance.
Natasha Romanoff and Tony were arguing over a mission report.
"Thor just showed up and kidnapped Loki! Why didn't you intercept him, Agent Romanoff?" Fury's voice thundered over the comms.
"Because I was dealing with a massive alien artifact that just appeared in the desert, Director!" Natasha shot back. "I don't have a magic broomstick!"
Tony, looking at the data, turned to Hermione. "See? They're completely incompetent. What do you say, Hermione? What's the threat level?"
Hermione sighed, finished the last of her apple, and tossed the core into a waste receptacle with a silent Wingardium Leviosa. "The threat is the Chitauri," she said simply.
The name, alien and unfamiliar, silenced the entire command center.
Steve Rogers, overwhelmed by the rapid-fire succession of world-ending threats, finally spoke. He walked up to Fury, his hand going to his hip. "Director," he said, his voice quiet but firm. "Who is this child? Who is she working for? And what, exactly, is a Chitauri?"
Fury looked at the Captain, at the man who was still trying to apply 1940s morality to a 21st-century problem. "Captain, I can tell you what you need to know, when you need to know it."
"I've been fighting threats with one hand tied behind my back since I woke up," Steve retorted, his blue eyes flashing. "I deserve to know who I'm standing next to."
Hermione looked at the genuine confusion and moral exhaustion on the Captain's face and decided to intervene. She knew Steve Rogers was a good man. He just needed to see the threat clearly.
She walked to the large holographic display and brought up a simple, hand-drawn star chart. "The Chitauri are an army, Captain," she began, her voice calm and instructional. "They're not from the Nine Realms. They're a race of sentient machines who serve a higher power. Their goal is conquest and destruction, and they've been waiting outside our solar system for centuries."
She pointed to a black, amorphous shape on the edge of the display. "Their leadership is known as 'Others.' Their goal is not to rule Midgard. Their goal is to raze it."
The information, delivered with the cold, absolute certainty of an oracle, hung in the air. Fury nodded, grateful for the sudden influx of critical intelligence.
"And how do you know all this, Miss Granger?" Steve asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.
"Because, Captain," Hermione said, giving him a small, precise smile, "I read a lot of books."
Tony, who had been listening intently, finally broke the tension. "Alright, alright. Space zombies are coming. Thor's back. Loki's a traitor. We get it. Jarvis, give me tactical analysis on the Chitauri energy signatures." He looked at the chaos, at the array of broken heroes and brilliant minds finally assembling, and a genuine, if manic, grin spread across his face.
"Let's go find a couple of aliens and see if we can get my suit upgraded."