DISCLAIMER—I do not own Harry Potter, The Avengers, or any of the characters therein. Nor do I make any moneys from the posting of this fanfiction.

Hello everyone! I hope that you're doing well. Here it is, the next in the Marvel series. Needless to say there might be some spoilers, but never fear they aren't excessive. I've kept the story light for the most part. Hermione doesn't really find out about the Winter Soldier here either, but I don't think it's missed. Let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Please read and review!

…

Chapter One

Hermione looked at Harry as if he were insane. As the head of the Aurori, he usually had a hand in operations both in and out of the magical world. And whereas it was it was true that she had a few interactions with him in regards to work, he usually left the giving of orders to the head of the Department of Mysteries. That was usually, she pointed out to herself. And this, this wasn't usual—not by a long shot.

"Let me see if I comprehend what you're trying to tell me," she said as casually as she could manage. "You want me to go to New York and become a part of the Avengers?"

"Yes," he said.

"Why?" she demanded quietly.

"Because we can do some good," he answered. "They are meeting up with more and more people with powers that many within the muggle world can't come close to comprehending. With our help, I do believe we all can do some positive work towards a greater understanding…"

"Please stop!" she snapped. Standing up she leaned over the desk, looked him straight into his startled green eyes and growled, "Tell me in your own words and not those Percy wrote for you to deliver to the magical press!"

Blushing now he said quietly, "Please, Hermione. We can do some good helping them out. I know it."

"Why me?" she asked.

"You were asked for in person," he told her. "And by more than one person."

Hermione pulled away and sat down slowly, watching him intently as she inquired, "Who?"

"Tony Stark," he answered. "Another man by the name of Nick Fury—I can't believe that's an actual name. And the last being…" He looked down at a paper on his desk. "Captain America."

"He's dead," she muttered mostly to herself.

"Well, apparently a dead man has made at least twenty phone calls a day within the last week in order to convince the Minister of Magic himself that you are very much needed over in New York." He leaned back slightly and added, "So has Deadpool for that matter. But as soon as he was assured you'd be back in New York and delivering chimichangas to him before too long, he stopped calling."

"They threw me under the bus in other words," she sighed.

"Deadpool's certifiable. Of course they did," he answered, making her laugh.

Getting to her feet, she said, "Okay. I'll go. But if I don't like it, I'm going to leave."

"I told them you'd say as much," he told her. "They're expecting you at the Avengers' Tower at noon their time today."

She looked at her watch and muttered a curse as she flew out of the room in order to create a portkey to arrive on time.

Even as he watched her leave, Harry was wondering if he were doing the right thing. Whether or not he were, he knew her part of this would be changing their world as they knew it.

…

"Is getting a new team member a good idea given everything going on?" Bruce asked quietly.

"I think we need new blood," Tony said, sipping on his coffee as he looked over to Natasha and Clint. "What do you guys think?"

"I think that you're asking for no other reason than to hear that your idea is a good one," she said casually. "Seeing as you never cared for either of our opinions before."

"I do too care," he answered casually. "As long as you agree with me."

"Do people really think that's charming, Mr. Stark?" came the crisp British tones from a woman who was walking into the sitting room from the balcony.

"Of course they do, Miss Granger. That's why they pay me the big money," he drawled to her.

"Where did you come from?" Clint asked her.

"Outside," she replied. "Is there coffee?"

"At the bar," Tony told her, even as he was enjoying the befuddlement she managed to leave in her wake.

She served herself some coffee, black, and went over to sit down across from Stark. "You're growing increasingly ruder, Mr. Stark. Use the manners someone attempted to teach you and introduce me to the others here."

"Guys, this is Hermione Granger," he said. "You'll have to introduce yourselves, as that's below my pay grade."

Natasha rolled her eyes, even as Clint looked over to her and gave her a nod of his head and said, "I'm Clint Barton and this is Natasha Romanoff."

"Lovely to meet you," she murmured, looking over to Bruce who had walked over to where she was.

"I'm Bruce Banner," he said quietly.

"It's nice to meet you as well," Hermione said with a smile.

"And of course you know Bucky," Tony said of the man entering the room.

She looked over to him. He had gone stone still and was watching her intently. "Oh yes, I know James."

The Black Widow looked from her to the Winter Soldier and back to the woman again. They had a history. It should prove interesting to see if they let it all spill out in that moment.

"Hello Hermione," Bucky said.

"James," she murmured, making him flinch with the coolness of her tones. "We need to talk in private. Now." She got up and went over to where he was. "Well?"

He motioned to the balcony and she followed him outside.

"Ooh, drama!" Tony said, calling out, "Are you recording this, Jarvis?"

"No, sir," he answered. "There's interference with the feed."

Frowning he asked, "What kind?"

"Miss Granger made a cricket bat out of a stick and hit all the cameras with it, sir."

"I like her already," Nat said, making Clint and Bruce laugh.

Meanwhile, outside finishing up the last of the cameras, Hermione tossed aside the bat that turned into the stick once again as she did so.

"You had no right calling me weird," she told him. "I'm a smart, good looking woman with more class in my little finger than you have in your whole sorry self…"

"I know…"

"I'm not finished!" she snapped. "If you didn't want to start something because you couldn't handle it, you could have said as much. But I didn't deserve the blame, I didn't deserve the anger, nor did I deserve thinking something was wrong with me when it was you the fault lay with. If you ever want a 'normal' relationship, you're going to have to pull your head out of your ass." She finished up and let out a long sigh. "That felt good."

"Done?" he asked quietly.

"Yes," she murmured.

Swallowing his pride, he said, "You're right."

"I know," she said confidently. "That's the thing about being the smartest witch of my age—chances are I'm going to be correct the majority of the time."

"Immodest," he replied.

"I did say the majority of the time," she rebutted. "It wasn't like I said all of the time."

He grinned at that. "Got me there."

Her face went a bit sad. "I don't think I can be friends with you, Bucky. That's not to say that I won't be able to work with you. But I don't think we'll be able to be friends for a time yet."

"I understand," he whispered.

"I don't think you do," she told him. "I spent a week crying. I had a crazy mercenary ask me if I wanted you dead and I actually gave it serious thought for all of a tenth of a second." She pushed the arm of her left sleeve back to reveal the scar there on her arm. "I've been called all sorts of names most of my life. Weirdo, freak, and mudblood tops the list." She looked at the word there on her arm. "You managed to hit a sore spot without trying. And frankly, I don't want you calling me names every time you have issue with me or what I am."

"What does that mean?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

"I'm a first generation magic user. I'm what is referred to as a muggleborn. As such, those who call themselves purebloods see me as unclean—a mudblood." She absently traced the letters on her arm, as she added, "This was carved into my arm by a mad witch, as she was torturing me." She looked up to him. "I'm worth more than any label put on me. But that doesn't mean I'm impervious to the insults. And until you learn to hit the right target with the anger in you, I don't want to be your friend."

"I deserved that," he admitted.

"No shit," she muttered and walked back into the penthouse straight through the group of Avengers who had gathered to watch them.

"Wow," Tony said casually. "That was anticlimactic."

Hermione turned around and socked him in the jaw, knocking him on his ass. He sat up, rubbing his jaw as she stood there with her fists on her hips.

"Better?" she inquired.

"Much," he sighed. "But couldn't you have punched Bucky instead?"

She blinked at Tony in shock. "Are you joking? That man is built like a steel reinforced concrete building. I would have broken my hand!" Hermione pointed to Stark and told him, "You're just lucky that I decided to forgo kicking you in the groin as well."

TBC…

There you are! The first chapter is out swimming laps in the internet swimming pool. Let me know if you liked it. Thanks for reading and have yourselves a remarkable day.