Happy's eyebrows were doing acrobatics. The implication couldn't have been more obvious.
In his view, the moment Hermione stepped in, that guy who dared to set his sights on Pepper was as good as finished.
Ever since the Battle of New York, the whole world had changed.
Aliens. Super-powered individuals. Things that used to exist only in sci-fi movies had come flooding into reality, all at once.
The Avengers burst onto the scene. Superheroes started popping up everywhere.
Iron Man. Captain America. Thor.
The media had already dug up everything there was to know about them.
Only the witch who had descended like a goddess during the Battle of New York remained wrapped in mystery.
The whole world was guessing at her true identity. Rumors flew in every direction. Some said she was the heir of an ancient magical bloodline. Others said she was a secret weapon left on Earth by aliens. Still others insisted she was some secret lab's experimental subject. Nobody agreed on anything.
They were all just guesses. The one thing everyone could confirm: she was a young girl.
Inside Stark Industries, only a handful of people knew the truth.
Pepper. Tony. And the chubby guy standing right in front of her.
Hermione stared at Happy. Her expression said everything: are you out of your mind?
"Happy. Are you serious?" She gestured with a motion that defied polite description. "Why would you think I know that kind of magic? And what wizard has nothing better to do than develop a spell like that?"
Happy wasn't giving up. He jabbed a finger at the man in the office. "Then hit him with a fireball or something! Nice and quiet, nobody has to know!"
Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Happy. He's here to pitch a product. He said a few words to Sister Pepper. And you want me to burn him to ash?" She counted on her fingers. "Who's going to invest in Stark Industries after that? And don't forget , I have shares in this company."
Happy's voice went urgent. "Think about it! If that guy — and he is clearly bad news — actually manages to hook Sister Pepper, then who this company belongs to in the future is anyone's guess. Stark Industries might not be yours to inherit."
Hermione slammed her palm on the table and shot to her feet.
Her eyes locked onto the man inside the office, laughing and chatting with Pepper. Something blazed behind them.
"Dare to touch my money?" She ground the words out through her teeth. "You've chosen death. Watch my Avada, "
She whipped out her wand. The tip flared to life, cold green light bleeding into the air around it.
Cold. Malevolent. Radiating something that made the soul want to flinch.
Every hair on Happy's body stood straight up. A primal terror clawed up from somewhere deep in his chest, the kind that whispered: something in this room can end you.
He had zero doubt that in the next second, Hermione would use that terrifying green spell , the one that had sent aliens to hell during the Battle of New York , on a man who was guilty of nothing more than flirting.
"No no no! Miss! Calm down! Calm down!"
He lunged, throwing his arms around hers and holding on for dear life.
"A lesson! Just teach him a lesson! That's enough!"
Hermione lowered the wand slowly. The green light faded.
Happy wiped the cold sweat off his forehead.
Working for this young lady genuinely required a cast-iron heart. She went from zero to lethal at the drop of a hat. Sweetheart, you might want to dial that back a little.
Hermione stood up and walked toward the office.
She wanted to see exactly which blind fool had decided her money was up for grabs.
Tired of living.
The office door slid open automatically. The man in the middle of his product pitch looked up, thrown off by the interruption.
He took one look at Hermione and blinked.
Whose kid is this?
How did she get in here?
He kept the smile on his face. He assumed Pepper would show the uninvited guest out.
Instead, the moment Pepper spotted Hermione, her whole face lit up. She left the man standing there without a second glance, crossed the room in a few quick steps, and pulled Hermione into a hug.
"Hermione, you're back!"
Her voice was warm and bright, relief threaded through the surprise.
"How's school? Are you getting along with your classmates?" She held Hermione at arm's length, looking her over carefully, checking for any sign that something had gone wrong.
The man's smile went stiff.
He looked at Pepper. Then at Hermione. Then back at Pepper. His gaze moved between them like he was trying to confirm he hadn't misheard.
"Pepper," he said, working to keep his tone even, "who is this?"
Pepper ruffled Hermione's hair with easy affection. "This is little Hermione. You can think of her as the most important person in Tony's and my life."
That was the safest way to put it. She could hardly introduce Hermione as the witch who had torn through an alien army without leaving a single one standing. No need to give a former colleague a heart attack.
The man, however, seemed to have arrived at his own conclusion. His expression cycled through several colors in rapid succession.
Pepper smiled apologetically. "Mr. Killian, I'm sorry , I don't think we'll have time to discuss the partnership today. Tony and I need to be with Hermione. Let's find another time."
Killian smoothed his expression back into something pleasant. "Of course, Miss Pepper. I won't keep you."
Killian. Hermione turned the name over. Why does that sound familiar?
She walked right up to him and started circling, studying him from every angle.
The man held his smile through visible effort. "Little girl , is there something I can help you with?"
Hermione stopped. Tilted her head. "Who are you?"
Killian held his patience. "My name is Aldrich Killian. CEO of AIM."
Something clicked behind Hermione's eyes. Her expression shifted into quiet recognition.
Right. Him.
The big villain from Iron Man 3. The Extremis guy who'd spent a whole night waiting for Tony and turned that humiliation into a grudge that reshaped his entire life.
Which meant she might actually get to watch the anti-Tony armor do its thing.
Killian gave Pepper a small nod. "Since you have plans, we'll pick this up another time." He glanced at Hermione, just a flicker, brief and unreadable, then turned and walked out.
Down at the base of Stark Tower, a black stretch SUV sat parked along the curb. Killian pulled the door open and climbed in.
The window rose with a soft hum, sealing the noise of the city outside.
The smile dropped off his face.
"Well," Killian murmured to himself, "I never would have thought." His voice was quiet. Thoughtful. "Tony Stark — that playboy , actually has a love child with Pepper."
"Truly unexpected." A beat of silence. "The plan needs to change."
---
That night. Malibu. The beach house.
Tony jolted upright in bed, eyes wide, forehead slick with cold sweat.
He sat there gasping, heart slamming against his ribs, dragging himself back from the edge of whatever nightmare had just had him.
➤ Next: Tony's Nightmare
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