Knowing that the only thing keeping Hermione Barton connected to the real world was a souped up pager that lived in Fury's back pocket annoyed Tony Stark to no end. There was only so much the tiny, alien killing mini-assassin could tell them before being limited to text speech (ew) or only giving the specifics.

But here was the kicker- Hermione never sent any messages about someone in the castle. Which meant she didn't know anything. In spycraft 101 (okay, a lot of movies) lack of intel tended to get people killed.

All the Avengers knew was that Alexander Pierce had received intel that in the late hours of the morning a jet had breached the airspace above Hogwarts and presumably landed just outside the wards. Since Dumbledore had not requested a meeting with Steve to reminisce about the good ol' days- it had been assumed that the contents of the jet were not friendly. So they jumped into a Quintet of their own and took off after them; hoping to get there before anyone could be hurt. The Hellicarrier was a few minutes behind them, preparing to launch anything from a simple emergency surgery to a full scale evacuation of the school.

"What lesson does Hermione have right now? Does anyone know?" Asked Bruce, who they brought along incase his MD came in handy.

"Her timetable says Transfiguration," Replied Natasha, "She should be just starting now."

"How far out are we?"

"Three minutes," Says Clint, "Emergency protocol from the ICW states we have rights to land on the school grounds in case of emergencies regarding the breaching of Secrecy Laws."

Tony produced a hologram of the castle from a computer and showed it to the team, "You know the castle best of all of us, Captain. Where is the best place to land?"

Within a minute of looking, Steve had managed to work out where Hermione was and the best place to park the jet, "Hermione's classroom is here," Steve jabbed at a wing of the castle right in the centre of everything. Tony placed a gold dot where his finger had been, marking the information so they didn't lose it, "And this courtyard in front of the Great Hall will be big enough to land," A red dot went in the giant space before the mock up of the hall, "the only problem is making it up three floors without getting caught by any of the traps set by the castle."

"The castle has its own booby traps?" Asked Tony.

"Its semi-sentient. Hermione mentions things like trick steps and entire staircases moving around on their own accord. Presumably it would be to protect the students against invaders." Natasha responded.

"Well, that's smart." He remarked.

Semi-sentient buildings? Moving staircases? Potions with the ability to change appearances? Wizarding school was sounding better and better the more Tony learned about it.

"We can get a better headcount of the student population if we get them to the Great Hall here. Plus we have the other two schools to account for. From what we know they tend to stay in their accommodation- or spend time in the library." Steve then added.

"But how do we get the message across an entire castle that the school is being attacked? Its huge."

"The talking portraits," Said Clint, "If we talk to them, they'd be able to spread the message without being harmed, and they can move through them so if they start getting shot at, they won't strictly die."

"There's talking portraits too?" Asked Bruce. "What next? Ghosts?"

Natasha and Clint shared a smile, even with the weight of the situation on their shoulders, "I don't think you are going to like The Bloody Baron very much."

They landed the jet in a huge courtyard, with everyone leaving the jet. But Natasha and Clint held back, waiting on the loading ramp so that Dumbledore wouldn't see them and not let them in at all. Natasha especially; her mark on the war against Voldemort left many painful scars, some more personal than others.

Yet the twinkling eyed man was already waiting for Bruce, Steve and Tony by the doors to the castle. He looked stern and dissaproving, "So when I was expecting Dumbledore, I've got to say I was not picturing the love child of Gandalf and Elle Woods," whispered Tony to Bruce.

Bruce choked back his laugh, "Not the time, Tony," He admonished lightly, hoping the older man didn't hear him. Despite of the situation, Tony still held a glint in his eye, one that matched the suit held in the briefcase in his right arm. Strapped across Tony's Kevlar vest was a semiautomatic rifle, just in case Hermione needed it. It was the same one from New York, although Tony had taken the time to buff out the scuffs and altered it so it was easier for a fifteen-year-old to manage (and wasn't that a horrifying thought- going back to weapons design so a teenager could use it).

"Captain Rogers, what brings you here so urgently?" Dumbledore asked, Tony recognised the underlying tone as one of annoyance. Stane used it all the time, and was often mistaken by many as caring.

"We've had reports that an unauthorised plane has landed in the wards around the school, and the people on board are believed to want to cause harm to the student population." Responded Steve, like the good little rule obeying Boy Scout he was.

"I can assure that none of our students or staff have noticed such threatening activity."

"Then would it be okay if we made sure the student body are all present and accounted for? You did mention you were having visitors from other schools that were not staying in the castle, it would not be good if one of them went missing under your nose."

Correct Tony wrong, Steve wasn't the type to roll over and play dead with higher ups. That was a sneaky move if Tony ever saw one. Dumbledore conceded and lead them into the castle, whispering to one of the portraits to alert the teachers about there being a threat to the wards, and to send everyone to the Great Hall immediately.

"If that is everything, shall we go to make sure everyone gets there?" Was Dumbledore's next offer.

Tony cut Steve right off, "We also got intel that there's a chance they might be after one of the Champions. We heard the name Potter, is there any chance you'd know where he'd be right now?"

Dumbledore looked surprised, "I do believe Mr Potter is with his classmates in Charms right now. But Professor Flitwick should keep them safe until they reach the Great Hall."

Bruce and Tony shared a look, whilst Steve nodded and then replied, "I'd still like to keep their safety as a priority, however."

"Very well then."

Dumbledore made his way to the Great Hall, commanding the portraits as he went to spread the message far and wide. With the Professor gone, Natasha and Clint walked out from the quinjet. Steve lead the Avengers up the stairs until the third floor, when out of earshot and sight of any spying portraits, he began to talk.

"Dumbledore is lying but I don't want to go against his advice and let him know of Hermione."

"Then we split," suggests Tony, "you go find Charms and escort them, regardless of who is in there or not. Nat and Clint go look for Hermione; Bruce and I will try and see if we can distract anyone, and if we are questioned, we can just say we got split and picked a direction to walk until we found her class."

"Okay, but no blowing her cover. We don't know her, and she sure as hell doesn't know you."

.

Transfiguration started as it normally would, but Hermione could not focus for anything in the world. Her stomach kept roiling, and her vision faded in and out. Vaguely, she knew McGonagall was writing something on her chalkboard, but reading was presently out of the question. She gripped the edges of the desk tight to focus on something that wasn't the sick feeling in her stomach.

She lost control of her magic, and two men died as a result. Granted, they were complicit in experimenting on a toddler; but they wouldn't, couldn't have known Hermione was capable of doing anything like what she did. Which was why the Winter Soldier broke her out that same day. Her mother also used to say something about witches never surviving the Black Widow programme, it was one of the few things she managed to get from Natasha about her past; everything else was kept under vague detail and the age old "I'll tell you when you're older," excuse.

But it wasn't the normal way of losing control. Accidental magic usually translated into some form of spell or charm, the desire or need for a thing overriding the required incantation. Yet what she did was pure emotion. Raw magic. It felt all too real and yet completely alien at the same time.

The question was, could, or should she try to repeat it?

The portrait of Gamp, famous for the laws of transfiguration vanished, and then came back in quick succession, face slack and drawn. "Professor McGonagall!" It cried, "Professor McGonagall!"

"Yes, Professor Gamp. I assume you would like to continue our lesson?"

"Intruders in the castle! There's intruders in the castle!" The portrait continued, "Professor Dumbledore is asking everyone to gather in the Great Hall to take a headcount!"

The classroom erupted in pandemonium. Sheets of parchment were tossed in the air, bags were gathered with things thrown inside, as everyone began shouting and demanding to know what to do next. Hermione stayed where she was, and even as McGonagall struggled to reign everyone in, no matter how loud she shouted or threatened Crabbe and Goyle with detention.

Hermione grabbed Harry's bag off the floor and began rooting through it for the Marauder's Map. She pulled it out and unfolded it in the chaos, whispering the password and watching the ink bloom to life. The Great Hall came first, then everything else on the ground floor, and below that the dungeons, then first and second floors. As the third floor came into view, showing everyone locked inside McGonagall's classroom, and then, up in the rafters of the hallway connecting them to the school, another set of footprints and a name that can't decide on what it wants to be.

"What in Merlin is that?" Asked Ron, watching the name flicker and change.

"Is it broken?" Said Harry, picking up the map and shaking it.

"No," muttered Hermione, looking away from the lone assassin and at the group of footsteps approaching the corridor at a rapid pace, "but he's not the one we need to worry about right now."

They were on top of them, and the door began to be plastered into small chunks by rapid gunfire. Someone was screaming, but Hermione was too occupied with pulling Harry and Ron to the ground to see who it was. The map fell down with them, and Hermione let out a small prayer.

Come on.

.

.

.

Tony and Bruce had gotten themselves ridiculously turned around in the five minutes they'd been left behind by Steve, Natasha and Clint. Somehow, they were up in the high arches of a tower, and gagging at the smell of whatever incense the teacher up there was burning.

"Jesus, it smells worse than my college dorm ever did." Muttered Tony, deciding whether or not to take the plunge and open it, or simply turn around and pretend he never found Hogwarts' resident recreational user.

"This better be some secret thing the staff pretend to not know about." Agrees Bruce, before deciding pull down the ladder. Tony stops him then, grabbing his arm and holding him back from climbing.

"Woah, you sure we should be going up there?"

"If kids are cutting class, they need to know about the evacuation, right? Doesn't really matter if they get detention at this stage." Reasons the physicist.

Tony shrugs, and lets him go. "That's fair. But I want outside the minute they're at the Great Hall."

Bruce climbs up the ladder, and opens the door. Someone lets out a loud cry of horror and Bruce has to duck a bright flash of spellfire, before he shouts, "SORRY! SORRY! WE'RE NOT HERE TO HURT YOU!"

Another voice, horribly young but all to fiery screams back, "THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT SOMEONE WHO WANTED TO HURT US WOULD SAY!"

"She has a point there!" Tony calls out, "Can we come up? We're from SHIELD."

Bruce is startled backwards by a head tipping out of the door. Its a girl, bright red hair and a face covered in freckles. Tony is reminded instantly of Pepper, but then something from Hermione's file comes to his mind. There's a family of redheads she's good friends with, and the youngest of them is a girl.

"Can I ask why?"

"Did you not get the evacuation notice? You were told to go meet at the Great Hall ten minutes ago. We're running a sweep of the castle to make sure everyone is there."

The girl hums, then vanishes back into the attic room, there's muffled sounds and murmurs of agreement, but she's back in view, this time with a bag slung over her shoulders, a simple canvas messenger, but the button for the Stark Expo raises their eyebrows. "Okay," she says, "we'll come with you. But we've left a note up there saying that two men have decided to take us in case you are lying and plan to murder us."

Bruce only nods in agreement and steps down to let her move, and the group comes down, one by one. Nonplussed by the interruption and gawping at the gun slung over Tony's shoulder. Tony takes the back of the group, and the girl falls into step next to him.

.

.

.

Steve was quick to get to the Charms classroom, and even when it turns out it wasn't the fourth years in there, but rather the sixth years, he still decided to escort them to the Great Hall. It was a quick drop off, as Professor Flitwick took it upon himself to stark collecting registers of everyone that had made it so far, and his pupils helped immediately. Trusting that the situation was well in hand, Steve walked out of the Great Hall and encountered Tony and Bruce escorting a group of younger students into the Hall.

"No Hermione?" Asked Steve.

"We got lost, ended up in an attic, managed to convince the kids to come with us but apparently the teacher never showed. Its third year Divination." Confirmed Tony.

"She mentioned the Divination Professor wasn't very good at her job, so let's hope she's just slept in or something. We can sweep individual rooms later," Said Steve, as a large group of burly looking students wearing deep burgundy robes marched into the room and took seats at the far-left table, "and that's one lot of transfer students."

"Who else are we missing?"

Steve waved over Professor Flitwick and the former duellist walked over, "Yes Captain Rogers?"

"How many classes do we have yet to arrive? I don't want to lead the search until everyone is accounted for."

Professor Flitwick read from his parchment, "Well we have a good majority of the student body accounted for. Only Seventh year potions and Fourth year transfiguration have yet to be seen moving. The portraits report that the guests from Beauxbatons are a few minutes away, and are arriving alongside Hagrid's fifth year care of magical creatures." He explains.

"Both Professors Snape and McGonagall were involved in previous conflicts, is that correct?"

"It is. Professor Snape was involved in the last war, and Professor McGonagall helped the SSR whilst she was a student in Hogwarts, and then spent a summer working with the French Resistance."

Tony hummed, "Then we can presume they're being careful about the route they're planning to take. It's a big castle, so there's got to be plenty of ways to get around without being seen by portraits."

"Either way," says Steve, "you and Bruce stay here with the students. Keep an eye on the doors and radio in when either group turn up. I'll head up to the third floor and try and find Professor McGonagall."

"Yes, Captain."

.

.

.

And like I said, six months later! It's not the entirety of this little part, but carrying on the whole way through would have taken even longer and I've had a weird increase in reviews so I figured I could put at least the start of this little arc whilst I work on the rest and try to produce something I've been planning (and then changing my mind, and then changing it again, and then drafting it, then re-drafting it, then scrapping it altogether, and planning it meticulously) for the last six years.

I also thought it would be interesting to use multiple perspectives and different locations across the castle. So, Hermione is stuck on the third floor (for now), Tony and Bruce have stuck themselves in the Great Hall, and Steve, Nat and Clint are somewhere looking for Hermione. Professor Trelawney is AWOL, and Dumbledore is decidedly unhappy that the Avengers are involved.

Anyway, I'm still going to keep working on this, even if my current pace means that I'll probably finishing this on my deathbed. So, see you in a while!

Like always, don't forget to favourite/follow/review!

Thanks again!