How I Spent My Vacation

Tyene: Your denial of certain facts is cute sometimes.

Wanda: (shoves her) I'm not in denial. I'm a writer. Hello everyone, welcome to my latest shipfic! This one goes AU during and after the Battle for Hogwarts in DH for the HP universe, and during Thor 2 for the MCU (though that won't come up until later.) I do not own either the Avengers (sadly) or Harry Potter.

Chapter 1: From One World to Another

"...You're all clear, miss. Baggage claim is down to your left at the end of the hall," The customs agent said, stamping the paper before handing it and the passport back to the lovely young redhead who stood before him. She looked distinctly out of her element; she thanked him for the extra directions and hurried off.

It was fairly evident that she hadn't gone travelling before, though the people passing by wouldn't have known how true that was. None of her family had ever used such a transportation system, instead preferring to transport themselves through other, quicker means. However, this young lady was attempting to stay under the radar and wasn't particularly interested in returning to a society she had come to loath with a burning passion, so she had decided to attempt another route.

She was beginning to regret that decision, having lost her paperwork twice and gotten stopped during screening for neglecting to take her shoes off or removing the laptop her friend had given her for contact and other such things from her bag. Then the flight had been delayed, and now she had stood in line for nearly an hour to get through customs and in general was just desperate to finally get out of this building.

"Baggage claim nine, baggage claim nine...dear sweet Merlin, how do these people remember all of these places? Hogwarts was less of a maze!" Ginny Weasley, recent Hogwarts graduate, one of the primary (and youngest) heroes of the second Blood War, exclaimed as she ducked and weaved her way through the crowd of families coming and going for summer break.

"The Unspeakables just had to set their meetings up for today, didn't they?" Ginny grumbled as she finally located the correct claim and waited for her single suitcase to emerge from the silver boardwalk. "It just had to be the first time I was taking the plane and she said she'd be there to help me. It had to be, because advance notices? What the hell are those supposed to be?"

The fact that she had to wait for nearly forty minutes to retrieve her baggage did nothing to help her mood. "It's very important," She quoted sourly, violently shaking the suitcase so the handle would extend, allowing her to comfortably drag it along behind her as she headed towards the bus stop. "But I still can't tell you what it is! Good lord, Hermione, after those seven years you don't think I've gotten tired of hearing that?"

The absent figure, one Hermione Granger, of course didn't answer, but expelling some of her frustration helped Ginny relax a bit as she collapsed into her seat on the shuttle bus and pulled a set of pages out of her backpack to examine them for the hundredth time.

One of them was the location and number of the quite posh hotel room she would be staying at for the next few weeks at least, the other an expensive looking invitation.

Leaning back against her seat, Ginny carefully placed her recently bought ear buds back in their place and unlocked her new cell phone.

Mundane folk were quite amazing, contrary to what current running for Minister of Magic Draco Malfoy might think. When they had started living together while training to join the Unspeakables, Hermione had introduced Ginny to how the non magical world worked. Her first trip down into the heart of London had made the magic-raised redhead positively dizzy – the contraptions she had seen were more like something out of a fantastic story than anything she had seen during her childhood.

A phone was like a combination of The Floo and the patronus messanger minus most of the effort and concentration required – and it could get a signal nearly anywhere! Herimone offered to cover the 'long distance' charges for her until she got a steady job, so the two friends could contact each other without much fuss.

The Iphone and mundane music was proving to be one of Ginny's favourite discoveries, though. At first, some of Hermione's favourite music – such as Green Day or Skillet – sounding shocking and discordant to her, but once she had adjusted she really came to love them, as well as other bands she would go on to discover.

Ginny closed her eyes as 'Iodine' drifted through her ears. She flipped the invitation over again, rereading what she had already looked at a dozen times. Stark Tower, 7:00 pm.

Flashback

"Are you sure, Hermione?" Ginny asked in confusion, alternating between staring at the page and frowning at the other woman, who was walking back and forth in the kitchen preparing breakfast with the flick of a wand.

"Yes, Ginny." Hermione said, sitting down in the chair across from her. A moment later, the scrambled eggs were set before them. "Unspeakable Keldo said that it's really important for me to be there for the next few days; the project is still very delicate and in its beginning stages."

"That's what you said last week," Ginny responded. "Has something gone wrong?"

Hermione seemed to wince a bit at this. "Nothing dreadful...the probabilities proved to be more volatile then even he was expecting."

Ginny bit her lip but accepted this. No one outside of the Unspeakables ring really knew what the new 'project' was; she had just been given vague details regarding the space-time distortions from six months ago since she had yet to complete her training. Hermione was being annoyingly secretive about it too, but that was probably to avoid disappointing her new boss.

"Are you sure they won't mind someone else coming in your place?" Ginny asked suspiciously, regarding the slip once again. "This looks like a pretty high profile gig."

"I'm sure they won't," Hermione answered confidently. "On the scale of important people at that party, I'm pretty low on the scale – just a liaison from British healthcare, slated to work with Helen Cho on the regeneration project."

"As in, you trying to create some sort of concoction that uses just enough mundane medicine for you to start selling potions under the noses of the Statue of Secrecy." Ginny sniped.

Hermione rolled her eyes affectionately. "You know I'm not the only person considering revealing this magical world to our neighbours," She said. "With the arrival of aliens and gods, its rather redundant to keep hiding ourselves, especially as the world changes around us."

Ginny snorted and took a swig of orange juice. "I bet the Malfoys and his compatriots must love that concept."

Hermione's eyes hardened. "No, they're far to used to being able to swindle and bully muggles without fear of reprisal to consider it. They believe we have a sovereign right over such lowly people still."

"You'd think Riddle's pathetic end would have put paid to some of that," Ginny suggested scathingly.

Both girls winced a bit; despite several years having passed they both still bore the scars of the years where Tom Riddle cast his shadow over their childhoods.

"When you've been raised with that mindset, its hard to change it," Hermione noted. "But as I was saying, I'm not particularly important. If Miss Cho asks you where I am, just say that you're a college of mine who was sent instead after an emergency came up."

Ginny shook her head slowly, spinning her fork between her fingers. "I don't know, Hermione."

"Come on, Ginny! Have some wine, get a look at Tony Stark and Thor, throw some jokes around!" Hermione insisted. "Have a good time! You've been spending too much time buried in work."

"...Did you really just say that to me?" Ginny asked incredulously.

Hermione ignored the jab at her hypocrisy and continued, "Ginny, really. You've done a lot of work, you deserve a break. Not here." She looked out the window. "Not around here. You should get a fresh start, a new look at the world away from...all this."

Absently, she rubbed her arm where the faded scars of mudblood still cut across her skin. Ginny looked down at the table, her eyes burning slightly as she remembered the conclusion to that seven year nightmare. Was it really going to make her cry? After all these fifteen years?

"What about you?" She asked eventually. "I could say the same thing..."

Hermione managed to smile, "I told you, I can't really afford a break right now. But hey – after the week is over, I'll fly over and join you. Maybe we'll go to Disneyworld or Universal Studios. It'll be fun, Ginny. Just give it a chance."

Ginny was brought out of her memories at the sound of her stop. Forcing her tired body to stand up, she took her suitcase and stepped out the door.

The train station was only a block away from the hotel building, which would be useful for getting to the party tomorrow. After paying for her room – which was mercifully easy, though she still fumbled with the bank card. At least the cashier lady didn't give her condescending looks like some of the flight attendants had.

Her room was nothing spectacular, but quite comfortable – a two person bed, a flat screen television set with multiple channels, a desk and a pamphlet for room service. Dropping her suitcase on the floor in relief, Ginny cast a nonverbal notice me not charm around the room so she could freely transform or levitate things without concern.

She drew out the red dress she had bought last notice – simple, but high class. Ginny wasn't used to having money for such extravagant outfits; it had taken her a long time to settle on what she felt would be the cheapest while still being sufficiently dressy enough.

After a long bath, she lay down in her bed and glanced out her window. The glow from the Stark Tower – now rechristened "Avengers Tower" – was visible even through the smog and chaos of the city.

"It's just a party," She murmured to herself. "It'll be fun. What could happen that hasn't already happened to you, and worse, before this?"

The Next Day

Ginny felt distinctly out of her element at the extravagant party at the top of Avengers Tower.

The whole building had an elegant and very expensive look to it – Ginny was willing to bet that the cost of just one floor of this building could have rebuilt The Burrow five times over. There were a lot of people dressed in outfits that probably cost more then her dad had made in a year.

Even after the war, where her family was more respected by the general public, Ginny had still possessed a low class living. Seeing this kind of casual wealth was honestly kind of dizzying.

However, there was an...air...of casualness to the party. There was no sense of pretentiousness or self importance; just blunt honesty, and not even a particularly harmful sort. It just spoke of a man who didn't care to lie about who he was.

That man was Tony Stark.

Due to Wizarding Britain's isolationist policies and contempt towards mundane current events as a whole, Ginny had only received cliff notes over the last four or so years as Iron Man, and later the Avengers as a whole, rose to the world stage. She had seen the alien invasion from the distance – to her, it had just been a shudder and a shadow on the horizon.

As such, she had a rather impersonal attitude towards the chaos that had been occurring in the Americas over the last few years, especially since she was still recovering from the war she herself had experienced.

However, after reading up on the subject Ginny found she had a begrudging respect for Tony Stark.

Anyone could go, shoot up their enemies and call themselves a hero. Admitting responsibility in terrible things your company was involved with and swearing to change that, even to your detriment? Older and wiser folk had never managed that achievement.

Like certain old men.

Ginny scowled at the memory before shaking her head. This was a party, she should have fun. Besides, that war was gone and buried, all it's associated baggage with it...

/

"C'mon Steve. It's a party! Live a little." Tony said in exasperation when he caught Steve Rogers hovering uncertainly by the bar.

"I think you and I have different opinions on what constitutes living," Steve responded, rolling his eyes.

"How's Sam doing?" Tony asked, nodding in the direction of the para rescue veteran.

"He's alright. Still working, though." Steve said, his mind drifting a bit on what, exactly, Sam was doing. He was looking for Bucky.

His old friend was doing a good job of hiding away. Perhaps he shouldn't be surprised, considering what being the Winter Soldier had entailed, but Steve still felt a little sadder ever time a lead went cold. He wanted his best friend back.

"Hey. Look there," Tony said, putting a hand on Steve's shoulder and pointing towards the edge of the crowd. A young redhaired girl – probably in her late twenties, early thirties – was hovering around the fringes, smiling and speaking casually but still looking distinctly uncertain, never entering the crowd fully.

"Tony. Don't start with that – Natasha's been bugging me enough about dates as it is," Steve said with a slight eyeroll as he remembered the assassin asking him about a girl literally seconds after kicking a perp of the top of a building.

"She's a redhead," Tony emphasized, clearly thinking about the absent Pepper Potts. "Seriously, it couldn't hurt. If you stand any stiffer, you'll be a statue – loosen up."

"I don't think..."

"You can thank me for this later," Tony promised. Before Steve could say anything, Tony gave him a mighty shove. Stumbling over his feet, Steve straightened up and nearly ran straight into the young woman who had been making her way to the drink stand.

"Oh! I'm sorry-"

"No, it's okay. I'm sorry, wasn't watching my step." Steve threw Tony a dark look. The billionaire merely raised his hands defensively and grinned in his patented annoying way.

The redhead examined him for a moment, as though she needed a second to place his identity in her mind. "Are you Steve Rogers?" She asked.

Steve nodded sheepishly. "Guilty as charged. Can I get you a drink?"

The girl smiled after a moment before raising her hand. "Ginny Weasley – a scotch would be nice."

"Where're you from? You seem a little out of place around here," Steve asked once he had gotten her the glass.

Ginny took a sip before responding, "Yeah, I'm British. Lived out in the country until I turned eighteen. My friend had an emergency come up at her workplace, so I offered to come here in her place...Miss Cho was very understanding about it." She waved. "My family wasn't really well off, so this is all...a bit overwhelming at first."

"I thought the same thing, actually, when I first got here." Steve remarked.

Ginny's eyes softened. "I imagine there weren't a lot of buildings like this back in the forties."

"...No. No there weren't."

"Would you mind if I asked a personal question?"

"Well, you've been far more polite than the reporters that spend every other day trying to break my door down, so...sure." Steve said with an awkward smile. Ginny laughed in response before her expression became serious again.

"...How do you manage, with everything being so different? A lot of things have changed since then...both the good and the bad. How do you keep going despite what you've experienced?"

Steve looked curiously at her. "Are you asking a question, or seeking advice?"

Ginny didn't seem surprised to be found out. "A bit of both," She admitted. "My, uh...my community was in turmoil for most of my childhood. Now that it's all over...I kind of feel like a leaf in the wind."

Steve paused for a long moment before saying, "You know? It's strange, but you just keep walking. Even if the world's been burned down, a city torn and rebuilt, you still have two good, strong legs – they can keep carrying you, no matter where the future leads."

Ginny seemed to think on that for a moment before saying, "Some of my neighbours think there isn't any life outside our community. I guess I'll have to prove them wrong, won't I?"

Steve smiled, "Yeah. That's a good way of looking at it."

"Thank you," Ginny said sincerely, before wincing and putting a hand on her stomach. "Ah, excuse me...this food's a bit on the rich side."

"Of course," Steve said, slightly embarrassed, but Ginny threw him a friendly smile before shouldering her way through the crowd in search of a washroom. Strange girl, he thought, but she's pretty smart.

**Later**

"You want me to transfer this back to Hermione's branch?" Ginny clarified.

"If you would," Helen Cho responded, placing a package on the table. "My hospital is running overtime in an attempt to prepare the cradle for worldwide release; I could use some other interns but I'm too busy to spread the news myself."

"Sure thing," Ginny said.

Most of the party guests had dispersed now, leaving only the Avengers, Stark's new secretary Maria Hill and Helen Cho behind.

Helen asked Ginny to stay a little longer, not only to pass information along to Hermione but just to talk; Ginny had impressed her with her sharp mind and she was hoping they would talk more.

Now Ginny was watching the gods on the couch laughing and joking like normal people.

Bruce Banner looked far less frightening than some of the newspapers would have had her believe. In fact Ginny found herself quite fiercely reminded of Remus Lupin; kind, softspoken and gentle but cursed with something that occasionally turned him into a monster. He also self deprecated and believed himself to be different from most people though Ginny thought otherwise. Especially if he shared a personality to her former DADA teacher.

Clint Barton had a sense of humour that reminded her slightly of her youngest brother, which while causing a twinge of grief was comforting in its own way. While some newspapers had written him off as useless compared to his companions, Ginny felt at some points that he was a balancing element – again, reminding her a strange mixture of Ron and Harry.

Thor was more intelligent and well spoken than she had expected. Sure, he did possess that overt manliness and testosterone poisoning that she had expected of the god of a warlike people, but he was actually quite eloquent. Not only that, but sometimes when he smiled and talked he seemed more like a puppy then anything cruel or dangerous.

Natasha Romanov was...interesting. Ginny had an inkling she hid a lot of her thoughts and personality, even around friends – in that way, they were rather alike. Ginny had buried a lot of her old thoughts and aspirations following the war, deeming them simply too painful to consider now and too tainted by the memories of those harsh times to want to carry on into adulthood.

Tony Stark was...exactly what she expected him to be. He was arrogant and confident, constantly smiling and joking and making everyone at ease. However, Ginny had a sense that there was something sad deep inside him, though his mask was to competently made for her to be certain.

James Rhodes was the straight man to Tony's antics. Their interactions made everyone laugh, but he was clearly still a military man, like Maria Hill. Ginny had spotted several of the concealed weapons in the room, though she had pretended otherwise.

"...Ginny! Would you like to try?" Ginny was brought out of her thoughts by Steve's voice. She blinked and realized the group was pointing to Thor's enchanted hammer, which was sitting innocuously on the desk.

"Alright," She said with a shrug. Could it hurt. "Shall he be worthy, huh...?" She threw a faux serious scowl at Thor when she said this.

The thunder god raised his hands in the gesture of surrender. "Those would not be my words." He said. "I've seen many a shield maiden in action, too many to fall for such fanciful thinking."

"That's nice." Ginny said as she grasped the handle. She could feel the magic pulsing through the weapon, and her own responding to it.

With a gasp, she managed to lift it for a moment before instantly dropping it, swearing when it caused a crack in the table.

"Sorry," She said to Tony, who was laughing at Thor's stunned expression along with Clint. Steve and Bruce mainly looked awed while Natasha regarded her critically.

"Better watch out Steve, the army might just recruit Lady Liberty here – worthy of the god's powers! By a bit." Tony chuckled. Steve rolled his eyes at this, though he did smile just enough to imply that he possessed some affection for his teammate after all.

Ginny smiled a bit, feeling more at ease as she sat down again.

Then the screeching filled the air.

End Chapter

I hope this establishes Ginny's current situation and thought process as well as giving her a semi-rational reason to meet the Avengers. It's going to be a quick thing, because I've watched Mad Max Fury Road. There's no being confused or surprised by other people when there's no freakin time for that. It's 'oh, you can do the thing? good, do the thing'. Next time, Ultron and the Maximoffs! Yay!

Read and Review please!