Disclaimer: I own nothing affiliated with the Harry Potter world or Marvel Cinematic Universe.

A/N Hi guys! So here we are with Part 4. If you are unaware that this is the fourth part in a series, you might want to click on my bio page to find Part 1 (Hermione Granger: Agent of SHIELD). I would also highly recommend that you watch Guardians of the Galaxy before reading this fic because otherwise you will find it rather confusing.

A quick thank you to all my concerned readers who kept nudging me when they were worried that I wasn't going to update. Your fears can be allayed (for now!).

"How I loathe our family reunions," Nebula spat, scowling around at the dark, barren wasteland as she expertly landed the small ship on Sanctuary.

Gamora nodded in agreement, though her sister couldn't see her. "At least they're not a common occurrence," she pointed out. Gamora was glad to say that it had been many months since she'd last had to endure the presence of Thanos – the cruel warlord who presumed to call himself her father. In truth, Nebula was not her sister either and, more often than not, they could hardly stand the other's presence, but the deeply buried shred of compassion that Thanos had been unable to beat out of Gamora still held affection for the Luphomoid girl who had grown up alongside her.

"But I doubt we shall like whatever he's going to say," Nebula muttered, powering down the vehicle and unlocking the doors.

This, unfortunately, was true. Thanos could never be called a man of sentiment and it was highly unlikely that he should wish to see his adopted daughters to enquire after their welfare and discuss how they were enjoying working with Ronan the Accuser (a somewhat merciless and dogmatic member of the Kree race). No, there was something that Thanos wished to say to them in person and, from Gamora's experience, it wouldn't make for pleasant hearing.

The Other, Thanos's closest attendant, was waiting for them as they disembarked.

"My lady Gamora, my lady Nebula," he greeted, his voice sickeningly subservient as he bowed low. "My lord Thanos, awaits your presence." He beckoned to them and they duly followed his cloaked, shuffling figure across the rocky landscape.

Being back on Thanos' domain brought many unpleasant memories of pain, loss and despair to the surface of Gamora's mind but she kept them firmly in place as she maintained her emotionless façade.

Approaching Thanos' levitating throne, Gamora easily spotted the slight figure standing motionless at his feet. It was a young female, possibly Xandarian, of similar age to herself and Nebula, attired in leather clothes like they both wore. Her long brown hair fell in soft waves down her back and her skin appeared milk-white in Sanctuary's gloom. She had appealing, delicate features that were offset by the cold expression she was wearing as she stared unwaveringly straight ahead of her.

"Your daughters, my lord," the Other announced, needlessly gesturing to Nebula and Gamora as they stood in front of Thanos, heads bowed slightly in acknowledgement.

"Father," they each greeted lowly.

"Gamora, Nebula," his deep voice rumbled, "Allow me to introduce your new sister, Hermione."

Unsurprised that Thanos should waste no time in getting straight to the point, Gamora appraised the girl further. She was in good physical condition, that was easy to see, but that deadened gaze spoke of the damage Thanos had undoubtedly wrought within.

"Another sister, what a nice surprise," Nebula said with more than a hint of sarcasm, her completely black eyes narrowed at the latest addition to their so-called family. "And I didn't even know you were expecting!"

Gamora eyed Nebula warily, hoping that she would keep her temper in check; surely she didn't need reminding how mercilessly Thanos could act when aggravated?

"Hermione has been my daughter for some time," Thanos replied, his tone clearly indicating that he was not in the mood for Nebula's cynicism. "You are only now meeting each other because I wanted her to be ready first."

Gamora felt a sting of sympathy for her new 'sister' as she recalled the numerous ways Thanos had tortured, manipulated and experimented on her to get her 'ready' for purpose. She wondered whether it had actually been easier for her to be adapted and moulded whilst a child into what Thanos wanted, rather than an adult like Hermione; someone who assumedly already had a life on her planet, had formed her own beliefs and ideas, and had now had everything she knew about herself ground down into tiny fragments and tossed amongst the stars.

"And are you ready now, sister?" Nebula questioned, taking a couple of confident steps towards Hermione to get a closer look.

Hermione's gaze shifted for the first time as she eyed Nebula indifferently and, when she replied, there was a definite hint of a challenge in her tone: "You'll soon see for yourself, sister." The scorn in the last word showed that the lack of sibling affection was apparently mutual.

A cruel smile spread over Nebula's features. "I'm looking forward to it," she claimed with false sweetness.

Gamora glanced at Thanos to gauge his feelings on the interaction and was somewhat uneasy to find that he looked amused at the animosity they were showing each other. Yes, they certainly weren't a typical family.

"Gamora," Thaos called, "what do you make of your new sister?"

"Not a lot," she answered, watching Hermione closely. "You always told us to be wary of first impressions for they are often misleading, though now, of course, we use that to our advantage." It was amazing how many men could be lured by the sight of a supposedly helpless or wanton woman.

Thanos smiled widely, showing his large flat teeth. "Yes, that would certainly be wise in this case."

Gamora knew that he was deeply enjoying parading Hermione in front of them so mysteriously. She was curious about Hermione's origins but knew better than to ask so openly because Thanos did not like them talking about their lives before he had adopted them.

"I did not just summon you both here to simply introduce you to your new sister," Thanos continued. "Hermione now requires a more serious challenge of her skills. Nebula, you wished to see what she is capable of so, go ahead, do your worst."

The fact that Hermione was unarmed didn't appear to bother Nebula in the slightest and she didn't waste time to enquire whether Thanos was serious in his suggestion before she unsheathed her twin electroshock blades and leapt forwards to close the remaining few feet between them.

Gamora didn't quite see what happened next but there was a bright flash of light and Nebula was propelled backwards, landing unstably back where she'd began. Nebula frowned at Hermione, who gazed back unaffected. Gamora could see she was still unarmed for her palms were raised, almost in self-defence.

Nebula approached her more cautiously; her blades upwards in preparation, but Hermione didn't react at all. When the distance between them was less than three feet, Nebula thrust the blades forwards, aiming at her neck and stomach. A protective shield, formed of energy, prevented the weapons from touching Hermione and they simply bounced off. Nebula snarled and forcefully jabbed the electroshock blades against the barrier in an attempt to break it. Suddenly, the shield disappeared and Nebula stumbled forwards. She quickly struck out with the blades but Hermione was nowhere to be seen.

Gamora openly gaped at the spot from which Hermione had vanished. She must be in possession of some impressive technology to be able to disguise herself so completely because both Gamora and Nebula had been equipped with implants to enhance their visual system, as well as many other additions.

Nebula let out a growl of surprise as the electroshock blades were wrenched from her grasp and hovered menacingly above her head, but she was in no position to regain possession of them as her body jerked and stumbled like she was being physically attacked. Her knees buckled and she fell forwards, her arms and legs pinned unnaturally behind her.

Hermione abruptly rematerialized in front of them and, with a flick of her hand, Nebula was forced onto her back, her limbs still seemingly restrained. The blades dived down to their owner and stopped a hair's breadth from her skin.

Hermione looked down at Nebula, who was glaring at her with purest loathing, and smiled sweetly. "Seen enough, sister?"

"Release me, you – " Nebula snarled but, when Hermione jabbed a finger in her direction, she was suddenly cut off. Nebula's mouth moved with fury, no doubt spewing vitriolic comments that it was best they couldn't hear.

Unconcerned, Hermione turned away from Nebula and appraised Gamora.

"I hear they call you the deadliest woman in the galaxy," Hermione said lightly.

"I doubt that will be true for much longer," she replied, shocked at what the young woman was capable of.

"You do not wish to pit yourself against Hermione?" Thanos asked.

"What would be the wisdom in that?" Gamora countered. "There is nothing wrong in admitting there are some battles you cannot win."

"Some would call that cowardice," Thanos pointed out harshly.

"I prefer the term, self-preservation," she replied coolly and he chuckled.

"You have always been quick-witted," he murmured almost proudly, before looking down at Nebula with an expression of disappointment. "Release Nebula, Hermione, though you will have to watch your back; she is not known for her forgiving nature."

Hermione did as commanded and Nebula's limbs went limp. She had to carefully extricate herself away from the blades as Hermione had kept them resolutely in place.

"But be warned, daughter," Thanos continued, pinning Nebula with a stern expression, "I will be angered by any serious retribution you choose to dish out. You asked to see what Hermione was capable of and now you have been able to appreciate but a glimpse of her potential. With Hermione now a part of our family, we are unstoppable."

Hermione turned to Thanos and inclined her head. "I only wish to please you, father," she said earnestly.

"As do we all," Gamora added, similarly bowing her head.

Nebula pulled herself to her feet. "I am yours to command," she said with only the smallest trace of her anger at Hermione still noticeable.

In truth, Gamora was greatly disturbed by this addition to their family.

Gamora wasn't fooling herself; she knew she wasn't a good person. She'd committed a vast number of crimes and had long since lost count of the people she had killed. While she couldn't exactly say that those people had deserved to die, none of them had been good people either, which was unfortunately very common in this melting pot of a galaxy. She was a warrior and an assassin, but she had a moral line that she wouldn't cross. The same wasn't true of Thanos. She'd known that from the beginning when he'd killed her parents in front of her along with the rest of her race. He had no qualms about committing genocide and other atrocities to achieve his goals. For most of her life, Gamora had simply accepted this; what choice did she have? Thanos had always been power-hungry and was never satisfied with his lot, but recently it felt like the atmosphere was shifting – not just in Thanos' dominion, but across the galaxy; war was coming.

In the last few days, Gamora had discovered that Thanos had agreed to destroy the planet Xandar for Ronan should the Kree warrior bring him a mysterious and long lost Orb. The possibility that so many innocent lives would be lost due to the ambitions of two sadistic rulers made Gamora sick to her core and, for the first time since her childhood, she had secretly vowed to fight back. If she could prevent Ronan from passing the Orb onto Thanos then she might save the Xandarians from their awful fate.

Hermione, though, was a problem.

Gamora just didn't know how much of a problem she was, especially as she didn't know what Hermione was truly capable of yet. What she'd seen so far was troubling enough but she sensed there was much more to come.

The galaxy would be a far deadlier place should Thanos gain greater power and if Hermione was truly devoted to him, she could play a significant part in making that happen. But that was a big if.

He may or may not be aware of it, but both Nebula and Gamora deeply resented Thanos and would not be upset if he happened to meet his end. Should Hermione's loyalty, like theirs, be nothing but an act, Gamora might be able to turn Hermione into a very valuable ally. The difficulty would be getting her to admit she wasn't Thanos' dedicated daughter. Having grown up together, she and Nebula knew of each other's hatred of Thanos but they made sure no one else knew because it was far too dangerous to bad mouth him when there were so many snooping ears who would happily report back to him. Hermione, on the other hand, had had no one to confide in and she was unlikely to trust Gamora any time soon.

Gamora raised her eyes back to Thanos; he was smiling cruelly down on his daughters, no doubt envisioning how they were going to help him spread his influence throughout the galaxy.

"If you want Hermione to be tested further, do you wish her to join us under the command of Ronan?" Gamora asked. "It appears there is little else she can learn here on Sanctuary – it's quite different applying those skills in real life."

So far, Ronan and his forces had been unable to locate the Orb but Gamora was aware that it could be discovered at any time, thereby spelling the end of Xandar. Having Hermione close by would give Gamora more opportunities to sound the mysterious woman out and potentially discover any weaknesses she may have.

"Ronan has already agreed to such a proposal," Thanos replied, "though I expect both of you to further Hermione's education as well; make sure she realises what it means to be a part of our family." He turned his gaze to his newest child. "You have progressed far, my daughter, but there is still much for you to learn and a galaxy for you to experience. I am placing you in worthy hands; Ronan is loyal to me and, in serving him, you will be serving me also."

"I won't let you down, father," Hermione vowed.

In no time at all, the three women were taking off from Sanctuary, headed back to Ronan's flagship, the Dark Aster.

There were many questions that Gamora wished to ask Hermione, but, with Nebula so close by, they would have to wait for a more suitable time. Gamora sensed that Nebula wasn't as averse to Thanos and Ronan's schemes as she was and, though she cared for her sister, Gamora wouldn't dream of broaching the subject of betraying Ronan and their father to Nebula. She strongly suspected that the Luphomoid would sell her out without much remorse.

Gamora glanced over at Hermione, who was gazing intently at the rapidly decreasing Sanctuary. A metallic groan echoed loudly in the small space, making Nebula and Gamora look around in confusion. Hermione knelt down and Gamora noticed the large crack that had appeared in the flooring by Hermione's feet. Shocked, she watched as Hermione ran her fingers over the fissure and the metal melded back together again. A few seconds later, it was as though there had been no break there at all. Hermione stood calmly and raised a challenging eyebrow when she became aware of her sisters' stares.

Nebula glowered at her but eventually turned back to the ships' controls, her jaw clenched with intense dislike.

Gamora sat in contemplative silence. She had long heard of the existence of sorcery in the galaxy but had yet to encounter any herself. But what other explanation could there be for all the different things Hermione could do?

Having her on board the Dark Aster would certainly make things interesting…

A/N So, I'm guessing that you may have a few questions. In the coming chapters we will dip back to find out what happened between now and the end of 'Sorceress' but if you have your own ideas then feel free to hit me with them.

Until next time!

Lil Drop of Magic