Chapter Text
Hermoine was a witch. There was no doubt about it. She had a wand, a cat, and a book of spells at her disposal. She also lived a life so perfect it often left others with a strange twinge of envy in the pit of their stomachs. She should’ve been content with her life. She should’ve stayed at Hogwarts. And she definitely should’ve never picked up that phone call.
It was 12:07 AM when she heard a phone ring. It was a strange thing to hear in the castle, considering wizards weren’t allowed to have any technology. They usually just used magic. She got out of bed quietly and blindly followed the sound. The wooden floorboards felt cold under her steady feet. The ringing led her to a peculiar closet. Sighing, she opened the door. It wasn’t unlikely that odd things happen to her, ever since her 1st year she has been bombarded with the most difficult and uncertain situations. When she opened the door, what awaited her inside was a small wooden table with a landline phone plugged into the wall. She carefully picked up the phone, reaching for her wand with her other hand (just in case).
“Hello?” She half-whispered, almost forgetting the 9 PM curfew.
“No way, it actually worked!” a voice chuckled.
This made Hermione jump, not because the voice was loud, but because it was American.
“Who is this?” Hermione hissed.
“Listen, I know about your little wizarding school, and Mr. Stark asked me to call you. He said you were the best student. We could really use your help”.
Hermione felt a bizarre sense of urgency in this American’s voice. Almost like a plea, but not quite there. She decided to trust him. She knows what it’s like to feel like no one believes you.
“Help with what?”
“I can’t tell you that.”
He can’t tell Hermione? Oh please.
“Why not?”
“I can’t. What is up with you wizards having your little wands stuck up your ass?”
“Witch, a female wizard is a witch.”
“I’m sorry but I really do not care.”
The bickering lasted longer than Hermione intended. Whoever this man was, he sure knew how to argue. Even more, he knew how to make Hermione annoyed.
“Whatever. Just tell me where I need to go, if it’s for saving the world or what ever it is you are pestering about”.
“I’ll tell you once you tell me your name. I have to make sure this is the right person.”
For once, Hermione decided to give up on arguing and just tell him the information he wanted. She was usually nice to everyone, helpful. Why couldn’t she be herself this once?
“It’s Hermione. But why do you need to make sure? You’re the one who telephoned.”
“Because I wasn’t sure Mr. Stark would want help from such an annoying person. Listen, I don’t mean to be rude or anything, but I don’t want you getting ideas. Once the job is over, you can go right back to your little magical princess land.”
Even though they had been arguing on the phone, his words stung Hermione a little. Mostly because they were true. How could she be fit for saving the world when she couldn’t even have a normal conversation with a stranger on the phone? Why did she have to always be right?
“Okay, it’s a school. Not a magical princess land.”
She needed to change if she wanted this to work.
“What’s your name by the way? You got my name, it’s only fair if I get to know yours.”
She hears shuffling and a few low rumbling noises on the other side. When the boy started talking again, it's in a low, hushed tone. Extremely contrasting to the loud arrogant tone he had earlier.
“Peter Parker, aka Spiderman. New York, November 12th, 9:00. Hudson River Valley. Don’t be late.”
After that, she hears the phone click and the line goes silent. Hermione hangs up the phone assuming he did the same.
-
The next morning, she is woken up by Ginny Weasley shaking her.
“Mione? Wake up, we are going to be late!”
“Ginny, hello. Go without me, I feel a bit under the weather this morning.”
Ginny bolts out the dorms, light auburn hair flowing down her back.
Hermione slowly opens her eyes and sits up. Remembering the conversation from last night, she blinks a few times, trying to recall the date he said.
November 12th.
Nothing could’ve prepared Hermione for this moment. Slowly but surely, she started to realize that the 12th was today. A heavy sigh left her lungs. The boy, Peter, could’ve at least told her that it was tomorrow. She would have to use magic to make it to Hudson River Valley in time. She got up and out of her bed, searching for normal clothes to pack for goodness knows how long. Suddenly, a quiet thought briefly crossed her mind. She wondered how old Peter was. To her, he sounded around her age. Uncoincidentally, she decided to bring her favorite tops that she looked the best in. Hermione scanned the room for a small bag or backpack to put her stuff in. Finally, she found a black backpack close to Ginny’s bed. It’ll have to do. As she zipped up her backpack and headed towards the fireplace, she heard footsteps.
Harry walked through the boy’s dormitory door.
“Morning Hermione. Have you seen my glasses?” he asked.
Suddenly, Hermione’s heart rate started beating quicker. She knew how long it would take to find Harry's glasses. He is always misplacing them. She didn’t think she could make it in time for 9 AM. Glancing at the clock, which read 8, Hermione prayed that Peter meant 9 PM when he told her what time she had to be there.
-
Hours later, Harry’s glasses successfully having been retrieved, Hermione decided to skip out on class and just figure out a plan to get to Hudson River. She concluded that the Floo network would have to do. When she arrived in New York, the Floo network had led her to the city, not upstate. She felt a bit lost as she stepped out of a huge skyscraper. Immediately, a dirty smell of hotdogs mixed with another substance unknown to Hermione rushed her nose. She was startled when someone shoved her out of the way.
“Move! People are trying to walk!” the stranger yelled as they walked away.
Hermione’s eyes went wide. Were people always this rude in America? She needed to get to the Hudson River, and fast. She spotted a yellow car, with their windows rolled down. The driver seemed to be trying to talk to Hermione. She approached the vehicle.
“You need a ride sweetheart?” The driver asked.
Hermione might have not been American, but she knew that this could quickly turn into a dangerous situation. She took out her wand and got in the front seat.
“Take me to hudson river valley” and just to make sure she was safe, she added “just to be clear, head straight there. I have people who would hate my late arrival.”
She knew how much trouble she could get into for using magic in the muggle world, so she promised herself to only use magic if she was in an extremely life threatening situation that she couldn’t get out of without magic.
The driver nodded and started driving towards the valley. Hermione looked out the window in awe. New York City was nothing like where she grew up. It was loud, fast, and no one seemed to care. At the same time, it felt like everyone had a shared sense of the city. She wondered what it was like to grow up in a place like this.
-
The taxi driver pulled up on a sidewalk and dropped her off. He told her he needed money for the trip, which Hermione did not have. As she stepped out of the car, she started walking fast to get away from the car, but the taxi just followed her. All of a sudden, without looking where she was going, she felt herself bump into someone.
“Oh sorry!” A teenage boy said. He was wearing baggy jeans and a oversized red shirt with a long sleeve shirt beneath.
“No no, it’s my fault, I don't have money and this taxi won’t stop following me.”
The boy looked at her for a beat too long, almost like he was trying to remember something, then looked at the car.
“I can pay for you”
Hermione was grateful for the boy’s generosity, but something felt off.
“Thanks”
It felt like they had met before. Almost as if…
”What’s your name?” She asked, suspicions bubbling to the surface of her mind.
”Peter. Peter Parker” The boy said cautiously.
Oh.
It was him. The boy she chatted on the phone with briefly last night. The boy who was standing in front of her, who insulted her many times before.
Hermione sighed. “Oh. You called me last night. Said something about a Mr. Starch?”
”Stark. Mr. Stark.” Peter blinked. Then, his expression changed into something a little more annoyed.
“You’re Hermione, right? Follow me.”
”Why should I?”
Peter furrowed his brows. “Why did you come all this way just to not trust me? Look, if you’re going to do this, you have to trust us.”
Hermione’s patience was already wearing thin.
“Us? Where is everyone else? And this Mr. Stark? How can I be sure you aren’t going to rob me or something?" She reached for her wand in her pocket, not to protect herself, but more so to assert that she has is powerful and can use magic at any given moment. All of a sudden, Peter stretched out his hand into a rock ‘n’ roll symbol and a white, sticky web enveloped Hermione’s hand. Startled, she realized that whoever these Americans were, they knew of some sort of magic. Looking at Peter’s hand, which had no mechanism whatsoever, she started to wonder if he had used magic to expel the web.
“How’d you do that?”
”This isn’t a scam or whatever. I have powers, and I know you can use magic. There’s more like me, all with different abilities. We call ourselves the Avengers.” Peter grinned, “Yes, before you ask, I am an avenger”.
Hermione rolled her eyes. “Wow how incredibly impressive Peter!” She said sarcastically.
Peter sighed. “Like you are any more impressive with your little wand. you don’t have actual powers. you aren’t supernatural in the slightest. Anyone can wave a wand around.”
That stung. Why was he being so rude? Hermione already strongly disliked him.
“Can you just lead the way to Mr. Stark?”
“Oh yeah, by the way, you're extremely late. He’s gonna be pissed, just warning you.”
Hermione raised her tone. “How was I supposed to know if you meant in the morning or at night? It’s completely your fault and I have no remorse throwing you under the bus.”
Peter sent an unauthentic smile her way. They headed towards the campus and soon enough Hermione was meeting Mr. Stark.
“Please, call me Tony.” He said.
“Okay. So what did you need my help with?”
Tony explained how Voldemort had made his way towards America. They then tracked down Hermione, who was said to be one of the greatest witches of her time.
“We know you’ve dealt with him before, and there’s only so much we can do against the type of magic this guy uses..” Tony said.
“I understand. Don’t worry, I’ll do all I can to stop him from reaching any mug- I mean humans.”
“Thank you so much. Greatly appreciated. Peter, show her to her room. Do you need a school pass for your counselor or something? You’ll be staying here a while.”
Hermione chuckled. “I don’t think they would notice my absence that much. It’s not out of the ordinary.”
For some reason, she felt Peter glaring at her.
“What?” She mouthed.
Peter shrugged his shoulders and looked at the floor. “Just follow me.”
They went up the stairs and into a room that had a small bed with white sheets, and no other decorations except for a small alarm clock on the wooden bed side table.
“Here. Do you need help unpacking or-“
“Um no, I can manage just well on my own” Hermione deadpanned.
“Okay. I’m next door, Mr. Stark is the door next to me.” Peter walked out of the room.
Hermione unpacked her robes and normal muggle clothes. She checked the alarm clock and realized it was best to change into her pajamas and attempt to fall asleep.
She changed and realized she had no idea where the bathroom was. Pacing back and forth, she decided to knock on Peter’s door to ask him.
When Peter opened the door, his messy dark hair seemed freshly washed.
Peter rolled his eyes. “What?”
“I was just gonna ask where the bathroom was. You don’t have to be so rude.”
“Next door to yours” Peter shut the door.
Hermione stood outside for a few seconds, feeling a small feeling of regret rise in her stomach. She just pushed it down though, she was good at that.
She walked to the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. Why had she been so willing to come here? She usually is a lot more precautious. Well, to think of it, a lot of people her age were getting boyfriends and girlfriends, or at least crushes. That was the only thing she was missing from her perfect life. She wanted to experience it. And after hearing Peter’s voice, she assumed she would like to know what he was like in real life, no matter if he actually needed his help. She took hold of the sink and looked at herself in the eyes. How could she be so stupid? If he was rude to her on the phone, of course he would be rude to her in real life. She wondered how different he would be if she hadn’t bickered so much on the phone. Maybe if she at least tried to shove down her ego, then she would’ve been able to experience teenage love. She put on her red and yellow pajamas and left the bathroom.
Hermione went back to her room and jumped into bed. Laying in the bed was easy, falling asleep was hard. She realized Harry and Ginny would wonder where she is. Trying to find the best lie, she would use the excuse that she was bored and wanted to help. It was a half-truth, anyway. While staring at the ceiling, she began hearing a sound. No, not a sound, it was music. It sounded like it was coming from Peter’s room. She put her ear up against the wall and listened to his strumming of his guitar, electric she assumed. Honestly, just listening to the music made her forget how horrible of a person he is. Slowly drifting to sleep to the sound of light strumming is a feeling she could get used to. Well, could’ve, if Peter didn’t hate her guts. Technically, she put this on herself. The same feeling from earlier grew in her stomach. She pushed it down, per usual, and just noticed each note quietly traveling through the walls. Tomorrow, she would focus on helping Mr. Stark with Voldemort, something she’s familiar with, and try to ignore Peter. As soon as she helps save the world (again), she would go straight back to Hogwarts. Her eyelids felt heavy, and listening to Peter’s strumming, she closed her eyes and tried to get any sleep she could.