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After a tense moment of silence, Professor McGonagall lowered her wand slightly, looking down at Coulson through the shimmering barrier of the spatial node.
"Dumbledore has spoken," she announced, her voice amplified by magic.
Coulson's eyes lit up. A reprieve.
"Since Hermione holds you in high regard," McGonagall continued, her tone crisp, "we do not wish for her to feel that her school abandoned her friends in distress. The three of us will not leave the spatial node; the integrity of the castle's wards is paramount."
She paused, a small, dangerous smile touching her lips.
"However... the Headmaster suggested we send some 'helpers' to assist you in pest control."
Coulson stood there, stunned. "Helpers? Do you mean other wizards?"
The thought had barely crossed his mind when the air inside the Hogwarts projection began to tremble. A low, guttural vibration shook the ground beneath their feet, distinct from the hum of the Aether.
ROAR—!
It was a sound from the dawn of time.
Coulson instinctively looked up, and he saw a sight that defied every law of biology he had ever studied.
A gigantic creature erupted from the mist surrounding the castle towers. It had a ferocious, spiked head, and its body was covered in scales that shimmered like hammered iron. Its wingspan blotted out the sun, casting a shadow over the Royal Naval College.
It was a Hungarian Horntail.
"This... this is..." Coulson stammered, his brain refusing to process the data.
"A DRAGON!"
Someone in the crowd screamed. "It's a giant dragon! Mom, look!"
"My God... am I dreaming?"
The dragon circled in the air, banking sharply. It let out a roar that shattered windows in the surrounding buildings. Then, it opened its maw.
WHOOSH—!
A jet of searing, magma-hot fire shot into the sky. It engulfed a formation of Dark Elf Harrow ships instantly. The alien metal didn't just melt; it evaporated. The ships exploded in a chain reaction of orange fireballs.
The dragon dove, its talons tearing through the hull of another ship like paper.
But it wasn't alone.
From the mists of the Forbidden Forest, a legion poured forth.
A squadron of Hippogriffs dove like fighter jets, their talons flashing. Giant Acromantulas—spiders the size of cars—scuttled over the spectral bridge, shooting webbing at the Dark Elf infantry. A Chimera roared, its lion head snapping.
These weren't just animals; they were magical beasts, imbued with supernatural strength and resilience. They slammed into the Dark Elf lines, turning the tide of battle in seconds.
High above in the Triskelion, Nick Fury watched the satellite feed, his one eye wide.
"Motherfu..." he whispered.
The magical community wasn't just hiding wands; they were hiding an entire ecosystem of apex predators. S.H.I.E.L.D. struggled against one alien invasion; the Wizards treated it like a zoo break.
The Battlefield.
Just as the dragon incinerated another squad, the space above the plaza distorted violently.
POP.
"Phew..."
With a soft gasp, Hermione appeared out of thin air, tumbling slightly as she landed. She looked disheveled, her robes torn, soot on her face.
"MERLIN'S SAGGY Y-FRONTS!"
Hermione screamed the moment her boots hit the pavement, furious.
"Damn it! Galloping Gargoyles! Son of a Banshee! Buggering Blast-Ended Skrewts!"
She stomped her foot, looking around wildly.
"Damn Celestial Convergence! Damn Dark Elves! Damn Aether Particles! I finally found my way back!"
She looked around at the chaos—the Aether storm, the dragon, the professors—feigning total confusion. "I was lost in the Nine Realms! Do you know how hard it is to get directions in Muspelheim?!"
She immediately teleported to the ramparts, appearing next to McGonagall.
"Professors! I'm back!" Hermione panted, playing the part of the exhausted student perfectly. "The spatial disturbance... I got turned around. Malekith... he has the Aether!"
McGonagall looked at her sternly, though relief flashed in her eyes. "Miss Granger. You are late. The Dark Elves nearly breached the perimeter."
Hermione looked apologetic, hanging her head. "I'm so sorry, Professor. It's my fault. I didn't expect the Aether to act as a portkey. I underestimated the variance."
McGonagall sighed, shaking her head. "There is nothing to be done now. It is an Infinity Stone. Even Dumbledore would struggle to contain it. We cannot entirely blame you for being... misplaced."
Hermione's eyes darted around. Hook, line, and sinker.
She straightened up, her expression turning serious. "Professors, could you please help me seal the surrounding space? We need a kinetic barrier. We can't let the Aether spread further, and we certainly can't let Malekith escape again."
McGonagall nodded. "Agreed. We will hold the perimeter. Do not let it infiltrate Hogwarts."
"Don't worry!" Hermione patted her chest, her eyes flashing with a predatory light. "Leave it to me. I won't give him another chance. I will kill him outright!"
Below, Coulson and Fury (watching the feed) perked up. The heavy hitter was back.
Coulson nudged Skye, who was staring up at the sky, her mouth agape.
"Skye," Coulson said gently. "Didn't you always want to know the consultant's identity? Now you've seen it."
Skye stared at the girl floating in the sky, commanding dragons and arguing with witches.
"She... Hermione..." Skye's voice was broken, sounding like a skipping record. "She's the Witch?!"
Her brain was short-circuiting.
The girl who ate potato chips on the Bus? The girl who gossiped about boys? The girl she had told her entire life story to?
That was the legendary Destroyer of New York?
I treated a god-slayer like a little sister, Skye thought, a mix of horror and thrill washing over her. I'm so dead. Or... I'm the coolest hacker alive.
A strange sense of excitement welled up inside her. She was best friends with a superhero.
The Confrontation.
Hermione floated forward, crossing her arms as she stared down the leader of the Dark Elves.
"Hey!" she shouted. "Isn't this Malekith? Haven't seen you for a few hours. You look tired. Rough day at the office?"
She smirked, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "What's this? The Aether particles have merged? You're not planning to run away? I thought you'd have more stamina."
Malekith's face turned the color of ash. Veins bulged on his pale forehead.
He stared intently at Hermione, gritting his teeth until they creaked. "MIDGARDIAN WITCH!" he roared. "You have finally shown yourself!"
"I underestimated you before," Malekith hissed. "But things are different now!"
He raised his hands. The black and red Aether particles surged wildly around his body, forming a tornado of liquid reality.
"I must thank you for your absence! It gave me time to integrate! Now I have complete control over the Reality Stone! I am INVINCIBLE!"
Malekith's voice boomed, filled with arrogance and the intoxicating rush of infinite power.
"I originally planned to plunge the Nine Realms back into darkness," he declared, his eyes burning with madness. "But now I've changed my mind!"
His gaze swept over Hermione, the Professors, and the cowering humans below.
"I will kill all of you first! I will consume your souls! I will turn this pathetic castle into dust!"
"WITH THE AETHER, I AM A GOD!" Malekith screamed to the heavens. "YOU ANTS! PREPARE TO DIE! EVERYTHING IN THIS DIMENSION WILL BE TRANSFORMED INTO DARKNESS!"
Silence followed his proclamation.
On the ramparts, Snape's lips twitched. He looked at the screaming alien with profound disdain.
"Professor McGonagall," Snape drawled, his voice bored. "I haven't read in the ancient texts that the Aether particle has the side effect of inducing clinical delusions. Have you?"
McGonagall frowned, adjusting her spectacles as she examined Malekith like a particularly disappointing first-year student.
"Indeed, Severus," she replied crisply. "While the Reality Stone can distort matter, I've never heard of it affecting the mind so drastically. He seems... unhinged."
"I AM THE GOD OF THE DARK WORLD!" Malekith roared, sensing their mockery. "HOW DARE YOU IGNORE ME?!"
The three professors exchanged glances. Their expressions were identical: the look of teachers dealing with a toddler throwing a tantrum in a supermarket.
Simultaneously, they uttered three words:
"Mental illness."