Fury sighed.
"This isn't some street-corner fortune-telling stall, Tony. This is a wizard's prophecy. We can't ignore it."
Tony abruptly sat up straight, anger creeping into his voice.
"So?"
"Just because those backstabbing bastards tossed out a 'prophecy,' possibly to get revenge on Hermione, we're supposed to start suspecting her?"
"They just colluded with Hydra, destroyed your S.H.I.E.L.D., and nearly blew both of us to kingdom come. Now, over what might be a load of spiteful bullshit, you're switching sides?"
He pointed at himself.
"How many times has Hermione helped us? New York, London, and now this. She's never betrayed us."
"Now she's up to her neck in trouble and needs support, and you're the first to jump up, ready to swallow the enemy's bullshit and stab her in the back too?"
Fury was getting angry as well, his voice dropping.
"That's not what I meant, Tony."
"I trust Hermione, but preparing for the worst is my job. We need a contingency for everything."
Tony shot to his feet, planted both hands on the table, and stared down at Fury.
"Well, your preparations weren't all that impressive. They didn't do a damn thing. You nearly got turned into Swiss cheese, S.H.I.E.L.D. was crawling with traitors, and in the end, Hermione had to solve everything herself."
"All on her own, with a Magic-Nullifying Array working against her, she dismantled three magical Helicarriers, took down eighteen wizards, and kicked that pretentious asshole Tom Riddle's ass!"
"Now they throw out some bullshit 'Witch Prophecy,' and you're wavering?"
"You're thinking about 'preparations' again?"
"Preparing for what? To fight her?"
The meeting room fell utterly silent.
Banner shifted uneasily, Steve frowned deeply as though considering something, and Natasha remained expressionless.
Everyone understood why Tony was reacting so strongly.
The leaked secrets had revealed that Hydra