Playing the victim

"The less connection there is between a prophecy and reality, the more fixed the future becomes, and the more accurate what you see will be."

Although Hermione's explanation sounded rather mystical, none of those present were ordinary people, and they understood what she meant in an instant.

The moment the future became known, it had already changed.

So they had to preserve the future's original course as much as possible to ensure that the outcomes they wanted remained unchanged.

"In other words, S.H.I.E.L.D. should conduct its search for Stark as normal. Don't do anything extra, but don't slack off either."

Fury's reasoning was clear. "That way, we'll find leads on Stark as we normally would, notify the military to rescue him as we normally would, and ultimately get him out safely."

In short, carry on as usual and act as though nothing had happened.

"Bingo!"

Hermione gave him a look that said, "You can be taught," making the corner of Fury's mouth twitch.

"But how long do we have to wait?" Pepper still couldn't put her mind at ease.

She had witnessed Hermione's miraculous abilities, but with Tony's life on the line, she couldn't help being anxious.

She hadn't expected the final conclusion to be "just sit and wait."

"Hmm..." Hermione considered it. "With my current magic, the furthest I can foresee is about a month. If everything goes smoothly, the scene we just saw will definitely happen within that time."

The others exchanged glances, feeling a little reassured.

A month was a wait they could manage.

Seeing that the others had accepted her explanation, Hermione breathed a quiet sigh of relief herself.

Although she was bluffing them, she didn't want some unforeseen butterfly effect to ruin the future that was supposed to unfold.

Her memories of the future were one of her major advantages, too.

Besides, who knew whether meddling with such an important turning point would bring some bizarre embodiment of the world's will down from the heavens to kill her?

Until she became overwhelmingly powerful, she had no intention of recklessly tampering with the plot.

What's more, Hermione had plans for Tony Stark. Whether he died or failed to become Iron Man, it would be a major loss for her.

While the others discussed the details nearby, Hermione's eyes darted sideways. Suddenly, she let out an "Ow!" and clutched her head, looking as though she were in agony.

"What's wrong?" Natasha and Pepper hurried forward to support her.

Hermione's face was pale, her body swayed, and cold sweat beaded on her forehead.

Everyone was startled.

Was the Prophecy Spell actually harmful to the body?

To help them, this young wizard had actually...

They couldn't help feeling touched.

"The Prophecy Spell is one of the forbidden forms of magic to begin with. The strain on your magic is the least of it. If used improperly, it can cause severe bodily harm. Otherwise, if just anyone could casually learn what the future held, the world would've fallen into chaos long ago."

Hermione explained in broken phrases, "Even throughout the entire history of wizards, only a handful have ever learned the Prophecy Spell."

At that, she raised her chin, seemingly quite proud of herself.

But paired with her pale, frail little face, it left them both speechless and aching for her.

She's still showing off when she's in this state... They felt helpless.

Natasha and Pepper already had little resistance to an adorable young girl like Hermione. This display brought out their maternal instincts at once, and they held her gently, unwilling to let go.

Pepper, in particular, felt even guiltier.

If Hermione hadn't been helping her find Tony, such an adorable child wouldn't have had to suffer like this.

At that thought, resentment toward Tony welled up in Pepper's heart.

This is all Tony's fault!

When he gets back, I'll make him visit her and thank her in person, and properly compensate her, too. She can even beat him up to vent her anger!

Fury thought for a moment, then said, "You were hurt helping S.H.I.E.L.D. this time, Miss Wizard. If you ever need any help, please don't hesitate to ask. We'll do what we can."

The crafty old fox's first reaction had been to wonder whether she was trying to squeeze compensation out of them, but he dismissed the thought a second later.

Judging by Hermione's complexion, the backlash from this prophecy really had done considerable harm. It probably wasn't an act.

Besides, she was just an innocent child. How could she possibly be so calculating?

"Really?"

Hermione's eyes lit up.

Fury immediately had a bad feeling.

"I need dragon heartstrings, phoenix feathers, unicorn blood, Acromantula venom..."

Hermione counted them off on her fingers without a trace of hesitation, no longer showing any sign of her earlier suffering.

Yes, she really was shaking them down.

Everyone fell silent.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Seeing Hermione make such outrageous demands, Black Egghead hurriedly stopped her.

Dragons, phoenixes, unicorns-where was he supposed to find those? The names alone made it obvious they were supernatural creatures!

You're making things difficult for S.H.I.E.L.D.

"Oh..." The light faded from Hermione's eyes, and her face fell.

Her pitiful expression immediately struck Pepper's sensitive spot.

"She ended up like this helping us, and you can't even grant her this little wish?"

This little wish... Nick Fury's mouth twitched.

Would you listen to what she's asking for?

But looking at Pepper, who was clearly overflowing with sympathy, Fury knew there was no reasoning with her. He could only sigh and say:

"I'm sorry, Miss Wizard, but those things are truly beyond our capabilities. How about this? As long as it isn't one of those magical objects, whatever else you need, provided it's on Earth, we'll spare no effort to find it for you. How does that sound?"

Nick Fury felt helpless. After today's commotion, getting this young wizard's help for free would probably be difficult from now on. Even Natasha would likely object.

Heh heh... Hermione chuckled inwardly.

She knew Fury was making empty promises to placate her for now, but she wasn't worried.

It was easy to grow accustomed to luxury. Once they experienced the convenience and wonders of a wizard's power, she had no fear that they wouldn't succumb.

When the time came, whether those promises stayed empty wouldn't be up to S.H.I.E.L.D.

You think you can walk away once you've had a taste of a wizard?

If you want my help in the future, get ready to work for me until you die!

"Oh, right. There's also the note I left last time."

Following the principle that a thief never left empty-handed and she had to get something out of this, Hermione brought up her earlier requests.

Fury had already made preparations, and Coulson handed her a brown paper envelope.

A passport, a birth certificate, and a Social Security number-all genuine, registered through a foster care system nobody paid attention to.

There was also a bank card with no name attached, its balance sporting six zeroes.

Hermione looked at Fury in surprise.

It was rare for him to be generous.

Not bad, not bad. I've got a decent little fortune now.

After making a show of recovering for a while, Hermione stood up, and a broomstick appeared in her hand out of thin air.

Before four pairs of astonished eyes, she sat sidesaddle on the broomstick, scooped up the Crystal Ball, and rose into the air, flying out of the window.

"You-you can fly?!"

Black Egghead's lone eye widened.

"Can you walk?" Hermione asked.

Black Egghead nodded.

Hermione looked at him as though he were an idiot. "Then why would you think that I, a wizard, couldn't fly?"

Black Egghead was speechless.

"Bye, Pepper! Bye, Natasha!"

While Black Egghead questioned his life, Hermione waved. Her broomstick shot into the sky, soon shrinking into a tiny speck before disappearing into the distance.

After Hermione left, Pepper and Natasha exchanged a glance.

Natasha, in particular, looked Pepper up and down. Though she looked worn out, she was undoubtedly a woman of extraordinary poise, with a distinctive charm in her every movement.

And Pepper seemed just as fond of Hermione.

That suddenly gave Natasha an inexplicable sense of danger.

Little Hermione has always liked pretty older women. What if Pepper steals her away...?

Meanwhile, in Washington.

In a windowless office, Sitwell slid a freshly compiled report across the desk.

"Healed a fatal injury in just thirty seconds."

"And there's the prophecy. The director witnessed it himself. The subject was Stark."

The elderly man behind the desk leafed through the report, his expression calm.

"How old?"

"Twelve. British. No guardian, no formal contract. Fury treats her like a treasure." Sitwell adjusted his glasses. "She may know magic, but at the end of the day, she's just a child."

"Children are the easiest to teach." The old man closed the report. "And the easiest to control."

"As for Fury..."

"Fury has his methods. We have ours." He paused. "The ability to see the future shouldn't be in the hands of a little girl running around unchecked."