[Avengers Family (27)]

[Witch] @CallMeGenius The fire at Hudson Mall has been put out. No casualties [Happy]

[CallMeGenius] Good job, kids. [ThumbsUp]

[CallMeGenius] Although... do you all have some kind of special luck magnet attached to you or something?

[CallMeGenius] Last time you went out, you picked up those three children's literature protagonists. This time you go out and walk straight into a fire.

[WhatHairColorToday] Now that you mention it... that does seem to be a pattern.

[CallMeGenius] Wait, who came up with this group chat name?

[CallMeGenius] Lord, do people still use names this painfully corny? [Shocked]

[SteveRogers] @Witch You all did great.

[SteveRogers] @CallMeGenius I came up with it. Is it really that corny? I thought it felt warm. [Rose]

[CallMeGenius]...I knew it was you.

[CallMeGenius] Unbelievable. You actually learned how to tag people and use emojis!

[SteveRogers]...I'm a little old, not stupid.

[WhoCanBeFasterThanMe] Speaking of which, has anyone seen Luoluo and Loki? [Confused]

[SteveRogers] No.

[CallMeGenius] No.

[WhatHairColorToday] +1

[EagleNotBird] +2

[GoodNeighborNYC] Me neither! Also, I just saw the news, you guys are amazing! [ThumbsUp] @Witch @WhoCanBeFasterThanMe @HumanoidResurrectionPoint

[Witch] Thanks, Peter!

[CallMeGenius] If I'm remembering correctly, kid, shouldn't you be in class right now? Hmm?

[GoodNeighborNYC] recalled a message

...

"Phew—"

Peter retracted that message with lightning-fast fingers, plastered on a nothing-happened expression, and guiltily shoved the phone into the desk cubby. Only then did Peter actually tune back in to whatever Mr. Harrington had been saying.

...Transfer students?

What transfer students?

People were still transferring into their class?

Peter poked his head out curiously from behind the propped-up textbook. Up at the podium, Mr. Harrington was still going strong,

"...These four students have transferred from Smeltings Academy in the UK. They'll be studying and living alongside all of you, and I hope everyone can show them the warmth Midtown High School is known for..."

Smeltings Academy? Why did that ring a bell?

Peter scratched his head and nudged Ned Leeds sitting next to him. Ned glanced toward the podium, then leaned over conspiratorially.

"What's up, Peter?"

"Ned, have you heard of Smeltings Academy? I swear I've heard that name somewhere before..."

Ned's eyes lit up instantly. "Sounds familiar? You think it could be related to your—" Ned stretched both hands out and made a series of silent thwip thwip thwip motions.

"Related to your... you-know-what?"

Peter's mouth twitched. "No, Ned. You're overthinking it."

They were still whispering when Mr. Harrington threw the classroom door open with great enthusiasm,

"Class, let's give our new students the warmest welcome Midtown has to offer!"

The class obliged with a round of applause. Peter and Ned dropped the conversation and clapped along, both craning toward the door.

Four extremely familiar people walked in.

"Holy shit!"

The cry rang out over the applause, cracked with shock, impossible to miss.

The entire class turned around. Peter was standing. Mr. Harrington turned too, expression pinched with displeasure. "Peter, sit down."

Mr. Harrington had literally just told them to make a good impression on the transfer students, and Peter pulled a stunt like this. Was that some kind of personal statement?

Peter's face went red in an instant. "Sorry, Mr. Harrington, I just, I was a little surprised."

Mr. Harrington looked like there was more to say, but the only girl among the four transfer students spoke up first.

"Sir, I'm sure Peter was just shocked to see us here, we're friends, after all." The girl had a thick, bushy cloud of brown hair, and Hermione delivered it all with perfect politeness before flashing Peter a small smile.

"Right. Yeah. We're friends. I know them." Peter risked one more glance at the four people on the podium and wrestled the storm inside back down. Peter nodded.

Could someone please explain why Harry, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and Draco Malfoy had just walked into this classroom? As transfer students?

Mr. Harrington, appeased by Hermione's explanation, made the practical decision to seat the four of them around Peter, framed generously as, "Since you're all friends, sitting there means Peter can help the new students settle in."

Under four pairs of eyes, Peter nodded and tried not to visibly tremble.

...

The second class ended, Ned was there.

"Dude. You never mentioned you had four British friends!"

Ned's voice carried. Harry and the others heard every word. Peter had absolutely no idea where to start.

Ron smiled and leaned in too. "That's not really Peter's fault, we haven't known each other that long. Maybe just... a little over a month?"

Ned nodded, then dropped to a low whisper. "Okay but Peter, do they know about your thing? Or are they the same kind of people as you?"

Excitement was practically sparkling in Ned's eyes.

Peter nearly nodded on reflex, but caught himself just in time. Instead, Peter threw a helpless look toward the others.

Peter knew Albus Dumbledore had plans to bring the Wizarding World into the open eventually, but the specifics of how and when, no idea. One careless slip could blow the whole thing up.

The wizards had sharp ears. Seeing Peter floundering, Harry picked up a chair and rolled over, and all three, everyone except Draco Malfoy, clustered around Peter's desk.

Peter glanced at Draco Malfoy sitting alone, flipping through a textbook, then looked back at the group. Peter scooted over, clearing space. "Dra, uh. Malfoy. Come sit over here too."

Too many novels read, too much mentally calling characters by their first names, nearly did it out loud, right to Draco Malfoy's face.

Peter wiped a very guilty bead of sweat.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ned all looked over. Under that many eyes, Draco Malfoy was visibly uneasy, fidgeting, uncertain, until Harry said, "Draco, come sit with us," and that finally did it.

All four transfer students settled around Peter. Harry answered Ned's question first.

"Do we know about Peter's thing?" A glance around, voice dropping. "You mean the... crawling-around secret?"

Ned lit up. "You guys do know!"

Draco Malfoy:?

What, exactly? Was Draco the only one out of the loop here?

Draco Malfoy had barely spent any time around Peter, one encounter on the battlefield, and even then, beyond being unusually strong, Peter hadn't seemed remarkable in any particular way. Today was literally only their second meeting.

Seeing the complete bewilderment on Draco Malfoy's face, Peter leaned over, cupped a hand, and murmured, "I'll tell you after school."

Draco Malfoy nodded.

Ned hadn't caught that exchange and was still looking at the others with barely contained anticipation. "So, do you guys also have those kinds of incredible abilities?"

A brief hesitation. Then they all nodded.

When Albus Dumbledore had sent them on this trip, the Headmaster had been clear: one, to experience Muggle life firsthand. Two, to lay the groundwork for the Wizarding World's eventual introduction to the wider world.

So letting a tiny bit slip... should be fine, right?

And besides, with super-powered people like Peter already out there, ordinary people weren't exactly going to start a witch hunt over a few wizards, were they?

Ned slapped both hands over the mouth, clearly fighting the urge to make a sound.

"Can, can I see? I mean, it's completely okay if not." The words came out a little jumbled with excitement.

Ron nodded, shot a careful look in both directions, and once satisfied that no one was paying attention, slowly drew the tip of a wand out from a sleeve. Aimed it at the eraser on the desk. Under Ned's wide, waiting gaze, spoke softly,

"Wingardium Leviosa."

The eraser lifted cleanly off the desk. Ron didn't dare hold it for long, just a few seconds, then eased it back down.

It was enough.

Ned's eyes went wide as saucers.

"Oh my god, that's — that is incredible!"

Ron grinned, all teeth and pride.

Draco Malfoy quietly rolled both eyes.

Show-off redhead.

➤ Next: Draco's Shattered Worldview

Chapter 90 - Draco's Shattered Worldview

"Speaking of which, how did you guys end up here, and as transfer students, no less!"

Peter leaned on the desk, eyeing the four wizards with an expression that said he wasn't letting this go until someone talked.

At the mention of it, Ron looked a bit pained.

Two days ago, they'd sent Hedwig with a letter to the Avengers Compound, explaining they wanted to come visit in a few days. Tony had sent a reply back not long after.

And just as they opened it with hearts full of excitement,

"You're welcome to visit, provided you're willing to be classmates with Peter Parker. —TS"

If wizards wanted to open up the Wizarding World, the most crucial thing was learning to get along with Muggles, and the easiest Muggles to deal with were naturally people their own age.

Where were there the most people their own age? School, obviously.

So Tony had made the call without hesitation: send these young wizards to be Peter's classmates.

Well. In truth, it was simply because Tony was annoyed that Underoos, after all this time, still had only that one chubby kid as a friend.

Today, Tony Stark was fretting like a worried parent. Again.

Harry and Ron looked at each other, their enthusiasm evaporating on the spot. Resistance written all over their faces, they immediately stuffed the letter into Hermione's hands.

Come on. They'd finally gotten a proper holiday. Who in their right mind would want to go to school?

Hermione did.

Hermione paced back and forth, eyes lit up, clutching the reply letter like it was the most precious thing ever held.

"This is wonderful! I've been looking forward to a normal school for so long! No garlic-reeking professors plotting to kill us, no deadly tournaments, no noseless bald freak, I don't have to worry about a single danger. I just get to study!"

Harry and Ron: "..."

"Tell me — is it too late to pretend we never got the reply?"

"...Don't be ridiculous, Ron."

Their feeble protests didn't register with Hermione at all. And then the very next day, Albus Dumbledore, no longer headmaster, arrived at their door with a warm smile and a new classmate in tow:

Draco Malfoy, arms crossed, face set in an expression of profound displeasure.

The smile on Hermione's face faded. Voice unsteady: "S-Sir... is classmate Malfoy coming with us too?"

Under Hermione's hopeful gaze, Albus Dumbledore smiled and nodded.

Harry and the other two: "..."

Seeing the identical blank stares and undisguised resistance on all three faces, Draco turned and let out a sharp "Hmph."

Hermione instantly regretted telling Albus Dumbledore about the trip the day before.

"W-Why, sir?" Ron pressed, trying to be tactful. "I think you're aware that the relationship between us over the years... hasn't exactly been good."

That was putting it gently. It had been outright hatred.

"Ah, indeed, Gryffindor and Slytherin have never gotten on well." Albus Dumbledore blinked bright blue eyes at them as if the tactful refusal hadn't registered at all. "So let this relationship begin to thaw with the four of you. After all, you are the most representative students of your respective houses, are you not?"

The genial old man dropped the bombshell with a light, cheerful air.

All four: "Wh — what?!"

This was Albus Dumbledore's genuine thinking.

From first year onward, whether by design or accident, Harry, carrying the title of the Savior, had quietly become the defining figure of Gryffindor. That standing had only grown after the battle.

And Draco, as the heir to the wealthy, powerful, and influential Malfoy family, occupied an undeniable position at the top of Slytherin.

So when these two figures, each effectively a standard-bearer for their house, made no effort to hide their hostility toward each other, it inevitably colored the way their respective housemates viewed the other side.

The war had shown Albus Dumbledore just how much unity mattered. And so, perhaps their reconciliation could help shift the relationship between Gryffindor and Slytherin. It was worth trying.

Besides, Draco had been handed off to Albus Dumbledore entirely by the elder Malfoy.

Terrified of being called to account after the battle, Lucius had first donated a considerable portion of the family's wealth. Then, when Albus Dumbledore raised the matter, Lucius handed over the son without a second word, repeatedly urging Draco to get along with Harry and paying absolutely no attention to the look of pure revolt on Draco's face.

Albus Dumbledore's mouth twitched.

...

"How pitiful..." Peter looked at the three ashen-faced wizards (Hermione excluded) and shook his head. Loyal Tony Stark fan though Peter was, there was no way on earth Peter could look anyone in the eye and call Mr. Stark amazing for this particular decision.

Making people go to school. Unforgivable.

Fortunately, Harry and the others didn't seem too torn up about it. Tony had made clear before sending them that there were zero academic expectations. All they had to do was get to know Muggles and the Muggle world.

Hermione, on the other hand, had arrived with the full intention of studying hard. Eyes bright, both hands planted on the desk, leaning forward, which sent Peter scrambling back into the chair.

"I heard your grades are really good. Like, incredibly good! Can I take the same courses as you? I think I'm going to have a lot of questions."

A flicker of frustration crossed Hermione's face at that. But it was gone almost immediately, replaced by fierce resolve.

As transfer students, they were required to choose courses just like everyone else. Merlin's beard, the young witch who had ranked in the top three of every year since first year could not make heads or tails of the course names.

Metalworking. Word processing. Image editing. Programming.

Every individual word made sense. Together, they meant nothing.

But that was fine. Wasn't Peter Parker, straight-A student and certified genius, sitting right there?

Pinned under the full force of Hermione's shining stare, Peter swallowed. When the words came out, the voice carried a slight tremor.

"Uh, s-sure. Of course. I mean, I'd be really happy to help."

Honestly, Peter had never imagined there would come a day when someone praised and came to Peter for help because of grades.

Before, the only thing that earned was Flash Thompson calling Peter a nerd, followed by a vicious glare, and maybe a deliberate shoulder check in the hallway.

Considering that Flash had since been erased by Thanos's Snap, Peter magnanimously decided not to keep dwelling on it.

"Want to take note of this? The courses I picked are..."

...

"I have to ask, what exactly are you so worked up about?"

Draco sat with one leg crossed over the other, watching Peter with an expression that said, clearly: I am very curious, and I will die before I admit it.

Since Draco couldn't understand a single word of these Muggle courses, the entire day had been spent in silent observation.

Harry and Ron, sitting ahead, had long since slumped into sleep against the drone of the teacher's voice. Hmph. Foolish Gryffindors.

Diagonally ahead, Hermione had both head down and was writing furiously, the scratch of pen on paper relentless, though Draco privately doubted whether any of it meant a thing.

And then there was Peter Parker, who had spent the last half hour glancing repeatedly at the clock on the wall, restless as though something under the skin was itching, practically vibrating with the need to be somewhere else.

After a long stretch of covert observation, Draco finally broke.

Peter went rigid. Then, with a conspiratorial air, nodded toward the clock. "Look. Ten seconds until the bell. You'll see."

"Five, four, three,"

The bell rang exactly on cue. The lifeless classroom exploded. Cheers broke out from every direction.

Peter let out a triumphant "Woohoo!", snatched up the bag, and bolted for the door. Draco followed without a word.

There was going to be an answer for what this guy was up to.

"..."

Draco stood behind the tall iron fence at the back of the school and stared.

Peter had cleared it in a single easy leap.

Draco stood very still.

So... there had been sleep in class, and this was still the dream. That had to be it.

Meanwhile, Hermione, who had only started packing once class ended, arrived late alongside Harry and Ron, both bleary-eyed and barely awake, all three standing at the fence with absolutely no idea how to get to the other side.

"Hey, do we have to climb over?"

"Oh, sorry, sorry! I forgot about you guys!"

Peter smacked a hand to the forehead, leaped back over, grabbed one person under each arm, jumped out, came back, grabbed the next two. Two trips. Everyone out.

Draco, having been hoisted like a baby chick and carried over a fence twice the height of a person: "..."

Draco, watching Peter tap the chest twice and immediately become a red-and-black metallic Spider-Man: "..."

Hermione glanced over at Draco's completely vacant expression with something close to sympathy.

"Harry, what's wrong with Draco?"

"Probably trying to stop the entire worldview from collapsing. My guess."

"Tsk. Rough day."

➤ Next: Everyday Life at the Compound