His belief in her all but permeated the very air. Jennifer could only stare at him. She was strong, she had to give him that. And stubborn, got that from having a cop for a dad. Looking back, she recognised how much work she'd had to put in just to get a place in college to become a lawyer and then all the years of long, hard work and study to pass and to graduate in the top five percent in the state.
"Alright," she finally agreed. "We'll do it your way. But if things go south, I'm blaming you."
ooo00ooo
"Hello?" Harry said.
"Hello, Harry? Is that you?"
The phone ringing had been expected and the fact that it had been answered after only the first ring told its own story, but the voice on the other end, while female, definitely wasn't Skye. It didn't even have an American accent; no, the accent was British. But the only person to ring from there was Hermione and this wasn't her either.
It took Harry a couple of moments before he was able to place the voice.
"Lavender?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, hi, Harry. How are you?" Lavender's voice was full of relief.
"I'm good. You?" Harry replied.
"You know, about the same," Lavender replied.
There was a pause then and, while Harry suspected that he knew what the call could be about, knowing who was on the other end, it sounded as though he was going to have to guide the conversation there.
"I hear that the article you wrote about us got a lot of interest back home," Harry commented.
"Yeah, people seemed to like it; at least, I think they did," Lavender replied.
"Well, we greatly appreciated it," Harry said earnestly. "Have you written any more interesting pieces that I should read."
"No," Lavender replied quietly. "No one'll publish anything that I write."
"What about The Quibbler?" Harry asked.
"Luna wants to, but they only publish every two weeks and my pieces don't always fit into their theme for the issue," she replied.
"I understand. So, I'm guessing that you're finding it hard. You know that there's always a job here for you, if you want," Harry stated.
"That's … that's actually why I rang," Lavender said. "Are you really serious about that? I mean, you're not just feeling sorry for me or something?"
Harry smiled slightly, even though she couldn't see it.
"Absolutely not. What you wrote about us, about the Avengers, was perfect. We need that kind of press, especially here in the 'normal' world. You'd make a great Press Secretary."
"Is that really a full-time job, though?" Lavender asked.
"Well, no, but Tony has a position for you with Stark Industries," Harry replied. "It's in the secretarial office, but more a specialised position, where you'll be dealing with the Avengers mostly and only a little bit of the company stuff when you have the time."
"Okay," Lavender said after a pause. "I think … I think I'd like to accept, if that's okay?"
"It's more than okay, Lav," Harry said enthusiastically. "When can you come?"
"I, uh, I don't have any money to get there," she admitted.
"Not a problem," Harry replied. "I'll organise a ticket for you; all you'll have to do is go to the airport and pick it up. And there'll be an apartment waiting here for you, too."
Harry could hear sniffles on the other end of the phone and he waited patiently for Lavender to get her emotions under control.
"Thank you, Harry, you've no idea how much this means to me, how much it'll change my life," she said.
"My pleasure, Lav. You'll be helping us just as much. I look forward to seeing you when you get here," Harry said.
"Thanks, Harry. I'll see you then," she replied.
ooo00ooo
"Right, everyone, we all know why we're here," Tony said excitedly, rubbing his hands together before flinging one arm out to point at his 'guinea pig', "to work out the science behind him being able to change from a regular, if scruffy-looking guy, into a bird."
"Who's scruffy-looking?" Harry asked, one eyebrow raised.
"I thought we were here to do science, not quote ancient movies," Peter stated.
"Ancient?" Tony spluttered.
"Exactly how old is this kid?" Darcy asked.
"Apparently Peter's still in high school," Jane replied.
"Well, if he wants to graduate, I'd suggest that he not make disparaging remarks about the classics," Harry said pointedly, waving a finger in an intricate pattern in Peter's direction. "Bad things could happen if he keeps it up."
Snickers erupted around the room and outright laughter by Bruce.
"You know that's from the wrong movie, don't you?' Bruce managed to ask, wiping tears from his eyes.
Peter's confused expression vanished when he realised that everyone was laughing at him and he looked down. All the blood instantly drained from his face before rushing back with a vengeance to turn not just his face but his ears, neck and the top of his chest a vivid, vibrant red.
In place of the black jeans and dark blue t-shirt that he'd been wearing when he entered the lab, he was now wearing a gold bikini, an exact replica of the one worn by Princess Leia in The Return of the Jedi.
"I don't care if it's from the wrong movie, I love it!' Tony exclaimed. "You better be recording this, Jarvis."
"You're just happy that it's not you for once," Pepper commented.
Tony shrugged but didn't correct her.
"Okay, already, I take it back," Peter said hurriedly, scurrying behind the closest, largest piece of equipment that he could find. "I was wrong to dis a classic. Age doesn't mean something's bad."
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