Chapter Text
Bruce was being followed. At first, he wasn’t certain but now what had been a vague feeling was a tug on his awareness. Whoever it is, they’re good at hiding because he has yet to spot them. The part that makes him most uneasy though, the factor that’s leading to him gathering his few items and leaving this little village is the feeling of foreign excitement. He may have never felt this from them before but anything that excites Hulk cannot be good.
//
Three months ago; hours after arrival
“so, what do you say? Wanna be a father?”
“Father? Hulk not father. Hulk be hulk”
The teenage boy grinned at that, turning to face his exasperated companion with a cheeky grin. “Come on Hermione, we literally could not get a more disinterested but willing participant if we tried”
“he’s over 2 metres tall! And green”
There’s an exaggerated gasp before “shame on you Hermione, he’s a sentient being”
She rolls her eyes while responding, “you know what? Whatever let’s do this”. The athame gleams in the midday sun as she withdraws it.
Present time
“he’s packing again. Our father's mini version sure does move around a lot”
“I’m sorry are you complaining? Whose idea was it to follow him around?”
“Oh, be quiet harry. You can’t deny you’re curious about this entire thing” she shoots him a glare from their spot behind the trees.
“not enough to follow the man for three whole months” he retorts, pulling a glass vial with water from inside the expanded slot Hermione added to his wand holster.
“yet here we are. Following him”
They quiet down as the man finishes pulling together his meagre items and sets off. Reapplying silencing and disillusion charms they follow him. As they walk Hermione reaches out again to the subconscious who referred to himself as Hulk, aided by their bond. She maintains a mostly steady stream of random comments about the place and themselves, allowing hulk to interject when necessary. His elocution had been steadily improving and a large part of her was hoping for the chance to talk to him face to face again. Thankfully she was the one with skills in legilimency, not Harry, or he would never shut up about being right in his choice of father.
//
It takes over a year for them to learn that their father and his more human passing version hadn’t been just travelling the world trying to find himself. He had been on the run from some people with a lot of guns. People who were currently surrounding this room with his littler version — Banner — and this woman with her subtly appealing clothes, voice and mannerisms.
They’re tense during the entire exchange but glance excitedly at each other when he fakes being angry. Sadly, he doesn’t change to the Hulk, but his perceptiveness and intelligence win him enough that they might have tried to help him even if he didn’t host their chosen father.
Harry tags them both with tracking spells as they, and those previously surrounding the building, leave.
“I think we should finish up here and follow them” Harry declares in parseltongue, still pleased that it was a language they now share.
“Maybe not follow them, but we can go near this…shield”
.
It’s the work of a few hours to get settled in New York. They had spent some time before leaving sneakily casting reparo at some homes and public buildings, then adding runes for stability on the outsides. After carving runes to help purify public water sources they visited the baby cougars they had been watching grow from a distance and left.
They found a building with a tiny available apartment that they got with the use of some falsified documents and magic. It wasn’t the best, but they had certainly lived in worse conditions so with a few temporary alterations it was fine. thankfully this location isn’t necessary for more than an answer in case they’re questioned.
It’s moments like these where Harry was excessively pleased that he’s in this with Hermione. There had been an incident within the early weeks after meeting Hulk when they had to stupefy some people following them — him. Unfortunately, this was before her legilimency had advanced to where it is now so the most they had learned was that the person was from New York City.
She had made a portkey and went there, setting up a tent under wards in what technically counts as a forest in one of their parks. There had been weekly visits there to establish a presence for the possible situation that their father was dragged there someday. She had even purchased a laptop and did little jobs, so they had maybe $50 to their name legally. Unfortunately, most of their actual funds are wizarding money and of no use at the moment.
So now they settle in the little apartment, then head to a nearby shop with free Wi-Fi, hoping to find a source of income that isn’t too time-consuming.
.
The news of some guy in a fancy get-up terrorising Germany leads to yet another difference in views.
“he’s an alien”
“Aliens don’t exist Harry”
He gives a deadpan stare in response, “a few years ago, neither did unicorns or dragons. Or us!”
“yes well I’ve not seen it mentioned in any books”
Harry groans a bit at that, “come on Hermione! You’re good but even you can’t say you’ve read every book in the Hogwarts library. It might not even have all the books—”
“Hogwarts has the greatest—”
“Hermione! Don’t all schools say things like that? It could be propaganda. Or lies. How would they even know that an old family or a scholar out there didn’t usurp their position? Plus, do you think a school would have all possible books? For us to fall prey to ideas?”
She reluctantly agrees to that point, “well, I suppose you might be right about the lack of certain books, but I still don’t think aliens exist”. There’s a sigh before she continues “also the location being so far in the air does not mean our father is involved”
“One way to find out”
“I doubt this is that way,” she mutters following him outside the tent. There’s a teasing lilt to her voice as she speaks again “propaganda Harry? When did you finally pick up a book? I’m so proud”
“shut up” he snarks but he’s smiling as they pack the tent up and dismantle the wards.
.
The room they pop into, under disillusion and silencing charms, does in fact contain their father. In a way. A man is speaking when they get there as quietly as possible.
“— And I’m a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster” he’s saying, placing himself firmly into the category of a potential ally. After all, they too are a fan of that huge green side of the doctor.
It’s a good thing they’re under silencing charms because these people make it really hard not to make comments, and Hermione was absolutely unable to stop rambling when she realised that the huge blonde bloke with the red cape was a god from mythology.
They’re still reeling from the shock of Loki when they trail behind the who geniuses, still commenting in parseltongue.
“This is a nice lab”
“wow Hermione look the floating screens look like a spell”
“wow funny and smart, the smaller version of our dad has potential”
“Did he just stab him gently?”
“Here comes Mr blonde and imposing”
“I want some of the blueberries, no fair”
“the secret government agency is building weapons; Quick, let's act surprised.”
“Now why is everyone coming in here as if it’s the intervention room?”
“that’s faulty logic”
“oh dear, did not expect that”
“yeah, maybe we’ll just have to count Banner as a father too, maybe give him some company”
“Hermione look he grabbed the sphere!”
“you know the gem in it gives off an interesting aura. It feels like a type of legilimency”
“want to steal it?”
“no, I do not”
There’s an explosion before Harry can call her out on her lie, and then they’re too busy trying to follow Banner as he morphs into their father. Hermione has that look on her face that shows she’s mentally communicating with him and then he’s leaping from the floating base and Harry is shooting spells to slow his descent or cushion his fall.
As soon as he’s on the ground again they apparate to him, pleased despite the circumstances to speak face to face.
.
“You’ve been stalking?” and the bewildered and proud look on their giant father’s face makes that question at least eighty percent a compliment.