*56

Here it comes!

Hermione felt her nerves tingling.

She had anticipated meeting the Ancient One. After all, with the Time Stone, the Ancient One could observe timelines and characters within them.

Hermione's presence in the Marvel universe was bound to be noticed sooner or later.

She just didn't expect it to happen so quickly.

Hermione had thought long and hard about how to answer this inevitable question and concluded it was best to tell the truth.

Lying to Nick Fury was one thing; the knowledge gap between them was vast. But the Ancient One was another matter entirely. Her understanding of the world was far deeper than Fury's, and unnecessary deception could backfire.

So...

"I'm from another world," Hermione confessed.

The Ancient One nodded slightly, unsurprised by the revelation.

"In that world, there's no superpowers or sorcerers, only wizards. Wizards have their own organizational structure, social system, and a special school of magic. I'm a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"My arrival here was purely coincidental. While secretly studying some forbidden magic, I accidentally connected to this world and inadvertently created a passage that only I can travel through."

At this point, Hermione looked a bit sheepish. "So... I come over to explore when I'm bored."

It was more than just exploration.

She hadn't lied outright but had omitted the existence of the magic book, attributing her time travel to magical experiments.

The Ancient One nodded.

As she suspected, if such a wizarding world existed here, she would've known. The only possibility was that it didn't belong to this universe.

But this child wasn't lying. To her, the wizarding world was indeed real.

"Thank you for your honesty. You're welcome to visit Kamar-Taj anytime in the future," the Ancient One said calmly.

"Uh... Is that it?" Hermione was perplexed.

"Of course. What did you think I'd do?" The Ancient One smiled gently.

"What, like banish you as some dimensional demon or intruder from another world?" Hermione thought.

As if reading her mind, the Ancient One said, "The passage is within you, and I can't stop your visits. I am certain you're human, unlike dimensional beings that devour planes. There's no reason to expel you."

"Though the future is unclear and fragmented, your presence seems to bring about significant deaths. Yet this isn't necessarily bad for the world."

Many deaths? Not a bad thing?

The conclusion seemed contradictory, but Hermione quickly understood.

The Ancient One was concerned with protecting the Earth as a whole, not individual lives. She could sacrifice anything for a key person or ignore countless deaths if the future's overall outcome was positive.

If she cared so much about individual lives, during the Chitauri invasion, she could've intervened immediately, wiping out the enemy with her powers. Instead, she watched from the rooftops, allowing casualties to occur.

Because that future was optimal.

The Ancient One's meaning was clear: Hermione's presence disrupted the timeline, causing deaths, but ultimately benefited the Earth. Hence, she didn't interfere and could even befriend Hermione.

With this realization, Hermione relaxed.

They sat across from each other, neither speaking.

The Ancient One wasn't embarrassed; she'd lived over 800 years and seen it all.

Hermione felt a bit uneasy, like meeting a distant relative at a family gathering, unsure of what to say.

Plus, the ascetic surroundings weren't her style.

"Ah, haha... If there's nothing else, Master Ancient One, I'll take my leave," Hermione said awkwardly.

The Ancient One nodded, opening a portal to the top of Stark Tower.

As Hermione turned to leave, she hesitated and turned back:

"By the way, can I read in Kamar-Taj's library?"

The Ancient One hesitated briefly. "Yes."

Hermione turned again, then paused:

"And can I ask about the magic of the Sorcerers in the future?"

The Ancient One nodded slightly.

Hermione turned to go but spun around once more:

"Do you have more of that tea? It was delicious. Can I take some home?"

The Ancient One smiled wryly, saying nothing, just watching her silently.

"And about that Agamotto's eye..."

Before she could finish, the portal snapped shut, leaving no trace.

Hermione: "..."

If you didn't want to lend it, no need to slam the door. Stingy!

Hmph.

---

**[Spells]**

- **[Magical Form Lv1]**
- [Condense magic into various forms]

- **[Portal Lv1]**
- [Open and maintain a portal connecting two spatial nodes]

- **[Mirror Dimension Lv1]**
- [Create a mirror dimension and control changes within it. Isolated from reality, it can block low-level spatial magic.]

A tremendous haul!

Hermione examined the magic book, grinning widely.

This magic book was indeed a treasure!

She'd essentially acquired the Ancient One's skills for free.

Magical forms and portals weren't particularly useful to her, but the mirror dimension was a perfect spell!

Combining control, attack, and imprisonment, it was incredibly versatile.

However, it was magic-intensive, requiring additional energy to control internal changes.

Hermione now understood why Doctor Strange rarely relied on internal changes in the mirror dimension, using it primarily for support.

It was too costly!

Having reaped the benefits from Kamar-Taj, Hermione decided to hold off for now and return later to learn more from the Ancient One.

For now, she needed to send a message.

Those who dared attack her would learn she wasn't someone to be trifled with.

---

**Washington D.C.**

Alexander Pierce left the World Security Council and returned home.

Leaning back on his sofa, he felt uneasy.

Perhaps sending Ghost to capture the wizard girl wasn't a wise choice.

He'd known about her existence, suspecting she had superpowers, but hadn't paid much attention.

Nick Fury had been the first to contact her and hadn't shared his findings with anyone. If he hadn't decided to form a mystical countermeasures team, recruiting Crossbones and others, the wizard's existence would have remained hidden from him.

He couldn't allow anything within S.H.I.E.L.D. that Hydra couldn't control.

Though he lacked complete information on the wizard, she was just a child. No matter how powerful, a well-planned operation couldn't fail.

If Hydra could harness magical power...

Just as he contemplated, a voice suddenly came from behind him.

"You sent someone to attack me?"