Chapter 9 : A new hire

[Author note : Here you go, guys ! New chapter of The Iron Lad squib !

If you're interested in my stories or want to encourage me, please check out my Patréon : https://www.patréon.com/user?u=66371596 (replace the é by a normal e) or look for Cathbel on their website

KoSP : 2 advanced chapters

The Squib who became Iron Lad... In DC : 3 advanced chapters

Enjoy !]

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Ned Stark watched with cold sweat flowing down his back as the attractive young woman made her way from the door of his office to his desk. Outwardly though, no signs of unease was visible to her, and she only saw a vague curiosity about her in his gaze… Perhaps a bit of admiration or infatuation because of her appearance, too.

Meanwhile, in his mind the young squib was confused and quite frightened to see this woman here. He had no knowledge of her existence… She wasn't mentioned in the books but the family resemblance… It was unmistakable.

Trying to keep his cool, Ned took her resume in his left hand and started reading through it once again :

« Jacinth Noir… I see you come from the UK. Any relation to Narcissa Malfoy, née Black ? » He asked trying to appear nonchalant.

The woman halted. She looked uncomfortable for some reason and this raised a few alarm bells in Ned's mind. Was she really sent to spy on him or some other more nefarious purpose ? If only he had his armor on, he wouldn't feel so exposed right now…

After a few seconds that seemed to last for hours, the woman admitted with a sigh :

« She's my biological mother. She and Lord Malfoy abandoned me when they found out I was a squib. They couldn't afford the disgrace of a squib in their family, you see… »

« Oh ! » Ned, very intelligently, answered to that.

This was something he hadn't considered but could be possible… Those pureblood supremacists were so biased against the no-majs that even in their own family sometimes, they discriminated against them. There was a history of disinherited and cast-out children in pureblood families… In the book it was illustrated with the Black family tree and Sirius explaining to Harry how his parents had 'burned' his existence from the tree, along with others because they didn't accept their attitudes and choices. Andromeda Tonks, née Black, and Sirius' cousin was another person who was cast out of the family because she chose to marry a no-maj-born.

Still, he couldn't lower his guard just yet…

« You're a long way from home, Miss Noir. Have you come to the land of opportunity to make a life for yourself ? »

Ned knew that, although his statement might have been normal for an immigrant from the No-Maj world, the Wizarding side of the USA was much more closed off. Unlike the UK, for a long time, wizards and witches had taken rather drastic measures to hide themselves from the No-majs' side. Taking No-majs born capable of magic and erasing their existence from the memories of their parents, killing dark witches and wizards, hunting down magical creatures to hide their existence, including Obscurials… The last one, in particular was something that truly revolted Ned… Obscurials were generally very young children, whose parents or guardians had abused because of their magic, so they tried to suppress it, thereby giving birth to an Obscurus. And MACUSA ordered a kill-on-discovery of these poor souls !

Thankfully, things were (slowly) getting better. However, it was still rather difficult for foreign nationals possessing magic to come to the US. Especially in the last few months with the resurgence of the Dark Lord in the UK. This meant one of two things… Either she used considerable means to come to America or…

« Have you been in this country long ? »

For some reason, it was the woman's turn to study the one she hoped would employ her. He was rather attractive, though he could definitely work on his appearance… But that wasn't what gave her pause. His knowledge of her family was ! She'd cut ties with them for years… Or rather, they did, and she just decided to make a life for herself in another country. The fact was, when she didn't receive her letter from Hogwarts, it didn't take long for her father to disinherit her and throw her out of the house. 11 and she was homeless… At least, he had the decency of finding a good orphanage for her. And she often wondered over these last 7 years whether or not he had anything to do with the nice American muggle family who adopted her a few months after he abandoned her…

« My adoptive parents are American, » She finally responded. « How did you know about my biological parents ? I know they're rich, but I doubt they're a big deal, here… »

Ned scoffed and shook his head :

« They're not. I just like to keep myself informed and your father often appears on political piece in foreign newspapers. I've once seen a picture of him with your mother and I noticed the resemblance. That's all ! »

It was all bullshit, of course, except for the last part about her resemblance. He wondered to himself if her last name, Noir, was the name of a branch family of the Black since it was the translation of their name in French. Perhaps, one of their outcasts had created a family for himself and taken the name. Then, he also asked himself whether Narcissa had anything to do with her adoption or if it was just a coincidence… He doubted it, however.

Dismissing these thoughts, Ned decided to get on with the interview :

« Alright. You've applied to work for me… Do you have any idea what it is that I do ? »

Visibly more comfortable with this kind of talk, she relaxed and gestured toward the chair in front of his desk, as if asking for permission :

« Please ! »

« Thank you ! » She sat, her noble upbringing clear in the way she carried herself even sitting. « Now, to answer your question… The truth is that I've followed not only the articles about you in the press, I've taken an interest to the papers you've published. Unfortunately, I was unable to find any of your academic work on magic… Though considering the way Wizarding society is, it's to be expected… No one would be willing to publish such work, I'm guessing. »

Ned shrugged noncommittally. The truth of the matter was that he didn't even try. On one hand, what she said was true… No magic researcher was interested in a squib's view of magic, no matter what he was capable of accomplishing with it. Their sense of pride for being able to wield the energy prevented them from taking an interest…

On the other hand, Ned knew his research could, and would be misused by others. In fact, some might argue that they were already misused by himself, since one of the first things he did was create war machines with it. His armors were basically that, after all : machines to fight, and possibly to kill, people.

Of course, the potential behind his mana batteries and reactors went beyond making weapons ! The same could be said of his Tech Spirit, since he could program them for any number of tasks.

« To put it simply, then,… » Miss Noir continued : «… I do have some idea of what it is you do in your company and I'm very interested in learning more ! Now, I know what your next question will be and as you can see in my resume, I'm currently studying at MIT since I know technology is the future of our world. And I don't mean just the no-majs'… Our world as a whole ! No matter what Wizardkind say, technology will be the way for our two kinds to bridge the gap of power… Whether that's good or bad, however, is another question. »

Ned nodded and smiled slightly :

« It seems we share some opinions on this… The fact is, I believe that technology would allow no-majs to not only detect magic, but also to use it. I've even had mild successes in the latter myself… » Ned changed the subject : « You said you're a student at MIT… How do you expect to work here in New York and finish your studies at the same time ? »

« I was thinking of a cooperating training course… »

« Hm… Why not ! I mostly spend my time in my workshop at home anyway… I'll also give you a cellphone. My own brand ! Nothing like those bulky and with terrible reception the no-majs are designing these days. This way we'll be able to stay in contact even when you're in Massachusetts. I don't think it'll happen much, but I might also contact you about business… »

« Wait… Does this mean that… You're hiring me ? » Jacinth asked disbelievingly.

« More of a trial period. Let's start with a 6 months contract ! »

Despite the fact that Ned's mind was set, the interview continued for a while longer after that. Inwardly, he really hoped he wasn't making a mistake…

* * * * *

Later that day, Ned had returned to his workshop and started working on his 3rd armor. On top of a white sheet of paper, he'd written Civilian Armor, while he started drawing and taking messy notes under it. Soon, the image of Widowmaker appeared on the desk next to him. Fists on her hips, she asked with a fed-up tone :

« What are you making, now ? »

Not even deigning looking at his 'daughter', Ned replied :

« That's something I realized when I was confronted with a potential enemy without armor… I can't go everywhere with it ! And, as I've pointed out before, this world is filled with threats… I don't know why I've never realized this before. I mean, did the fear make me stupid ? »

« What are you getting at ? »

« The armor might be too conspicuous, but it doesn't have to be armor ! Or at least, not in this sense ! » He gestured at the armor displays in the corner of the room. « Although my technomancy is heavily inspired by technology, it shouldn't limit and restrict my thoughts and ideas ! So, I've decided… I'm gonna make a suit ! » After a brief pause : « A magical suit, heavily enchanted and drawing on the mana reactor to allow me to at least defend myself or flee in case of danger. »

Mel sighed deeply. Some part of her programming understood her creator's feelings. After all, she was powerless in the face of his whims… It probably felt similar to his feelings in the face of the threats he was preparing to face. Preparing being the operative word. As of now, the only true threat her creator had faced was one of his own making… The Dark Wizard who dubbed himself Voldemort would never have even known about Ned Stark (or rather, as the man knew him : Silver Lad) if he hadn't crossed an ocean to play hero. Twice !

Despite her growing amount of data about the so-called Heroes by the public or the medias, she neither understood why those people placed themselves in danger, nor what they got out of it… After all, the humans were complex emotional creatures and she was… Well, not. The unknown processes that sometime surfaced in her code might equate to emotions, however, she still wasn't sure they truly were. Besides, she was still too young and inexperienced to really understand them. Asking her to understand the emotions of other people, even if one of them was her creator and master was too much !

Out of nowhere, Ned sighed in relief.

« What's wrong, Ned ? » Mel asked him, puzzled about his reaction.

« It's more of a what's right… » He corrected. « I've been thinking about the press and how they didn't cover the attack on Amelia Bones' house. Although it was to be expected since they can't show how vulnerable they are, but… It's still a relief ! »

As he explained, Ned was still sketching his suit and taking notes in the margins. For this particular work, he'd need help… It had taken him years before he was able to work with metal, especially goblin silver. He couldn't wait for even more year and learn how to sew. When he realized this, he sighed again. This time in defeat.

« I'll have to ask Sue's help… But first, I need to work on the kind of fabric I want to use. Acromantula silk isn't enough for what I have in mind… I'll need to weave in string of goblin silver to carry the magic power through the various enchantments, not to mention the added protection. And of course, the most important will be the gloves… They can't be too conspicuous or it'd defeat the purpose. I'll need some kind of leather which can also conduct magic. Dragon leather is better to protect from it… So that's a no. a unicorn might be good but… » He shook his head : « The implications of killing something like this… I don't want to carry them. » He tapped the back of his pen on the sheet a few times. « Guess I'll have to do some research… »

He stretched his arms over his head, and yawned. His back and elbows popped as he did so.

« I'm tired… I think I'll rest for a bit. Mel, can you do the calculations for the best materials according to these specs, please ? »

The Widowmaker's hologram mimicked looking at his drawings and the notes that accompanied it and nodded :

« Alright ! Have a good rest, Ned ! »

« Thanks ! Don't overheat yourself, okay ? »

Without waiting for a reply, Ned opened the adjoining door for the small resting room he built for when he was either too tired, or didn't want to return to his bedroom upstairs. He crashed in bed and soon after, his soft snores could be heard.