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Loki paused, hands clenching into fists as his eyes closed in grief. He never asked, but Heimdall seemed to know he wanted news anyway. Breathing shallow, Loki remained frozen as he waited for the all-seeing guardian to continue. Leaving Hermione had been difficult, but it was knowing he'd had to leave behind his daugh... |
"She grows stronger every day, beautiful, brave, and true. She is our hope, Loki, and she looks for you." Heimdall hesitated and Loki did everything in his power to hold back the tears he could feel welling in his eyes. "Gwyneira will not forget her father if her father does not forget her." |
It took everything for Loki not to turn around at that comment. How was he supposed to forget about his daughter? She was constantly on his mind, the one true light in the darkness. Pulling back his shoulders, Loki nodded once in acknowledgement and then continued his journey toward Asgard's palace. His brother awaited... |
Heimdall said nothing more as he left the Observatory, sealing it off from those wishing to harm the city. Hela. That monster was still out there, biding her time until who knew when. They were still nowhere near ready to face her, and although Thor was feeling more spirited upon returning home, he was nothing without ... |
Upon arriving in the palace, Loki went directly to the throne room. He found Thor there, sitting upon the large golden throne with Gungnir in hand and an everlasting look of misery on his normally cheerful features. Ridding himself of his own dismal thoughts, Loki took to one knee and placed his fist over his heart for... |
"You may rise, Loki Laufey-King," Thor addressed him properly, the bottom on Gungnir hitting the base of the dais with a single boom. Thor waited for Loki to rise to his feet before speaking further. "I take it that Jotunheim fairs well? |
"She does. She is prospering under my rule and has not regressed in my leave of absence," Loki explained, standing tall with his hands clasped behind his back. Tilting his head, he gave Thor the briefest of smiles. "I believe Jotunheim is not in Hela's sights at the present time and that she will come here before attem... |
"I find myself agreeing with you, brother, though it does not calm me." Thor stood then, slowly descending the stairs of the throne until he was standing before Loki. A sadness flickered through his cerulean eyes and Loki prepared himself for what was to be asked next. "Has there been any news from Midgard?" |
Loki's nostrils flared with annoyance but he did not lash out. Swallowing, he shook his head instead. "Nothing that need be shared. Hela has not returned there nor do I believe she will. You are her target and I, her prize. She will come for us soon enough and we must prepare ourselves." Loki wanted desperately to look... |
"You do not need protect me, brother," Thor said softly, reaching out to grab his shoulder with gentle affection. "You could-" |
"No!" Jerking from Thor's grasp, Loki stepped back until he and Thor were a good five feet apart. Knowing exactly what Thor was about to say, he glared at his brother, hoping his obvious anger would deter him from saying anything further. It did, but this left him to do the talking. "I am unwelcome upon Midgard and thu... |
"What of your family?" |
"What family?" Loki asked darkly, his heart clenching in pain. Running a hand through his hair, Loki continued to glare at Thor. "You are all I have the now, and I will protect you and this realm I have known as home for most of my life until my last breath." |
"You would die for me?" Not quite grasping Loki's meaning, Thor stepped forward again, effectively closing the distance Loki had created. His eyes sought out Loki's and saw truth reflected there, possibly for the first time in many a year. It hit him hard, his own heart melting at the gesture. "Should I not worry of yo... |
Laughing darkly, Loki began to pace the floor. "I have nothing to gain from betraying you this time. I wish only to protect those I care about most, though they may not wish it so." |
Glancing at the guards that lined the great throne room, Thor cleared his throat which caused Loki to pause and look to him. Gesturing toward the side door, he said, "Walk with me." The tone of his voice gave no room for argument and Loki replied with a lifted eyebrow and a sweep of his arm to indicate Thor lead the wa... |
They walked in silence for quite some time until they reached the gardens where their mother had brought them as children. Once ensconced in the private sanctuary of their childhood, Thor again turned to face his brother, this time with a look of deep contemplation. Loki sighed heavily, but made no argument; instead, h... |
"You are different, Loki." |
"As are you," he countered, his argumentative ways present as always. "We have had this conversation before." |
"I face the unknown, a king without his weapon who must protect his kingdom from inevitable harm," Thor intoned, unfurling his fists to again look at his palms. A smile appeared on his lips as he thought of the hell they'd gone through together and because of each other over the past ten years. They were both different... |
Loki heaved an exasperated sigh, rolling his eyes towards the heavens as he awaited the inevitable. "Sentiment, dear brother, has never been the norm between you and I." |
"And yet here we are." Thor gestured between the two of them and then to the sacred ground of their mother's gardens. Loki followed the motion with his eyes, gentle annoyance furrowing his brow. "I speak not of those such differences, but of another." Turning slightly on the bench, Thor set his heavy stare upon his you... |
"What are you prattling on about, Thor?" |
"Over our many years you have done a number of heinous deeds; however, you have recently altered your behavior and motives. You selflessly sacrificed yourself for the sake of us all to defeat Fenrir. Now you come to me speaking of protection and alliances, going so far as to separate yourself from those that hold your ... |
"And what is that?" Loki waited with bated breath, unsure where Thor was going with this conversation. He could just imagine all the benevolent things his brother was about to ask of him. Joining their armies, frivolous revels, reuniting their realms as they were once long ago. Eventually, Loki may want these things as... |
"Since our younger days, you have been known as Loki, the God of Mischief and Lies, and for good reason at the time." Thor ignored the dark look he received for bringing up Loki's past transgressions, so he carried on. "Given recent events, I would ask you honestly, are you no longer worthy of the title of Mischief and... |
Emerald eyes widened minimally at those words, their owner able to refrain from showing his immense shock. Rising from the bench, Loki walked to one of his mother's most treasured apple trees and placed his hand upon the bark. It was rough underneath his palm, warm from the sunlight, and strong from it's many years of ... |
Pure lightness did not dwell within him no matter how much he changed, but he could not ignore the fact that he had not lied or harmed someone for the sheer fun of it in well over a year. Now he used it only as a means of protection, a way to ensure that he and those around him were not hurt in any manner of ways. Sure... |
Dropping his hand from the tree, Loki turned around and met Thor's curious stare. Smirking despite the seriousness of the situation, Loki attempted to bring forth his usual personality, though it had been quite some time since he'd felt like himself, truly. "I may yet still be worthy of the title of Mischief, but Lies.... |
"Would not the God of Snow and Ice be more fitting?" Thor was joking, his eyes dancing with mirth, especially as his brother scoffed and returned to his side. |
"I may be King of Jotunheim, but I think that I will retain my title as of now." Settling back down onto the bench, it was now Loki's turn to examine his hands. He knew all too well what was hidden under the spell Odin had cast upon him long ago. As long as he walked in borrowed skin, he was still that of a liar, but i... |
"Father did you a disservice by hiding your lineage all those years, Loki." |
Loki whipped his head around to stare at Thor; the playfulness from just a moment before gone now. "It would have made you see me differently and that was not his purpose. He wished for us to grow as brothers and had you known then what you know now, I would have been but another enemy to you." |
"You have always been my brother and will remain as such forever," Thor told him sternly, one large hand coming out to grab his shoulder in familiar comfort. "And with that said, I wish you to know that you need not remain here as a protection for me. You should be on Midgard with your family." |
"I am unwelcome there," Loki replied, ignoring Thor's comment about their relationship. He glanced away, eyes darkening despite the brightness of the day. |
"Hermione is going through something that which you and I have no understanding, but I believe she will soon come to her senses." Rising, Thor patted Loki on the shoulder, reminiscent of when they were children. "When she realizes this, she will need you more than she knows." |
A sudden thought came upon Loki then, his eyes narrowing as he searched his brother's face for answer. "What have you seen, Thor, upon the throne?" As King of Asgard, Thor was now the future Allfather. Perhaps he had seen as Odin once was able to do, a glimpse of the future. "What do you know?" |
"Nothing for you to worry about, brother," Thor murmured, releasing his hold on Loki's shoulder. "You will know in time, of that I am sure. Now, I have duties I must attend to but feel free to linger here in the gardens a little while longer. However, I would not be hurt if you chose to return to Jotunheim instead, or ... |
Loki nodded and then Thor turned away. He was almost to the door when Loki sighed and called out to him, knowing he would mistake his next gesture. "Thor?" |
"Yes?" Thor turned to face him, a mixture of hope and amusement on his face. |
"Thank you," he began carefully, standing and brushing off the back of his leathers. "You know that I appreciate you and this odd brotherly bond that we share-" He didn't get to continue for Thor had rushed forward and wrapped him in a bone-crushing embrace that lifted him off of his feet. "Thor! Thor, you put me down ... |
"You love it," Thor chuckled as he said this, the vibration filling Loki's much smaller form. "And you love me, admit it." |
"I will do no such thing, now let me go before I'm forced to stab you." Loki's fingers twitched in anticipation, but he had no reason to reach for his daggers. Thor released him, his face shining like the sun with happiness. |
"That is close enough," Thor admitted, still grinning like a fool. |
"You are an idiot, now leave me be." Loki smirked, eyes alight with purpose as an idea came to him. "I would like to be alone to contemplate our next moves." |
"Very well. You know where to find me." Thor gave a final wave and then went back inside the palace, presumably to sit on the throne and brood some more. |
Once gone, Loki decided to walk amongst the trees in his mother's garden. He was not lying, he did have plans to formulate and notions to stew upon. If Hela was truly coming for them as he knew her most likely to be, they would need to be ready. If that meant Loki had to revert to old tactics and trickery, then so be i... |
"That's the quickest election in the history of the Ministry," Ron pointed out as he helped pour glasses of champagne. |
"You are forgetting when the Minister fell during the war and also when Kingsley took office," Hermione pointed out, taking the glass from Ron and sipping to hide her grin. The polls had closed just an hour ago and the news was already out. Hermione Jean Granger was officially the new Minister for Magic and would be sw... |
"I, for one, will be glad once you're sworn in and everything settles down at the Ministry." This was from Harry, who had been fielding most of the chaos since Kingsley had stepped down two weeks ago. With Hermione's blessing, he'd retired and put Harry in place until the election had finished. "I'm exhausted and I am ... |
"I'm here now," Ginny said in a sing-song voice as she slid her arm around her husband's waist and tucked herself underneath his arm. "And it's been five, actually. Now that this inane spectacle is finished you can ask for that extended vacation you've been wanting." She blinked innocently over at Hermione, who merely ... |
"Harry is more than welcome to take time off if he has it to use." Hermione set her glass on the surface of her desk before hopping up and crossing her legs. They'd all crowded into her Head office in the MLE department since Kingsley's was still in the process of being cleared out. "You know, file the proper paperwork... |
"You know how much I hate paperwork," Harry groaned, accepting a glass from Ron as well. Taking a drink, he observed Hermione quietly as she too observed all of them. Although he initially was glad of her wanting to run for Minister, he had no idea it was going to come about due to a break from Loki. Wanting to keep th... |
"I'm going to need an assistant," Hermione hinted, tapping her fingernails against the surface of her desk. |
"Oh no." Shaking his head, Harry made it very clear how he felt about that. "Absolutely not, Hermione. I love you to death, but I'm perfectly content being Head Auror." |
"Not only that, you're the best and I can't afford to replace you right now." Sighing then, Hermione looked around her office, having enjoyed the space for nearly thirteen years. Well, it was more like nine if you didn't count the four years she'd spent mostly abroad working on eradicating the Pureblood laws. |
Speaking of which, Hermione picked up her champagne and turned to regard the shelves behind her desk which were full of her teacup collection. She sipped in thoughtful silence as she contemplated what she would do with them now. As if reading her mind, Ron came forward and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. |
"Are you going to take them with you?" He asked quietly so no one else could hear. Ron was probably the only other person that knew how the shelves came to be and what the teacups actually meant to Hermione, even after all this time. |
"Do you think I should?" Biting her lip, timid eyes met Ron's and he merely shrugged. "There are a lot of memories that come along with those teacups, both good and bad." |
"They are a representation of your trials and tribulations. Getting to this point has not been easy, but you've overcome so much. I don't see why they shouldn't come with you..." There were times when Ron still remembered Hermione's tragedy filled past like it was just yesterday. He'd been there through it all, in the ... |
"That part of my life is over now," she muttered, dropping her eyes to look at her lap. "Draco is gone, taking whatever we once had with him. And I've severed off ties with everything else too. Maybe it's time to pack them all away and start fresh." |
"Are you really going to keep Loki from seeing Gwyneira?" Ron blurted, still trying to keep their conversation from being overheard despite the smallness of the office. |
Frowning, Hermione finished off her champagne before even attempting to answer Ron. There'd been enough distractions to keep her from thinking of Loki these past two weeks, for the most part. However, every time she held Gwyneira in her arms she was reminded of Loki. With each new day, her daughter grew more and more f... |
It was maddening, but she could only hope that things got better. Taking on this new position, she was bound to be busy. Determined not to let Gwyneira suffer because of it, she vowed to be there at every turn for her daughter as she grew older. She would likely be Minister for many years if she had her way and hoped t... |
"Ron, I told Loki to leave me, not Gwyneira. If he ever wishes to return and be with her, I will not keep her from him." Sighing, she set aside her now empty glass to run a hand through her curls. |
"What if he wants to return and be with both of you?" Ron countered as he returned his attention to Hermione instead of the shelves of teacups. Having watched Hermione's numerous failed relationships over the years, he wanted her to find her happiness. She'd been happy with Loki, everyone could see that, so for her to ... |
"It's over between us, Ron," Hermione forced out even as a stabbing pain shot through her heart. The bond forged by the Rime Diamonds did not like to be reminded of her betrayal. Hiding her pain, she continued. "We're too different, he and I. Loki is needed on Asgard and in Jotunheim and I can't leave here, especially ... |
"Did you take this position on purpose? As a way to sabotage any chance that you could repair your relationship with Loki?" Sometimes bluntness was the best way to deal with Hermione. Ron had employed this tactic many times over the years when he'd realized that Hermione was doing everything in her power to hurt hersel... |
"I ran for Minister to ensure that the world we live and I have to raise my daughter is better than it was when we were growing up." She leveled him with a narrow-eyed glare, her voice rising so that the others in the room could now hear their conversation. They stopped their own conversations to glance their way. "If ... |
Hopping from the desk, Hermione looked at all her friends who had gathered to celebrate with her. They'd always been there for her through the good times and the bad, so she really couldn't complain. However, she did not like to be reminded of the bad and Loki was exactly that. He'd gifted her the most precious gift of... |
"All of you couldn't say enough to get me to run for Minister and now that I am here, I plan on doing everything in my power to be the best at my job." She took a deep breath, staring at each of them in turn. Pansy, Theo, Blaise, Ginny, Ron, and then Harry, who had pushed the hardest though she knew not why. "I may hav... |
Everyone turned to stare at Ron now, who shrugged. "Don't look at me. I didn't say anything to her that wasn't the truth." |
"You know that she's super sensitive right now, Ron," Pansy muttered with a shake of her head as she came to stand next to him. She set a gentle hand upon his arm and then kissed him on the cheek. "Even though she puts on this tough exterior, her heart is probably broken and her hormones are still bound to be fluctuati... |
"Actually," Ginny began to point out, "I wanted to talk to you all about that..." |
"Talk about what?" It was Blaise who spoke up, nodding as Theo whispered something in his ear before disappearing from the room. "She's seemed a bit more emotional lately, but isn't that normal?" |
"No." Ginny shook her head, still tucked against Harry's side. "I think it's much more serious than that and it's not going to be easy to convince her if I'm right." |
"Are you saying what I think you are?" Pansy asked, a quiver of fear in her voice as she rested one hand atop her pregnant stomach. |
Ginny nodded solemnly before glancing at the empty doorway. "I am, and I think when she realizes it too, it may just be the last rock at her fragile little glass house." |
"Then let's just pray that it doesn't come to that..." |
Hermione was nearly to the floo when Theo caught up with her, the sound of his hurried footsteps causing her to slow but not stop. Standing in front of the row of fireplaces, she waited for him to reach her side before sighing heavily and closing her eyes. She suspected why he was the one to come to her when none of th... |
"I'm not in the mood to talk about it, Theodore," she muttered, eyes closing so he would be unable to see the unshed tears in her eyes. |
"I know, and that's not why I followed you down here," he said through gasps of air. Obviously he wasn't as in shape as he used to be, and that made her frown worsen. Both hands on his hips, he leveled her with his dark-eyed stare. "I owe you a debt, Hermione, and I wanted to repay it." |
A chill of anticipation went down her spine, and she found herself slowly turning to face her once very close friend and lover. Wetting her lips, she asked, "The prophecy?" |
"Yes," he replied, extending one hand out to her. "I'll take you to it now, if you think you're up for it." Theo watched her carefully, a myriad of emotions flashing through her brown eyes as she warred with herself. |
On one hand, Hermione wanted nothing more than to jump at the chance to listen to the prophecy, but now... Now, though, she wondered if it was really worth it. Loki was gone and she no longer had any obligation to share what the prophecy held with him. She also knew that ignorance was bliss. Had she never met Jane Fost... |
She faltered there, her heart aching at the thought of Gwyneira never existing. That was something she couldn't live without now. Her daughter was everything to her, and she hadn't lied; she planned on doing everything in her power to ensure that the world they lived in remained safe and pure. A decision needed to be m... |
Swallowing back her fears, Hermione placed her hand in Theo's and met his eyes with much more certainty than she felt. His fingers closed around hers before he nodded and then he pulled her away from the floo system and back toward the lifts. There was already one there, almost as if it was waiting for this exact momen... |
Standing before the shelves in the Prophecy room, Hermione couldn't help but have worry that they should not be doing this. Nevertheless, she knew that before she went home to her daughter tonight, she would know what may come of their fragile future together. It was madness, but there was no way she could walk away fr... |
Before her, on the newly erected shelving, rested a single prophecy orb. Underneath it there were three names inscribed on a little slip of parchment. Hermione Granger, Gwyneira, and Hela. A shiver of fear rippled down her spine as she remembered the woman with dark hair and eyes, her sword fully prepared to steal the ... |
"It's okay, Hermione," Theo said, his words soft as he placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed with reassurance. "You can touch it. No one is going to stop you." |
Swallowing, Hermione stepped forward with hand outstretched. "What if it's something horrible?" |
"We'll cross that bridge when we get there," he replied, dropping his hand from her shoulder and watching with curious eyes as her own hand hovered over the shimmery blue orb. "In my experience, it's better to know what awaits you in the future if given the opportunity." |
A single nod was all he received in return to his statement, Hermione's hand swiftly plucking the orb from the shelf without further thought. She held it in front of her, the smooth, glass surface cool at first but slowly warming. At first, nothing happened, the room ever silent save for the sounds of her and Theo's br... |
Three stars shine in a crown |
One Past, the dark |
One Present, the light |
One Future, the hope |
Darkness will fall |
When Snow arrives |
Empires will rise and fall |
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