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"Don't think on the past. Just worry about the future." |
Biting her already chapped lip for the umpteenth time, Hermione asked the question that was playing heavily on her mind since she'd regained consciousness. "Who is going to step in at Minister until I return to work?" |
"I've asked Theo if he could take over," Harry told her simply. "I'm needed in the Auror department right now with the Isolation Act and Hela's inevitable return." |
"What did he say?" Hermione asked and flinched. She hated to take away from his time with Blaise. |
"He agreed. He's worried about you, Hermione. We all are." Harry stared at her a long moment before adding, "I really thought you were going to die today. All that magic exploding around us and shaking the very foundation of the Ministry..." |
"I know, and I'm truly sorry for worrying you like that." |
"We can't do this again," he said gesturing around the hospital room for emphasis. "Your daughter needs you and so do your family and friends. Do not give up. I don't give a fuck if Loki never comes back, just please, don't give up on this life, Hermione." Harry swallowed back his own tears now, his eyes burning as he ... |
"I promise," Hermione choked out through her own unshed tears. "I promise I'm going to be different from here on out." And for the first time in ages, Hermione believe the words that were coming out of her mouth. |
Nodding, Harry blinked back his tears. "Okay. Good. Right then, I'm going to head over to Ron and Pansy's to check on Gwyneira before going home for the night. Please, get some rest and do as the healers say so you can get out of here as quickly as possible." |
"I swear it," Hermione said through her watery smile. "I'll rest." |
"Okay, goodnight," Harry replied and then reached out to squeeze her hand. He lingered a moment longer, meeting her eyes before nodding, releasing her hand, and disappearing out the door. |
When he was gone, Hermione slumped back into the bed and covered her face with both hands. As renewed tears shook her body, she couldn't help but think how horrid she'd been. How selfish. Granted, she knew that was just her emotions talking, but there was still a bit of truth to it all. While she had the best intention... |
For the first time in ages, Hermione let herself regret sending Loki away. He'd always understood her issues... If only there was a way to get him back. Deciding it best not to dwell on that tonight, Hermione clicked off the bedside lamp and then curled onto her side. She pictured Loki's mischievous emerald eyes and th... |
"Twice, Thor. He saved me not once, but twice." |
"I heard the words you spoke, Sif, but are you certain..." |
"I'm sure. He could have let me die in the void, but he did not." |
"It's rather unexpected..." |
"I was more than surprised when I realized that he was placing one of his illusion spells on me in order to save my life from Hela. All of the other Warriors were killed while I was forced to watch. Yet, somehow he was able to save me." |
"Do you think he's doing this with his own motives or that he is still working with Hela?" |
"No, I think that he was doing it because he's changed, or rather, he's more like the Loki we used to know as children. He no longer appears to be the Loki who tried to ruin our lives and take over planets." |
"We need to talk to him to be certain. I can't imagine that he didn't have some sort of other motive going on when he saved your life. It's just not who he is." |
"I'm not sure. All I know is that he could have let me die there in the void, but he didn't. He saved me and managed to get both of us through here to safety without thinking twice. He's different. I swear it to you." |
"I think he is awake and he can hear everything that you are saying," came Loki's voice, scratchy from thirst and sleep. |
There was shuffling as Thor, Sif ,and Jane turned to find Loki awake and pushing himself up to sit properly on the couch. It was obvious that he was still very much weakened by his ordeal on Asgard, however, he was awake for the moment and appeared ready to have a conversation with his brother now that he had returned ... |
Without glancing at his fiancée or fellow warrior, Thor asked, "Please will you give us some privacy. I believe Loki and I have much to discuss at present." |
His blue eyes never looked away from Loki as he waited for the females to vacate the room. Understanding the seriousness of the situation, Jane and Sif exited the room, allowing Thor to move around to the front of the sofa. He sat down next to his brother on the opposite end. Turning slightly, he ran a hand through his... |
"Loki, we thought that you were aligned with Hela all this time. Please, please tell me it was all a mistake and that you are truly on our side and not here to help take over Midgard." |
Loki stared at his brother and then properly rolled his eyes. It made his head hurt worse than it already did, but he ignored pain just as he was ignoring the pain in the rest of his body. He was still dying, his magical core completely tapped. There was just a flicker of seidr remaining in his core, but that was keepi... |
"I was hoping that when I banished you to this planet, that you would have figured out what I was planning in some regard. Unfortunately, it appears you have been idle in my absence, which is rather disappointing." Loki crossed his arms as the frown deepened on his weary face. |
"How could I have possibly known your plans for me? You cast me out! You left Hermione and your daughter here on Earth unprotected and then threw me out of Asgard without a second thought!" Thor was furious, his eyes flashing in his anger. |
"They were not unprotected. Hermione is able to care for herself and I believed you to be taking care of them, as well. However, like I said, it appears that I was wrong." Loki paused, his body weakening with every passing second. After a tense silence, he was able to continue. "Do you not care to keep the things we lo... |
"I do care, Loki. Things have been difficult here. You do not understand..." Shaking his head, Thor decided to gather more information before breaking the bad news to Loki. "Tell me this, brother. Did you have a hand in the death of Hogun, Volstagg, and Fandral?" |
"I had nothing to do with their deaths," Loki replied with honesty. "I was able to save Sif at the last minute because Hela still believed me to be her lap dog. She thought I would have no issue murdering Sif in cold blood." Loki flinched, already regretting admitting the next part. "I was weak by then, though. My magi... |
"Loki, you do not have to tell me details of what transpired on Asgard between you and Hela," Thor said softly. "Sif has told me all sorts of tales of what may have occurred between the two of you while there. Please tell me you did not fall back into bed with that wicked woman." |
"Thor, what occurred between Hela and I is none of your business, other than the fact that while she believes she currently has control over most of the nine realms, she truly does not." A sly grin appeared on Loki's features at this revelation. "I have placed some of my most trusted Frost Giants guards in the realms w... |
"You are planning to slay her?" Thor inquired, eyebrow raised. |
"Indeed. It may kill me, but I will not allow her to live after all she has done," Loki hissed, his eyes flashing red. |
"You cannot do this. Look at you; you are near death yourself," Thor gestured at his brother's frail body. "What did she do to you? Please, you saved me by banishing me here rather than allowing her to kill me as she did did my fellow warriors. The least you can do is allow me to aid you." |
"I will get my revenge in good time, but first I must rest. My magic is nearly depleted because of healing myself a numerous amount of times." Here, Loki sighed heavily as if he hated to admit such weakness to Thor. "I will tell you this, Hela grows stronger the longer she remains on Asgard. We must draw her here in or... |
Frowning, Thor said, "I don't think that is wise, brother. Do you realize that your child lives upon this planet?" |
"I am well aware of that," Loki replied with a scowl. "Gwyneira is here, but she is safe. She is with her mother, who I wish not to be involved in this matter. You and I will take care of Hela. I have allowed Heimdall to remain on Asgard so that he will help us from that end of the realms." Rolling his eyes, Loki added... |
Thor nodded. "Come morning, you and I will make plans for this. I believe that Hela will come searching for you sooner than you think. I'm not certain you will have time to heal as needed in order to survive any sort of battle with her." |
"Brother, in all honesty, I will probably not survive this battle, which is why I do not want Hermione there. She cannot be present if I am to perish. Despite her sending me away, my death... I feel it will break her." |
"She is struggling without you. Have you not heard what she has done? What she has been going through?" Thor didn't realize that his brother may be unaware of the goings on in this realm. Then again, it appeared that Loki had far more pressing matters to attend to while on Asgard with Hela. |
Loki rolled his eyes yet again. "How am I to hear of what she has been up to while I have been away? It was far too dangerous to use the Rime Diamond scepter lest Hela find out about it and its power. Though, I am curious, what has Hermione done that obviously causes you alarm?" |
"Things have taken a turn for the worse in the Wizarding world. Hermione has taken position as Minister for Magic, but she has sequestered the entire Wizarding Community off from that of the Muggle world. We have not been in contact with her for quite some time; although, Pansy and Potter do occasionally reach out in o... |
"What do you mean she's sequestered off the entire Wizarding World?" Loki hissed as he adjusted himself against the armrest. This was a topic of conversation where he felt the need to be sitting upright. "Does that mean you have no contact with any of them and they have no contact with the outside world?" He felt he al... |
"Yes," Thor replied, giving a solemn nod. "It has been quite difficult for many on both ends. They are not even allowed to contact one another by Muggle electronic devices like computers or those mobile phones." Thor explained all of this as he stood and began to pace the floor in front of the sofa. |
Loki sat there and watched his brother for a moment before he let his head fall back against the armrest of the sofa. "This is worse than I could have imagined. Has no one been preparing for Hela's imminent return? Have none of you taken this seriously?" Loki's voice was rising as a glimmer of his old ire broke through... |
"I am unsure what Hermione's motives were regarding the Isolation Act, as it is called. However, we have not been idle on this end." Thor stopped pacing and resumed sitting on the edge of the sofa where Loki was currently lying prone. "Jane has been in contact with a man by the name of Strange and believes that he may ... |
"Oh goodie. Thor's hammer fixed and ready to be ruined once more by Hela's hand." Loki chuckled but it was not with amusement. "Did you learn nothing from last time? Hela is not going to be easily stopped and definitely not by your hammer as was previously proven. What we need is some sort of spell or chains that weake... |
"I know not where Odin kept her locked away or if it's even still accessible." Thor placed his face in both his hands and continued talking so now it was more of a mumble. "What are we going to do, Loki? I fear you are right. We will not win this battle with brute strength alone." |
"You're finally seeing the light, dear brother," Loki said with a wry grin. "We are going to need the help of the witches and wizards. I believe that they have a special type of vault within that prison that Hermione was willing to lock herself away in if I were to betray all of you. We could replicate it or even toss ... |
"A vault within a prison? To what do you refer, Loki?" Thor questioned, lifting his head from his palms so he could gaze upon his brother with inquiry. |
"It is a place hidden underneath the prison simply called the the Private Vaults," Loki told Thor before coughing. He was lucky that blood did not stain his fist when he removed it from shielding his mouth. "I heard Draco Malfoy reference to it once before." Loki averted his eyes at the mention of the wizard he had kil... |
"How are we to get our hands on this form of magic if we are unable to communicate with the witches and wizards who would have access to the spells?" Thor asked, feeling hopeful for the first time in weeks but also so very much unsure if this was even a possibility for them to use. |
Loki merely shrugged one shoulder. His eyes slid shut and he seemed more exhausted than he had when he arrived, except this time he was conscious. Thor worried for his brother; he had never seen him look so weak, not even when he was locked away in the dungeons before the Convergence. Standing up again, Thor moved so t... |
"I will reach out to Pansy and Potter to see if we can figure out a way to get this magic," he said, feeling slightly better when Loki cracked an eyelid open. "I'm sure Potter will be willing to help us. I am just uncertain if he will want to face Hermione's wrath." |
At this, Loki opened both eyes and set a curious stare upon his brother. It was a stare that was both serious and concerned. "What do you mean by Hermione's wrath? I know that when when I left that she was quite angry, but she did not seem to hold as much ire as you are insinuating." |
"Apparently, she has quite the temper these days. And Gwyneira is temperamental as well." Thor scratched at his beard and then stood up and crossed his arms to stare down his brother. "According to Pansy, Eira is quite restless, almost as if she is seeking you out or in need of something Hermione is unable to provide." |
From the doorway came Jane's voice, bringing Thor and Loki's solitude to an end. "She needs unity between Loki and Hermione. She was created by a bond that you share. Gwyneira will be restless and unhappy until that bond is reforged and made solid once more." |
As as both men looked to her, Jane simply walked into the room and placed both her hands on the back of the couch so she could regard the two gods. They were staring upon her as if suddenly everything made sense, and perhaps, it did. Gwyneira was a direct result from the first time that Loki and Hermione had tried to c... |
"Sometimes," Loki muttered, "I wish I had never found the Rime Diamonds." Loki closed his eyes and his settled his head back on the armrest again. He swallowed thickly, his mouth dry as terror filled him. "If we're unable to see the witches and wizards, I will be unable to see my daughter or Hermione and fix this fissu... |
"In essence," Jane began with a bit of snark, her eyes meeting Loki's and then Thor's, "you will all wither away until there is nothing left." Her words left them speechless, but she was not wrong. "I imagine that Eira will lose all magical abilities and Hermione and Loki will lose their lives as she draws the last of ... |
Thor looked at Loki with such horror that he couldn't breathe. "Does she speak the truth? You know more of the Rime Diamonds than I ever did. Father never shared information about them with me. I just knew that they were rumored to be in the vaults underneath Asgard." |
"Unfortunately," Loki admitted, "what she speaks could very much be the truth. I do not know the full extent of the power of the Rime Diamonds beyond the bond that Hermione and I share. There was never any information about what happens to children created from the collection of Star Magic. I clearly was not created ou... |
"But this makes sense," Jane said suddenly, sounding slightly excited. "What if you were conceived out of star magic, Loki? What if you are the first bond child of the Rime Diamonds?" |
"What are you getting at, Lady Foster?" Loki questioned, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. A part of him yearned to hear more of her theories, his heart telling him that she was right. |
"From my understanding," Jane continued, "You were cast out because of your weak nature. You were far smaller than the average Frost Giant infant-" |
"I was cast out because my mother passed in my birthing and my father couldn't bear to look at me," Loki spat in anger. "That is why Odin was able to steal me away so he could use me as a bargaining chip once it was convenient to him." Loki wanted to get away. He wanted to get up off of this sofa and hide away where co... |
"Brother, calm yourself," Thor said softly. "You are much too injured to be stressing so." Thor placed a gentle hand on his shoulder once more. "Jane could be right. This makes sense in a way. Perhaps, the loss of your mother was what weakened you. You did not wither away and die because Laufey remained living." |
"Plus," Jane added, "the Rime Diamonds were right there underneath you the entire time you were growing up. Whatever Star Magic was still inside of you after your mother passed away and you were separated from Laufey allowed for you to grow into a strong sorcerer with Frigga's expert help of course." |
Crossing his arms and ignoring the pain in his ribs, Loki said, "If what you are both insinuating is correct, then there will still be hope for Gwyneira if both of the Rime Diamonds remain with her." |
"Now, Loki, what are you insinuating?" Thor inquired, feeling trepidation rise in his chest. "Do not tell me you believe that you will perish? We are going to fix this. We are going to fix you and Hermione so that everything will be right once Hela is safely tucked away. Then, when she can no longer harm anyone, you an... |
"I hope that you are right, Thor," Loki said, suddenly feeling unable to continue this conversation any longer. "I do believe I must rest now. I can barely keep my eyes open. Reach out and see if you cannot fix this issue about the isolation between the two worlds." Already Loki could feel the pull of the darkness, dra... |
As Loki slipped off into sleep, Thor walked around and placed his arm about Jane's shoulders. They shared a worried look before staring down at the sleeping god on the couch. They would do their best to reach out to Pansy and Harry, but there was no guarantee that anything could be done. At least, that is what they tho... |
"I've just had a text from Jane," Pansy explained as Ron returned to the sitting room. He'd just finished putting Gwyneira to bed while she relaxed by the fireplace with a cup of tea. At her words, he paused in the doorway and waited for her to continue. "It's Loki. He's back." |
"Shit," Ron mumbled before walking forward and dropping down into his usual armchair by the fire. Scrubbing at his face with both hands he tried not to think about how now was possibly the worst time for the Frost Giant to return to the planet. Finally he lifted his head so he could stare at his wife. "In what capacity... |
"Friendly, it would seem," she said glancing again at the text. Tossing the mobile to her husband, she added, "Hela is still on Asgard and Loki is apparently worse for wear." |
Ron frowned and then read the text message to himself before repeating it aloud. "Loki returned. Aided by Lady Sif. He says he's dying. Isolation Act be be damned, we need Wizarding help. He looks like death." Tossing the mobile back to Pansy, he shook his head and sighed. "I think we need to tell them about Hermione." |
"Obviously, but if she finds out, she'll have our heads." Pansy grinned, knowing full well she didn't give a damn if her friend found out. It was apparent that witch needed Loki as much as their child did. She didn't know if it was some sort of magic courtesy of the Rime Diamonds, but whatever it was, the three of them... |
"Did you reply yet?" Ron inquired, slouching back in the chair. |
"Nope," Pansy said holding up the mobile and shaking it back and forth twice. She wiggled her eyebrows as she said, "What should we say? This could be a fun opportunity to play matchmaker." |
Ron couldn't help but laugh at his wife's antics. Granted, Hermione's current predicament was no laughing matter and apparently neither was Loki's, but it felt good to relieve some of the tension. "I'll leave that up to you, love. No matter what, we're going to have hell to pay for breaking the Act. Harry won't approve... |
"You don't think he'll agree with us getting them back together?" Pansy asked as she fiddled with the texting app on her mobile. |
"Probably not. This entire ordeal terrified him more than he will even admit to me or Ginny. He thought she was dying this time," Ron said, frowning. "From what I heard, everyone at the Ministry thought they were going to die." |
"Well, from what Harry explained it was a rather horrific explosion of magic. Not unlike the one Loki displayed the day Gwyneira was born." Pansy sighed, remembering that day like it had just happened. "I'd never seen anything like it, to be honest. It was an amazing display of power." |
"I remember you telling me about that," Ron said solemnly. "The amount of power they can wield is mind boggling. I imagine that, together, they would be able to level an entire planet." |
"Well, you did say that Loki took Hermione's Star Magic and destroyed Fenrir all on his own, so I can only imagine what it would be like with them together." Shifting to get comfortable, Pansy huffed and lifted the phone for Ron to see. "Okay, I think I settled on a message to send to Jane. What do you think?" |
Ron caught the phone as Pansy once again tossed it his way. Giving his wife a curious stare, he lowered his gaze to the phone and began to read, "Hermione hospitalized for magical outburst and mental breakdown earlier today. Meant to be, those two. Going to speak to Potter about getting aid for Loki and perhaps even re... |
"True," Pansy said, smirking. "So, should I send that?" |
"I think it's okay, but what does star crossed lovers mean?" Ron inquired, scratching at the back of his head. "I swear I've heard it before." |
"Seriously? It's from Romeo and Juliet." A look of shock appeared on Pansy's face. "Shakespeare? He was that wizard who wrote all the famous plays and sonnets." When Ron continued to frown and shake his head, she sighed. "Did you pay attention in History of Magic, like, ever?" |
"Nope. Binns opened his ghostly mouth and I fell immediately to sleep," Ron said through a shit-eating grin. "If it wasn't for Hermione's meticulous notetaking skills, I never would have passed that class." |
"Seems like she saved your arse at school a multitude of time," Pansy replied, a small smile playing on her lips. She watched as her husband's cheer turned solemn, the memory of what their friend was currently going through settling heavy on his mind. |
"Yeah," he said, standing and coming over to sit next to his wife. "She saved me. I saved her. It's sort of our thing, you know? We still seem to be doing it, even now." |
Pansy carded her fingers lovingly through Ron's red hair. "I know, love." She nudged his arm with her elbow and then kissed his cheek. "We gave her our vow. Let's save her once more, shall we?" |
Smiling, Ron placed a kiss to Pansy's lips. "I love you," he told her, wrapping his arms around her. |
"I love you too, Ronald Weasley. Now hit that send button." Smirking, Pansy placed one hand on her pregnant belly as Ron sent the text to Jane. She had no idea how they were going to convince Harry to let the two worlds converge again, but they needed to try. And not just for Hermione, Loki, and Gwyneira. This was for ... |
Jane sat and stared at her computer screen in shock. She read the words in her email a second and then a third time before a slow smile crept onto her features. With trembling hands, she clicked the reply button and quickly typed out a reply before hitting send. Relief swept through her body and she sighed, getting up ... |
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