Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Prologue: Mistaken

A beautiful young woman sat alone on a bench. The wind tossed her dark red hair around her pale face creating the impression of a halo of flames. The dark and overcast weather seemed to reflect her melancholy mood. As if to encourage her dark mood a bolt of lightning struck off in the distance to herald a coming storm. She had good reason for her dark disposition. Several unfortunate events had occurred within a very short period of time. She had broken it off with her boyfriend of just a year. The war in the wizarding world was escalating. Her parents had been causalities in the war. And finally she had gotten in a fight with her older sister who had placed the blame of their parent's deaths on her shoulders.

She felt alone in the world with nothing, and no one to cling to. She didn't even have anywhere to go. Her sister had turned her away, she had graduated from her boarding school, and again she wasn't moving in with her boyfriend like they had planned. All her life she had felt a sense of being different. Of just not belonging. When she discovered she was a witch she thought she had finally found her place in the world. Magic was everything to her. She spent massive amounts of time learning all that she could. But she still felt like something was missing almost like she was forgetting something. She still felt like she didn't quite belong, and it wasn't just because of all the anti-muggleborn sentiment. This feeling was so much worse now that she was truly alone.

She'd had the dream again. A dream she always had when she was stressed or upset. In this dream she was someone else. A male someone. Someone who lived in a towering gold castle in a magical realm. Someone who was being punished and then cast out of the glittering, magical world. She never knew why she was being punished or who was punishing her. Unimaginable pain would wash through her after being sentence. She would be twisted and shrunk into a new shape, and it never failed to make her wake up in a cold sweat. She never saw faces in her dreams. But the dreams were so real. They felt more like memories of a past life than a dream.

"Do you need some assistance, my lady?" questioned a deep voice.

Startled, Lily looked up.

/

Thor did not know what to make of Midgard. It was very strange. The people were tiny, and they rode many strange mechanical beasts. Their cities were loud and disorganized. And sadly there was not a feast to be eaten or a beast to slain anywhere in sight. Thor hadn't wanted to come to Midgard. He would much rather be off on an adventure fighting with his friends, Sif and the Warriors Three. Nevertheless, he had asked Heimdall to send him here without his father's permission. He had come here to prove a point. They had been drinking after a hunt, and somehow the topic of Midgard had come up. Volstagg bemoaned what a horrible place it was and Thor had boasted that it couldn't really be all that bad. Somehow it ended with Fandral betting him that he could not last a fortnight on Midgard. Thor was nothing if not prideful and he had promptly set out to prove him wrong.

Now that he was actually here he wished he had taken the time to think things through a bit more. Heimdall had thoughtfully provided him with mortal clothing and some of their currency to aid him. It was a start at least and it would only be for a fortnight. Surely Thor could survive and blend into this strange world's customs for that long. He was the Mighty Thor after all, wielder of Mjolnir.

A loud honking noise like that of an angry goose suddenly sounded. Thor looked to see one of the mortal's metal beasts beside him. An angry man sat inside and was making angry gestures with his hands. Thor frowned unable to understand his words with him inside the metal contraption. Confused Thor walked away. He needed to find lodgings for the night and a place to buy some sustenance. Oh how he wished his brother were here. But he was off on some task or other of his father's. He had not seen him in several years. It wasn't a long time in the life of an Asgardian but it was longer than Thor and Loki had ever been apart.

Just as he was beginning to feel truly lost, he caught sight of a young woman sitting on a bench. She was breathtakingly beautiful with fiery dark red hair, the likes of which he had never seen before. The woman looked as lost as he himself did. Thor decided to approach her. Perhaps together they would not feel so lost and they would be able to change both their bad days.

"Do you need some assistance, my lady?" he greeted.

She looked up, her beautiful emerald green eyes wide as she looked up at him. She was even lovelier up close.

"My lady?" she questioned quirking a brow and smirking.

"Of course, one as lovely as you could be nothing less," Thor said sincerely.

She laughed and glanced away, blushing. "You actually mean that. You're even cornier than Potter."

"I do not know any potters. But would you perhaps like to accompany me for a meal?" Thor asked. "This is my first time visiting this area, and would love to have someone familiar with the area show me around."

"I'm not really in the right mood. I'm afraid I wouldn't be good company," she said softly.

"I disagree. I myself am feeling quite homesick but I believe it would be helpful to make a new friend," Thor smiled giving her hopeful look that never failed to work on his brother.

"Oh, all right. I guess it couldn't hurt. It's better than sitting on this bench until starts raining. Just stop with the puppy dog look, all right?"

Thor grinned and offered her his arm. "Let us find the nearest pub, and partake of some mead. Oh what is your name fair maiden?"

"Lily. Lily Evans."

"The Lovely Lily! I am very pleased to have met you. You have certainly brightened my day, and I will endeavor to do the same for you. I am Thor," Thor boomed.

"What have I gotten myself into?" Lily muttered under her breath.

/

But to her surprise Lily was soon proven wrong about Thor. Once she had gotten past his eccentricities she found he was quite a wonderful person. He was boisterous but kind. He reminded her a great deal of a golden retriever. Always happy and eager to please. But at the same time that seemingly gentle exterior hid a snarling beast that would bite those that they were threatening the ones they cared for.

Thor and Lily spent the next two weeks together. They met regularly to take walks and share meals. Lily felt like she had known Thor her whole life, and Thor felt the same. She had never felt so comfortable with someone, and for a while that sense of being alone seemed to disappear. But Thor was only visiting for just two weeks and then he had to return home. No matter how much they had grown to care for one another. Thor did impart the truth about himself being of Asgard to Lily, and she returned the favor by telling she was a witch. Thor and Lily made the most of their time together, and oh what a wonderful two weeks they had. Almost too wonderful for after Thor left Lily discovered that he had left something behind. Something that wouldn't come for another nine months.

Lily panicked. She feared what would happen if it was ever discovered that her child was the child of a god. A part of her wanted to run and hide but before she could, her ex-boyfriend came to check in on her. She confessed everything to him; he offered her a place to stay to help protect her child. Eventually their old romance rekindled and they got married. James gladly took her child as his own especially after hearing of who his father was. Wizards revered Asgardians and believed that their powers originated from them. James and Lily named him Harek James Potter. Harek was a name with norse origins, the name of kings to honor his biological father. James was for his wonderful adoptive father. And Potter was for the family he had been born into. But everyone simply called him Harry.

James and Lily rejoined the war effort to put a stop to those whose prejudices threatened to destroy them. Their future was looking up until a dark wizard targeted their son. They stood together and didn't believe revealing Harry's true parentage would change a thing. They sacrificed themselves when the dark wizard attacked. Both of them gave their lives for their child. Even if it wasn't really the end for Lily. She wasn't really Lily Potter nee Evans. She never had been. The Evans family never even had a second daughter they were just made to believe they did. It was all a lie. A lie crafted to be punishment for Odin's youngest son, the Trickster whose shape shifting had caused untold damage between Odin and other kingdoms. As punishment for Loki's transgressions, Odin had stripped Loki of his powers. He bound him in his female form, changing only the color of his hair and de-aging him into an infant. Odin placed him with a suitable family who would teach him the morals Odin himself had been unable to. When the time came Odin would restore his son's memories and hopefully Loki would have grown into the mature prince he knew he was capable of being.

Odin hadn't planned on Loki being able to retain some of his magic, or that he would get involved in a mortal war. Odin alone was alerted when Loki had been killed. No one else knew of his punishment, not even his wife who would not have approved of such manipulations but Odin was desperate to change Loki's ways. Not even Heimdall would be able to locate Loki after Odin had stripped of his powers and hidden away on Midgard. Odin had checked in on Loki from time to ensure that he was growing up well but when he was alerted to his peril he went straight down to Midgard himself. He found Loki's body beside an empty crib. Shock flowed through him at the realization that Loki had had a child who he had given his life for. Outside the house Odin could see a mortal man yelling at a half-giant who held a small wriggling bundle his arms. Finally the conversation ended with the half-giant taking the child away on a flying mortal contraption while the dark haired mortal stormed back towards the house.

Creating a duplicate body to leave for the wizards, Odin quickly returned with Loki to Asgard. Odin restored Loki's powers and thus restored Loki to life. For the mortal magic that felled him could not truly kill an immortal. The damage, however, from the mortal Killing Curse had caused Loki to lose his memories as Lily. He didn't remember a thing and Odin probably thought that was for the best. Odin knew Loki's child had survived, however, he believed the child to have a mortal father and thought it would be best to leave the child among other mortals. Besides, without his memories of his time as a mortal Loki was just as wayward as he had always been. Odin did not think he was fit to raise a child.

So little Harek James Potter (who wasn't really Harek James Potter) was left on Earth with his oh so caring mortal relatives. Forgotten by one parent and unknown to the other. It wouldn't be until Loki's fall from the Bifrost into the void beneath that he would regain his memories. When he did it would change everything.

Chapter Text

Loki watched the boy from the cover of the bushes. His newly acquired, not entirely willing servant, Agent Barton formerly of SHIELD, stood guard. He had brought Barton along because Loki couldn’t help but lose himself in watching, and he didn’t want any enemies sneaking up on him whilst vulnerable. Loki wanted to know everything about the boy because the boy was his son. The child from his forgotten time as Lily Evans Potter. And oh what a shock getting those memories back had been. Loki didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. On the one hand he had discovered that he had a wonderful little boy, and he had truly enjoyed his life as Lily so retrieving those memories had been wonderful. His parents had been good, caring people who had raised him with love. More than Odin had ever shown him. He had had friends, and at school he had been someone others had looked up to. On the other hand he now remembered that his beautiful child was also Thor’s child. It seemed the universe was conspiring against him.

Of course Thor just had to find him whilst he had been Lily Evans, and the two of them just had to get along. Even without his memories how could he have allowed such a thing to happen? The situation was utterly humiliating to think that he could have fallen for Thor. He didn’t have his memories at the time but how could he have found the buffoon charming? It left Loki feeling slightly sick to his stomach.

It was a double-edged sword for he loved his little boy but hated Thor with a passion, and hated the thought of sharing his son with him. For this reason he was going to make sure that no one ever found out about it. He could only imagine Thor and Odin’s horrified reactions were they ever to discover the truth. Odin would no doubt seek to take control of the boy while Thor… Loki wasn’t quite sure what Thor would do. Loki had to admit that Thor’s time on Midgard had changed the great oaf for the better. He was no longer quite so arrogant or brash. He was, however, still very much an idiot, and Loki didn’t want that idiocy affecting his son.

Loki had located Harry as soon as he was able to, and had been checking in on him as often as possible. He was well aware of Harry’s fame in the wizarding world, and what had caused it. Harry had of course survived the Killing Curse because he was an immortal. Loki as Lily had died from the curse because at the time his powers had been taken from him once his powers had been restored to him he had come back to life. Just as Thor had done after his run in with the Destroyer. If Harry hadn’t been Thor and Loki’s son his chance of survival would have vastly diminished for the children of mortals and immortals were mortals themselves. For that reason alone Loki was grateful that Harry was Thor’s son.

For the past two weeks he had simply watched over his son. As much as Loki wanted to, he didn’t dare approach his son. Not now, not while there were so many out there who were after him or wanted things from him. Once his position was secure he would came back for his son. He would take him far away from those insipid mortals, and ensure that the Dursleys were appropriately punished. But for now it would have to wait. The Other, and the Chitauri wanted him to move quickly in using the Tesseract to open a portal to allow their armies passage. Loki had managed to put them off for now, and buy himself some more time watching over his son and getting to know him.

Harry had just returned from Hogwarts for the summer. He had already gone through two years at Hogwarts, and Loki was saddened to realize that he had already missed so much of his son’s life. His Harek would be thirteen in just a month. The boy was already starting to have a more adult look to his features. When he was born he looked a great deal like Loki’s natural form with his black messy hair, and finer more aristocratic features. At the time Loki as Lily, and James weren’t certain where he had gotten the black hair from considering Thor was blonde and as Lily he had been red haired. Loki knew now of course. But at the time they were simply pleased because his dark hair served the purpose of making it more plausible that he was James’s son. The only thing that they had needed to hide was his eyes, which were a stormy blue just like Thor’s. This was easily hidden with a simple glamour charm something Lily had excelled at. Now he knew why. But now that Harry was getting older it was easier to see more of Thor in him in the shape of his jaw and brow. If you were looking for it. He was tall for his age but still slender with youth. Loki wondered absently if he would grow to have Thor’s more muscular build or Loki’s own leaner build.

Loki wanted nothing more than to approach his son. Day after day he watched as his son came to the park in the evening to simply sit alone on the swings. He knew during the day the Dursleys had him doing a ridiculous amount of chores. They treated his son worse than a slave, and it made Loki seethe with rage. He knew that Petunia had been jealous of him but he had never expected her to treat his son in such a vile manner. They would be appropriately rewarded once Loki had control of Midgard.

Loki was preparing to leave for the day when Petunia’s morbidly obese offspring and his gang of loyal followers walked into the park. This was Loki’s first up close look at the massive boy. Loki had always thought of Volstagg as the largest person he knew but Dudley Dursley far surpassed him. He was nearly as wide as he was tall, and resembled a pig so strongly that Loki nearly believed he had some latent shape shifting abilities. Loki really didn’t like the look in the rotund boy’s beady eyes as he caught sight of his son alone on the swings. It was the look of a perpetual tormentor and Loki loathed the look of panic on his son’s face as his eyes darted about for an escape route. It all spoke of years of bullying.

“Hey, Potty,” Dudley greeted.

“Go away, Dudley,” Harry sighed in defeat.

“I don’t think so think, Potter. This is our playground, you need to scram before I rearrange your face,” Dudley said.

“Why? So you can smoke?” Harry taunted. Loki felt pride that his son’s will wasn’t entirely broken by these idiots.

“It’s none of your business, Freak, now get lost before I make you. I’m on the boxing team now so I can beat your skinny arse even worse now,” Dudley boasted.

“You tell ‘em Big D,” a thin rat faced boy encouraged.

Loki wanted to wipe them all from existence. It would hardly take any effort on his part. He barely managed to restrain himself.

“I’m shaking in my boots, Dudley. But I think I can take you,” Harry muttered.

“You couldn’t lay a hand on me, Potty, not without you-know-what, and dad would kill you if you did and then you’d get expelled from your freak school,” Dudley taunted.

“I think you’ve forgotten, Dudley. I grew while I was at school. I could take you in a fight now,” Harry finally stood up from his swing. He was indeed taller than the pig masquerading as a boy. From the look on the pig’s face it was a fairly recent development, and he wasn’t used to Harry being the taller of the two of them.

Dudley’s pause was only momentary. Soon the rotund boy was taking a swing at Harry’s face. Harry was prepared and easily caught Dudley’s meaty fist. Dudley’s face turned red as he exerted as much pressure as he could to try and break free of Harry’s hold. But no matter how hard he tried Harry was able to hold him as if it were nothing.

Loki frowned. Harry shouldn’t have been exhibiting signs of his physical strength just yet. Along with the glamour on his eyes James and he had discovered a way to suppress his Asgardian abilities to better hide him from those that would seek to abuse his powers. The spell should have lasted at least until he came of age. But it seemed that it was beginning to weaken now. This could be because of the fact that Harry wasn’t really half Asgardian, half human as they had believed when casting the suppressing glamour. He was half Asgardian, half Jotunn making him fully immortal. The spell must not have been strong enough to subdue all of his abilities especially with him beginning to mature. Loki panicked. Harry believed himself to be the son of Lily and James Potter, two mortal magic users. The sudden increase in strength and power would no doubt terrify and confuse his son. Harry would need some sort of guidance before he inadvertently drew attention to himself.

Harry had dropped his cousin’s hand. The larger boy glared at Harry before motioning to his cronies. They surged up to shove Harry to the ground where Dudley landed a few harsh kicks to Harry’s side. His son could have fought them off. But Harry was intelligent enough to realize that one little display of strength was more than enough for one day. Anymore and it would become suspicious. It would draw far too much attention to himself if he was capable of fighting off an entire group of boys. Loki couldn’t stand by and watch his child being harmed. He was going to break his cover. Loki may regret it later but at this moment he did not care. He wanted to smite the little fools who dared lay their hands on his little boy but he would settle for scaring them away.

“Boys, is there a problem here?” he called in a smooth dark voice that promised pain as he stepped out into the park.

The bullies all shot panicked looks at Loki, terrified at being caught in the act, before running away like the cowards they were. The fat oaf made a valiant effort to keep up with the rest. It was only Loki’s centuries worth of control that kept him from giving chase so that he could strike down the great ball of lard. Loki turned his attention back to his son. Loki had faced countless terrors yet coming face to face with his son for the first time was somehow even more terrifying.

His son was dabbing at a small cut on his wrist. Taking a chance Loki leaned down.

“Here, allow me,” with a wave of Loki’s hand the cut was gone.

Harry gaped his fingers running over his healed skin in shock. “How did you do that?”

“Let me help you up and then I can explain,” Loki asked offering his son a hand.

Harry ignored it and pulled himself to his feet. It was a sure sign that his son was used to relying on himself. Loki could certainly relate.

“How did you do that?” Harry asked again staring at him suspiciously.

Harry took a few steps back and watched Loki warily. Feeling irrationally hurt, Loki drew back his hand. A part of him knew he shouldn’t feel hurt. He was a virtual stranger to Harry. Of course he would pull away from a strange man who had just performed unfamiliar magic on him without his consent. No matter how much he rationalized it, it still hurt. He hated being a stranger to his son. Harry was truly the only thing he had in his life. The only thing that truly mattered. He certainly wanted his revenge against Odin for manipulating his life, and ruling Midgard would be a great start. But what good was revenge if he didn’t have his son?

“Magic,” Loki finally replied.

A small amount of tension left Harry. “You’re a wizard?”

“Not quite, but I am practitioner of magic,” Loki explained.

“I don’t understand. You can do magic but you’re not a wizard? And you didn’t use a wand or say a spell to heal me,” Harry frowned.

“I think you’ll find that the world is a much larger and diverse place than even the wizarding world is aware of. There are whole other worlds out there beyond the stars, entire other races capable of performing what you know as magic in ways you never thought possible, Harry,” Loki said purposely using his son’s name to force a reaction from him.

“Worlds? Wait, how do you know my name?” Harry demanded, once more on guard. Loki was proud that he had caught the slip.

“I mean you no harm. I simply would like to tell you a story, Harry. The story of Loki, God of Mischief and Magic and how he became Lily Potter,” Loki replied, steadily holding his son’s gaze.

“Is this some sort of joke? Who are you!?” Harry cried.

“I am Loki, formerly of Asgard, and once I was Lily Potter,” Loki stated calmly.

“You’re mad, is what you are,” Harry declared backing away slowly.

“Harry wait, let me explain. Your strength and speed has increased, even your senses, and durability. I can tell you why,” Loki persuaded.

Harry paused, and looked on with cautious interest. His need for answers was warring with his natural wariness of strangers.

“It is because you are my son, and I am a god. Please, just allow me to explain. Afterwards if you wish you may leave. But simply give the chance to tell you the truth,” Loki requested knowing that he had caught Harry’s attention.

“Talk,” Harry demanded.

Loki did, and for once in his life he was completely honest. The conversation lasted far longer than either of them expected, and the two of them migrated to sit on the benches. Harry had become less wary in his presence. He was still slightly on guard but he had unwillingly become engaged by Loki’s tale.

“Wow,” Harry murmured once Loki finally finished explaining everything. Harry had of course wanted to know all about the nine realms and Loki had created a magical diorama of Yggdrasil, the Tree of Life to show him. He had told him all about the various races, and about Loki’s own place in it all.

“Yes, it is quite a lot to take in,” Loki agreed.

“I’m not saying I believe you about the being my mum thing. But all of the other stuff is amazing. I mean there are whole other worlds out there with all sorts of magical creatures and people. Although it really shouldn’t be all that surprising considering all of the things I’ve seen in the magical world,” Harry eyes were wide with delight.

“I can prove to you that I am… for lack of better word, your mother,” Loki said.

“How can you do that?” Harry questioned.

“There are several methods. The easiest, however, is to go straight to Gringotts to have a lineage test completed as I’m sure you would trust the results that they would give us. We can go now if you wish. I will have you back before Petunia ever notices you are gone,” Loki signaled to Barton that he could take off. He was confident that SHIELD wouldn’t sneak up on him while he was in the wizarding world.

“I’m not going anywhere with you,” Harry said.

“How about a more public mode of transportation?” Loki changed his clothing and Harry’s to wizarding robes, and let out a shot of his magic to call their ride.

“What did you just—” Harry was cut off by the arrival of the Knight Bus.

The door to bright purple triple-decker bus swung open for Loki and Harry to board. Loki loathed the thought of taking the Knight Bus but if it would get Harry to trust him than he was all for it.

“Welcome to the Knight Bus the only mode of emergency public transportation for stranded or displaced wizards. Just stick your wand hand out, step on broad, and we can take you anywhere you want to go. I’m Stan Shunpike and I’ll be your conductor this fine Sunday afternoon. Where to gentlemen?” asked the young wizard who greeted them jovially at the door. He wore a purple uniform, and had large ears with a face full of pimples. It was a different person from when Loki had taken the bus as Lily. The little old man who sat behind the wheel with the thick glasses, however, was still the same. Well, his glasses looked even thicker now.

“Diagon Alley,” Loki replied with forced cheerfulness.

“That’ll be eleven Sickles apiece. Unless you’d like yourself an ‘ot chocolate then it’d be firteen?” Stan offered with a grin.

Loki summoned the appropriate amount of coins and handed them to the conductor.

“‘Ot chocolate it is then, find yourselves a seat and ‘old on tight. We’ll ‘ave ya to your destination in no time,” Stan waved them in.

Loki led Harry to one of the sofa chairs, and made sure he was appropriately settled in. The chairs were sturdier than the beds they put out during the night run. Loki placed a holding spell on Harry just to be safe. He remembered just how wild a ride the Knight Bus could be. Harry was too busy looking around the interior of the bus with wide eyes so Loki accepted the cups of hot chocolates Stan offered them. Once Harry had pulled his eyes off the décor Loki handed him his cup. Harry gratefully took a gulp.

“All right, take ‘er away, Ern,” Stan called.

The older man mumbled something before the bus shot off with a loud bang. Harry gave a quiet exclamation of surprise as they were slammed back into their seats. His eyes darted out the window to see that they were already passing through busy intersections, slipping between cars, and flying along sidewalks.

“How aren’t the muggles noticing?” Harry gasped.

“I think you’ll find that mortals don’t often notice things outside their own little lives,” Loki replied trying to keep himself looking as dignified as possible while being whipped around on the Knight Bus.

“What are your names?” Stan asked conversationally.

“I’m Lucas and this is my son Evan. We’re on our way to do some shopping. But I’m afraid Evan isn’t particularly fond of apparating thus the need the Knight Bus,” Loki smiled.

“Can’t say I blame ‘im. Never passed my own test. It’s a pretty awful way to get about,” Stan said just as they took a jolting turn that caused some of Harry’s hot chocolate to spill.

“Are you all right?” Loki asked in concern.

“Fine,” Harry assured him.

“I think it’d be safer to finish that until after we arrive safely at our destination,” Loki took the hot chocolate from him to prevent further chances of being burned.

Harry shot him an odd look. Belatedly Loki realized he sounded like an overprotective mother hen especially considering his son was an immortal. A bit of hot chocolate wasn’t going to kill him. Nevertheless Loki found himself holding the cups faraway from his son. Thankfully no one was there to witness his worrisome behavior.

Loki was thankful when they finally arrived at the Leaky Cauldron. He’d had enough of the Knight Bus and hoped that he never had to ride on it again. Loki led the way into the Leaky Cauldron. He cut through the crowd quickly. Loki didn’t want to take the chance of anyone recognizing Harry. For this reason he also employed a repelling charm as well as quick movements. The two of them arrived at Gringotts completely unimpeded.

Upon entering Gringotts Loki went straight to the teller and asked to see Ragnok. The goblin frowned at the demanding request until he sensed Loki’s power. Goblins were intelligent creatures, and knew of the other realms. They also had a sixth sense for recognizing the powerful and wealthy so of course the creature recognized that there was something more to Loki.

The goblin teller brought them to a private office to meet with the head goblin of the bank, Ragnok.

“Prince Loki or shall I call you Mrs. Potter?” Ragnok questioned his shrewd beady eyes fixed on Loki.

“Loki will be fine,” he said giving the goblin a tight smile. Loki wondered just how the little beast had figured it out. He had given a sample of his blood when he had married James so that he would have complete access to the Potter vaults. Although, he had been stripped of his powers at the time it did not change his blood. He was still a Jotunn at his core, and the goblins must have known the truth all along.

“What brings you to Gringotts, Loki, and… guest?” the goblin looked between the two of them, amusement in its dark eyes.

“A genealogy test,” Loki replied.

“A genealogy test for you and Mr….”

“Potter,” Harry answered.

“Harek Potter, so nice to finally meet you,” Ragnok’s gaze swept over Harry in an assessing manner. Harry squirmed uncomfortably. Loki fought the urge to shield him from the goblin’s gaze.

“Yes, well, we would like this to be cleared up as soon as possible. So if you would be so kind,” Loki requested returning the goblin’s attention to himself.

“Would you like a complete genealogy test for Mr. Potter or are you looking for just a paternity—I apologize— maternity test?” questioned Ragnok.

“Careful, goblin, you are testing my patience,” Loki warned in a low dangerous voice.

The goblin looked slightly contrite. The creature recognized the power Loki wielded and that Loki could destroy him if he so chose, “My apologies Prince Loki.”

Loki nodded his acceptance of the apology and glanced at Harry to see if he had an opinion on the type of test he wanted to take. Loki wasn’t too keen on the idea of the complete test. He didn’t want Harry to find out about Thor. The look on Harry’s face was one of confusion, and uncertainty. This was a lot for Harry to take in all at once. Loki’s presence was very sudden, and he was bringing up information that was quite unbelievable and unreal. Ragnok had also addressed him as Mrs. Potter that had to throw some doubt into his beliefs.

“What’s the difference between the two?” Harry asked.

“A complete genealogy test would provide you with a list of your genetic ancestors for the past ten generations. While the paternity test would be to determine a familial connection between two people,” Ragnok informed him promptly.

“Can you do both of them?” Ragnok nodded. “What do I have to do?”

Loki was feeling a little panicked. He didn’t want Harry to know the truth about his father. But if he stopped him from taking the test he wanted to take then he would undoubtedly think he was hiding something, which he was. However, knowing the truth about his origins would just complicate matters. Then again, Harry would need to know eventually. Perhaps just getting everything all out in the open at once would be preferable. He didn’t want to lie about Harry’s origins as Odin had lied to him. It would only cause mistrust and hatred to build between the two of them.

“A drop of your blood, Mr. Potter, on the parchment is all that is required to complete the genealogy test. It can take a couple of minutes to complete so it is best if you do that first. And a drop of blood from both of you in this bowl will sufficiently complete the paternity test. If the blood in the bowl turns black there is no connection. If it turns white there is a close familial connection specifically that of a parent and child,” Ragnok handed both Harry and Loki thin golden knives with ornate symbols. He placed a piece of the specially crafted, goblin made parchment and a glass bowl in front of both of them.

Harry gently pricked his finger, and allowed a drop of blood to fall on the parchment and then a drop into the bowl. Loki placed a drop of his own blood into the bowl. They all watched with baited breath as the blood in the bowl swirled together to become a pure snow white.

“It’s all true. You really are one of my parents,” Harry breathed in shocked awe.

“Yes, I was once Lily Potter. I’m your mother,” Loki smiled encouragingly, enjoying the cautious look of happiness on Harry’s face.

“I don’t know what to think about this. My mum is alive and she’s…I mean you are a god. That means I’m half god. I guess it explains a lot of what’s been happening to me,” Harry muttered.

“Well, you’re not—”

“The second test has just completed itself,” Ragnok inserted motioning to the parchment.

Both of their gazes instantly locked on to the parchment. Loki easily located Harry’s name down on the bottom of the parchment. From there it was simple to follow the lines that branched off from it to the two names that sat directly above it. He knew when Harry had done the same for the boy gave a slight gasp of denial, and abruptly sat back in his chair. All of the blood drained from his face and his gaze darted to Loki’s.

“Is this true?” Harry questioned desperately.

“Yes,” Loki replied simply.

“Payment?” Ragnok reminded.

Loki flashed a dark glare at the goblin and dropped the appropriate amount of coins onto the desk.

The clever little creature grinned as he snatched them up. “It was a pleasure doing business with a Prince of Asgard.”

“I’m sure. Good day,” Loki nodded curtly and climbed to his feet.

Loki guided the stunned Harry from the bank. The dazed boy still clutched the parchment in his hand, and Loki carefully removed it from his grip lest anyone else catch sight of what was written on it. Loki moved them quickly down Diagon Alley. He wanted to get Harry to a place where the two of them could speak in private. The revelation had caused Harry to slip into a state of shock, and Loki wanted a quiet place to calm him down and explain everything. Knowing he would find no such place in the alley Loki decided to bring them both back to the empty park. Harry was in no position to argue making it easier to teleport them both.

“Harry,” Loki gently touched his shoulder. The boy didn’t respond. Loki placed both hands on his shoulders and turned Harry to face him.

“Neither of my parents are who I thought they were,” Harry still refused to look directly at him but at least he had finally spoken.

“No, they’re not but this doesn’t change who you are. You’re still the same Harry you were when you woke up this morning. I know how challenging this can be. You are not who believed yourself to be. Your heritage is not what you thought. I myself went through such a revelation when I discovered Odin and Frigga were not my parents. I have come to realize since then that my blood does not change who I am. However, I care for you a great deal and wish to be a part of your life. I never would have kept my true identity from you if the choice had been mine. But unfortunately it wasn’t. For twenty years I was unaware of who I truly was, and as I explained it has only been recently that I regained my memories of my time as Lily. I came for you as soon as I remembered. I wish I had been given the chance to raise you,” Loki pleaded.

“I understand that you’re my mother, well as much as anyone can understand that their mum is really a Norse God who got turned into a woman by their adopted father as a very strange and severe punishment. What I don’t understand is that my father isn’t James. It says on my family tree that my parents are Loki Laufeyson and Thor Odinson. You are Loki, you were Lily but now you’re back to being your true self. You are my mum and no one knew that you were a Norse God in disguise, not even you, so that makes sense. But why is my father listed as Thor Odinson when everyone believes that James Potter is my father?” Harry stared at Loki accusingly.

“It’s not what you think. Yes, Thor is your father but James was well aware of that fact. James and I were not in a relationship at the time I met Thor. However, after Thor returned to Asgard, and I realized I was pregnant James come to me offering me a place to stay. I never intended to rekindle our relationship that wouldn’t have been fair to him when I was carrying another man’s child. But James didn’t care; he was kind, and understanding. He wanted to be your father, and I cared for him. We decided to get married, and raise you together. James and I knew Thor was an Asgardian. We thought you would be a demi-god because at the time I believed myself to be a mortal witch. If the Death Eaters discovered you they would have certainly come after you. Wizards revere Asgardians even though only the older families still hold to the belief that we exist. They would have wanted to take and raise you to accept their own ideals. We wanted to protect you from that in any way that we could, and so James proclaimed that you were his biological son. No one knew any differently, only his best friend and your godfather knew the truth,” Loki explained softly. He regretted Sirius’s fate. Once he had completed his mission he would get Sirius out of Azkaban.

“So Thor is from Asgard, too?”

Loki nodded. Harry’s brow was creased with a slight frown.

“He’s the God of Thunder, right? He’s a prince, and the goblin called you a prince. Wait… aren’t you brothers?” the blood had once more drained from Harry’s face and he looked truly distressed.

“No, we’re not,” Loki insisted pulling out the parchment with Harry’s genealogy on it. “Remember what I told you? Odin and his wife Frigga adopted me. Thor is their biological child as you can see on your family tree. My biological parents are Jotunns. My father Laufey was their king and my mother is Farbauti. Thor and I share no blood so you need not worry.”

“But you were raised together,” Harry pointed out.

“Yes, we were. But at the time of your conception we were unaware of one another’s identities. I did not have my memories of my past, and Thor was unaware that I had been turned into a woman. If we had been aware then I assure you, you would have never have been born. It was truly happenstance that Thor and I would end up finding one another. Perhaps it was the norns that arranged our meeting, ensuring that you were born. Mayhaps you have a great destiny ahead of you,” Loki cajoled.

“Just what I need.” Harry shrugged, and looked away.

“I know this is a lot for you to take in. It is a very strange situation. I admit even I have trouble wrapping my mind around it. It is almost too fantastical to contemplate.”

“I’m not human,” Harry said with sudden realization. “I’m not even half human.”

“And that is the reason you are growing stronger and faster. James and I placed a glamour on you that changed the color of your eyes and suppressed your Asgardian abilities to better hide you from Voldemort’s followers. But of course we did realize that you were not just half Asgardian. You are half Asgardian, half Jotunn. It is for this reason that I believe the glamour is breaking down quicker than it should have, and you are gaining the strength and power of an immortal. You immortality is the reason you survived the Killing Curse. The children of mortals and the Aesir are mortal as well and therefore you should have never survived it.”

“What color are my eyes?” Harry wanted to know. Loki knew how distressing it could be to wake up and discover that the image you looked at in the mirror everyday was not your true appearance.

“Your eyes are the same as Thor’s own stormy blue-gray,” Loki replied.

“What’s he like? Thor?” Harry asked tentatively.

Loki couldn’t blame Harry for being curious about his father. It didn’t mean that Loki wanted to talk about him. However, Loki wouldn’t speak ill of Thor in front of Harry. No matter how much he hated Thor at the moment he wouldn’t color Harry’s opinion of him. It wouldn’t be fair to his son. At the moment Harry was timidly pleased to discover that both his parents were really alive. Loki didn’t want to crush him by revealing just how poor his and Thor’s relationship was. He didn’t want Harry thinking poorly of himself.

“He is very brave, and at times brash. Thor has a good heart. He cares for others, and is very determined to protect the ones he cares for,” Loki made sure to hide away any trace of his discomfort at saying such kind things about Thor.

Harry was silent as he mulled over Loki’s words.

“So you’re both princes?” Harry asked looking a little unnerved.

“Yes, Odin is the King of Asgard. Thor as his only biological child is heir. Laufey was King of Jotunheim but he is dead. His oldest son Helblindi is his rightful heir so I hold no claim to either throne,” Loki said disparagingly.

“I don’t have any claim to the throne of Asgard, do I?” Harry asked nervously.

Loki couldn’t help but note the differences between them. Harry looked utterly terrified about the prospect of being in line for the throne while Loki wanted nothing more than his chance to rule, to prove himself to Odin that he was capable of ruling. But Loki had been raised expecting that one day he might rule. Harry had never even entertained the possibility that he might have a claim to the throne.

“You were born out of wedlock. The only way you would come into the direct line of succession is if Thor were to acknowledge you and proclaim you his heir,” Loki explained. There was a very large possibility of this happening considering Thor’s infatuation with the mortal woman Jane. The two of them would only ever have mortal children, and a mortal could never take the throne of Asgard. Loki’s son would be the only one left to inherit.

“Do you think he would? Claim me, if he knew about me?” Harry questioned. Loki understood what he was really asking.

“Thor would be pleased to have a son. Once he got over the shock of it all he would be proud to claim you as his child and heir,” Loki assured Harry and it was the truth. Thor would love Harry even if Loki was his mother.

“So he wouldn’t mind?” Harry persisted. His eyes were carefully averted, attempting to appear as if he didn’t care what the answer would be. Loki knew differently. He knew how important it was to boys to make their fathers’ proud.

“No, he would delight in having a son to teach and share things with. He is very much still a child himself so I’m sure you would enjoy your time spent together,” Loki said already envious of imagined bonding moments between Thor and Harry. He could see Thor dragging Harry off on quests and endangering his life without realizing that he was in fact endangering his life. The man had never been around children and wouldn’t understand that he couldn’t haul his young son off to fight dragons in Vanaheim.

“Right, so what happens now?” Harry was looking around the park, taking note of his surroundings for the first time.

“I have some things that I need to take care of. It shouldn’t take long and I will try my best to visit in between. But afterwards I would like you to come live with me. We can be a family,” Loki hoped he was hiding just how much he truly wanted that.

A cautious look of hope entered Harry’s eyes. His son was as desperate as he was to have a real family.

“I don’t want to leave you with Petunia and her husband but unfortunately I have no other choice at the moment. You are treated well besides the obvious fact that they are horrible, loathsome people to live with?” Loki questioned.

“It’s nothing I’m not used to,” Harry shrugged.

“That does not give me confidence in your treatment,” Loki frowned. He’d already risked a great deal revealing himself to Harry, and he couldn’t imagine taking him with him at this time. The Other and SHIELD would discover him, and seek to use him against Loki. But if Harry wasn’t safe with the Dursleys then he would try and make other arrangements for him. If worse came to worse he would reveal himself to them and threaten them with his wrath.

“They’re fine. They leave me alone as long as I leave them alone,” Harry replied. “Well, Dudley’s annoying.” 

“I myself was teased as a child. There’s nothing better than putting a bully in their place,” Loki commented.

“Yeah, true. But Dudley isn’t worth it.”

“You must never let them see how much you hurt,” Loki said firmly.

“I know and it doesn’t bother me anymore,” Harry told him and Loki believed him. His son was strong, and forgiving in a way that Loki never would be. “I really have to head back. It’s gotten late and even the Dursleys will be wondering where I am by now. But will I see you again?”

“Of course, I will be back, Harry. I am so glad to have gotten the chance to speak with you, and to reveal the truth to you. I want nothing more than to spend more time with you,” Loki assured.

“Right, well, bye for now then,” Harry smiled

“Till next me meet,” Loki smiled back.

Harry turned to leave. Loki’s eyes followed him until he made it safely home. Loki wished for nothing more than to take his child with him. After being separated for so long it was painful to just let him walk out of his life again. He would be having words with Dumbledore about his son’s placement as soon as he’d finished taking over the world.

Chapter Text

A month had come and gone since Harry had found out the truth of his origins. It was still taking quite a bit of time for the knowledge to properly settle in his brain. Loki had come to see him at least twice a week since their initial meeting. Each time had been surprisingly wonderful. Their conversations flowed easily between the two of them, and Harry found himself telling Loki all about his life. It was nice to have someone who was interested, who listened to him without judgment just concern. Loki in turn told him about his life as Lily Potter, and a few stories from his life in Asgard. Harry had questioned him a few times about what he was doing on Earth, and long it would be until Harry could come and live with him but Loki somehow always managed to steer the conversation onto another topic.

However, Harry was willing to overlook his avoidance. He was simply glad for the chance to get to know his mother, and yes as strange as it sounded Harry found himself thinking of the god as his mother. Loki had assured him that he was more than welcome to think of Loki as his mother. It was who he was after all. The god was a shape shifter, and though he spent most of his time as a male he still spent some of his time as a female, and Harry referring to him as his mother didn't bother him in the slightest. Loki had other children and was in fact the mother of another child. Harry's half brother Sleipnir was an eight-legged horse, and Odin's stead. It was strange to think that he had a brother out there, and even stranger to think that he was a horse. A very smart and magical horse but a horse nonetheless. Loki had told him a little bit about his other siblings as well, and even hinted that they he would take Harry to meet one of them soon. All in all Loki was a surprisingly adept and concerned parent.

It was hard not to think of Loki as such when the god was so nurturing and caring towards him. It was an affection that Harry had always craved for himself. All of his life he had seen the way Petunia had treated Dudley, and at times it was nauseating to witness while other times left him feeling hollow. Harry had craved having someone there to comfort him after his own nightmares or soothe his scraped knees. Loki wasn't nearly as bad as Petunia in the overly affectionate department. His gentle concern and encouragement was more than Harry had ever hoped for, and Harry basked in every bit of his attention. It was like a dream come true for Harry. He had his mother back. She wasn't quite a she or a human. But he was still the same person who had given birth to him, the same person who had been willing to sacrifice his life for Harry.

Harry even had a father somewhere out there. Loki had, somewhat reluctantly, said that after he had completed his task he would find a way for Harry to meet Thor. If he was so inclined. Harry found himself wanting to meet Thor. But he wasn't sure if he wanted to do it anytime soon. He wanted to take the time and get to know his mother a little better first before taking the leap in meeting his father. No matter how many times Loki assured him Harry wasn't certain that Thor would be happy about having an unknown son. The matter would be further complicated when Thor discovered that his child was also the child of his adopted brother from when he had unknowingly engaged in a relationship. It was certainly going to be a very awkward family reunion.

For now Harry was more than happy to just keep things between Loki and himself. It was simpler that way. Loki seemed more than a little relieved when Harry had told him this. He had to have been just as reluctant to confront his brother with the truth. Harry could only imagine how uncomfortable their interactions would be once the truth came out.

As it was, Harry and Loki were enjoying the chance to get to know one another. Over the past month Loki had been teaching him how to control his Asgardian magic. It was very different from magic done with wands. Loki had assured him that even though Harry was not a wizard he would still be able to perform the magic of wizards. But now that the truth of his origins was out Harry would be capable of learning magic that was far beyond skills of the average witch or wizard. Harry excelled at these lessons. The magic Loki taught him came to him so much more naturally than anything he had learned so far in Hogwarts. It was even better that this form of magic was undetectable by the Ministry of Magic so he was able to do magic to his heart's content. It was a huge help in getting the Dursleys to leave him alone.

Today, a month after their first meeting, it was Harry's thirteenth birthday. He had received a bunch of letters and parcels from his friends, which he had eagerly gone through. Of course the Dursleys didn't even acknowledge it, and left the house to go off to do whatever it was they normally did. This suited Harry fine because he much rather preferred having the house to himself on his birthday even if it meant he still had to do his chores. However, Harry was shocked to suddenly find Loki in the living room looking at the pictures on the wall.

"Loki?" Harry exclaimed in surprise.

The god looked exhausted with deep, dark circles under his eyes. A large smile spread across his face the moment he saw Harry, chasing away some of the worn look to his features.

"Happy Birthday, Harry," Loki greeted with a large smile.

Harry flushed and he couldn't help but smile back. He wasn't used to anyone wishing him a happy birthday. Hagrid had actually been the first person to ever do so.

"Thank you. But what are you doing here?" Harry couldn't help but be surprised that Loki had appeared in the middle of the Dursley's living room.

"I have a wonderful birthday lunch prepared for the two of us," Loki informed him a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Harry felt excitement surge through him. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see," Loki grinned, a familiar mischievous glint in his emerald eyes.

Before Harry could beg Loki to tell him, the god had stepped forward and pulled him close so that he could teleport the two of them.

In the next instance Harry and Loki were standing on a large cliff face over looking the ocean. Harry gasped as he looked out over the crashing waves, and stared down at the jagged rocks littered in the water. The sun was bright and glittering across the dark water.

"Why did you bring us here?" Harry questioned. It was a beautiful spot but there had to be a greater significance to it for Loki to bring them here.

"Someone else wanted to celebrate your birthday," Loki teased with a huge smile.

Harry frowned and was about to ask just who else Loki could have invited to have lunch with them. Before he could the ocean began to churn. For a moment Harry thought that maybe it was an oncoming storm. But there weren't any storm clouds. Besides, something was beginning to rise from the water. Harry's jaw dropped open as a massive serpentine head rose from the waves. The long tapered muzzle was full of long sharp teeth, and its head was crowned with spiked ridges. Smaller curved spikes continued their way down the goliath creature's spine. The gargantuan serpent's scales were a surprisingly beautiful mix of reds, oranges, browns, and gold, and it glittered like fire in the sunlight. Its massive eyes, which contained a slit pupil, were a familiar shade of emerald green. Harry had thought the fifty-foot basilisk was the biggest snake he would ever have the misfortune to come across but this sea serpent easily dwarfed the basilisk. It was like comparing a worm to a boa constrictor.

"Harek allow me to introduce you to your elder brother, Jormungandr. Jor meet your little brother Harry," Loki introduced with a pleased smile as the serpent came to rest its massive head on the edge of the cliff.

"Hello, little brother," the serpent, Jormungandr, greeted in a surprisingly soft, silky voice that was quite similar to Loki's own. "Father hasn't been able to stop talking about you since he got his memories back. It is a pleasure to finally meet you."

"You too," Harry managed to squeak out, utterly stunned, and more than a little intimidated in the face of the massive sea snake and said snake's mouthful of razor sharp teeth.

Jormungandr laughed, causing the earth to shake a little bit. "You have nothing to fear from me, little brother. We are both the sons of Loki, and therefore we share a close bond. We must because we are hated and feared by all others. No one else will look out for us so we must look after one another."

"Jormungandr," Loki frowned.

"I only speak the truth, father. Harek will need to hear it eventually. Asgard fears us because we are monsters in their eyes, and the children of Loki were prophesized to bring about Ragnarok," Jormungandr replied shifting in the water and causing massive waves to surge up.

"Ragnarok?" Harry questioned.

"The end of all things, little brother, or an apocalypse type of thing if you will, it is a more well known term. Odin feared so much that he had us hunted down and imprisoned. He tossed me into Midgard's oceans and bound me to them. I cannot leave the water unless I leave my magic behind. Of course I made out better than Fenris who was chained to a rock for all eternity. At least I have the freedom of the ocean. Then Sleipnir has been reduced to nothing more than Odin's steed. Yes, the children of Loki are destined to suffer horrible fates," Jormungandr spat with obvious hatred.

"Let us speak of more pleasant things, shall we? It is Harry's birthday after all," Loki sent a reproving look Jormungandr's way. Harry could see the sorrow in Loki's at the mention of his other children's fate.

Surprisingly the giant serpent looked appropriately chastised by Loki's stern words. "I do not mean to spoil your birthday by speaking of such things, Harry. But sometimes I cannot help but be bitter by our fate especially when we did nothing to deserve such imprisonment except for being born differently."

"It's all right, I understand. It's got to be pretty awful being locked away. Besides I'd like to know more about you and my other siblings," Harry really did understand about being locked away. Maybe not to the extent that Jormungandr or Fenris were but he had been kept in a cupboard under the stairs for nearly ten years of his life.

"Well, that is something we can speak of. Although, I have not seen my other siblings in several centuries I can tell you what I remember of our childhood," Jormungandr offered.

Harry had done some reading on Norse myths after finding out about Loki. But Loki had told him that most of what the myths said were inaccurate so he hadn't paid that close attention to them. When Loki said that he had siblings Harry had assumed that the myths about his siblings being giant monsters were one of those things that the myths had gotten wrong. After all it just seemed too fantastical to contemplate that his siblings were a giant snake, a giant wolf, an eight-legged horse, and the goddess of the dead. But it looked like the myths were right as Jormungandr began to tell him about their other siblings.

Fenris and Jormungandr all shared the same mother. She had been a sorceress giantess by the name of Angrboda. She had passed away during Loki to raise their two young children. However, Loki had not been allowed to raise them for long. After a prophecy was made where Loki's children would be responsible for starting Ragnarok they were hunted down and imprisoned. Loki hadn't been able to stop it. Harry couldn't help but feel sorry for his older siblings. They had been young when they had been hunted, and they had barely gotten a chance to live.

"It seems my children are fated to have their lives disrupted by prophecies," said Loki angrily.

"Was a prophecy made for Harry, too?" Jormungandr questioned.

"Yes."

"What? There was a prophecy about me?" Harry gasped not expecting the answer.

"It was a Midgardian prophecy. So I am uncertain to just how true its words are, and the prophecy never mentioned you specifically. However, at the time James and I had no choice but to take the prophecy seriously especially since Voldemort believed the prophecy to be true."

"The prophecy was about Voldemort? Is that why he came after us?" Harry demanded in shock.

"It was. The prophecy stated that a child would be born at the end of July to parents who had thrice defied him, and that child would be the one to defeat him. There was nothing more that Voldemort valued than his own life. So he acted quickly to remove the threat against his life. Voldemort came to the conclusion that there were only two children who fit this description yourself and Neville Longbottom. Both of our families went into hiding. But for whatever reason Voldemort chose to come after us that night," Loki explained.

"But James Potter isn't my biological father so does that mean I'm not really the one the prophecy spoke of?" Harry questioned.

"That is one of the reasons that I don't believe the prophecy to be a true one. You don't really fit the requirements of the prophecy because of your paternity but neither does Neville Longbottom simply for the fact that the prophecy stated 'the dark lord would mark him as his equal'. So unless Voldemort suddenly marks Neville. I don't see how the prophecy could possibly be true."

"I think all prophecies are a load of shit. After all I'm supposed to devour Thor and destroy Midgard. Thor may not be my favorite person but I honestly can't see myself wanting to eat him, and I rather like Midgard after all of the years I've spent here. Fenris eating Odin might be a little closer to truth considering he's the one who imprisoned us," Jormungandr stated dryly.

"I have to agree with you, Jor, about the prophecies. From now on we will ignore all prophecies. We will not allow them to dictate our lives. Agreed?" Loki smiled.

Jormungandr and Harry both agreed. Although, Harry had more questions for Loki about exactly what happened with the Voldemort. Harry deserved to know more about the man who had already tried to do away with him three times. But it was his birthday and he was spending the day with his mother and his brother, and Harry didn't want to think about Voldemort anymore than he had to.

Loki and he had already had a long conversation about Voldemort, and his continued existence. Loki was slightly perplexed on how the dark wizard was still alive. He had been enraged to discover that the man had come after Harry again, and then intrigued when Harry had recounted the tale about the diary Riddle. He'd gotten a calculating look in his eyes, and refused to say any more about the subject no matter how much Harry pestered him. Loki insisted that he would tell Harry about his idea once he had concrete proof. Unfortunately, he wouldn't be able to get that proof until after he finished task he was currently working on.

While Loki momentarily disappeared to grab Harry's presents, Jormungandr started to tell him some more stories about Fenris and Sleipnir. However, it was a bit awkward to continue speaking because Harry had to constantly tilt his head back.

"Here, I will come on land so we can speak better with one another," Jormungandr offered.

"You can come on land? I thought that you were imprisoned in the water," Harry asked in surprise.

"I can leave the ocean but I have to leave my magic behind. I would be forced to take my weaker form since it is my shape shifting powers that sustains this form," Jormungandr replied.

"Wait, so you aren't really a giant snake?" Harry asked in confusion.

"Of course not. We are all just gifted with a strong shape shifting ability. Unlike Father, however, Fenris and I are only capable of shifting into one alternate form. But because of the strength of our power our other forms are powerful and gigantic," Jormungandr explained.

"So you can leave the ocean whenever you want?" Jormungandr nodded. "So why don't you?"

"I like my magic. It is a part of who I am. It is very unpleasant to have it stripped from me even it does allow me a bit of freedom to travel across Midgard," Jormungandr replied.

"I suppose I didn't think of it like that," Harry murmured. "I wouldn't like to have my magic stripped from me either. It's a part of who I am."

Magic had been the reason he'd gotten away from the Dursleys. It was a part of who he was, and being suddenly stripped of it would be horrible.

"Yes, but at least I still have my physical strength when out of the water. So I'm not completely helpless if I have to go on land," Jormungandr said flashing a toothy grin.

Harry shuddered and was very thankful that Jormungandr was his brother. Meeting the world serpent in any other context would definitely be terrifying. Jormungandr then proceeded to shock Harry further by shifting into a human form. Watching his massive shape fold itself into the tall lanky form of a young man was very disconcerting.

Harry could only stare at his brother's human form in utter amazement unable to process that he was the same being as the giant sea serpent. Jormungandr had fiery, dark red wavy hair that was actually very similar in color to Loki's when he had been Lily. His skin was the same pale cream as Loki's but while Loki's skin was flawless Jormungandr bore a scattering of golden brown freckles across his face and arms. Nowhere near to the extent of a Weasley of course, but there were enough to notice. Jormungandr's eyes were the same deep emerald as before but lacked his slit pupil. He looked similar in appearance to Loki but he had a longer face, fuller lips and a longer nose. He was also a little taller than Loki with a thinner, leaner build.

A huge, mischievous grin flashed over Jormungandr's features as Harry continued to gape at him.

"What do you think of my human form, little brother?" Jormungandr threw his long arms out to the side, and did a little twirl.

"We sort of look alike, well except our hair color," Harry offered.

In all honesty Jormungandr sort of reminded him of the Weasley twins. They had the same devious glint in their eyes as if they were about to cause trouble at any moment.

"Yes, there is no denying our parentage. Although, I believe your other parent is making himself known in your features," Jormungandr said knowingly.

"I look like Thor?" Harry questioned timidly.

Jormungandr flashed a small indulgent smile. "You do share several similar features with him if I remember correctly."

"It's strange to think that I have two fathers," Harry admitted.

"No stranger than having a horse for a father," Jormungandr snorted.

Harry's nose wrinkled, and Jormungandr laughed at his expression of discomfort.

"I don't want to think about any of our conceptions," Harry stated firmly.

Jormungandr just continued to chuckle at Harry's expense. "Oh little brother. Still so young and innocent. When you've lived for a few centuries everything will stop phasing you."

"Centuries," Harry murmured. "I don't think I've really accepted that I'm going to live for centuries."

"Even longer than that," Jormungandr said, a look of gentle understanding in his eyes.

"I'm going to outlive everyone I know. Everyone at Hogwarts," Harry whispered.

"Oh Harry, it seems I keep bringing up dark subjects on your birthday. I do not want you to dwell on such thoughts. You will have to come to term with them eventually. Such is our fate as immortals. My time on Midgard has made me well aware of these facts. But never forget that your family will always be here for you."

Jormungandr then threw his arms around Harry and swung him around in a tight hug. Surprised, Harry gave a laugh causing Jormungandr to spin him around some more. It was hard to brood about how he was going to outlast all of his friends when his older brother was spinning him around so fast it was making his head spin.

"Now, how would you like to learn a little trick that you can play on Father, hmm?" Jormungandr asked with a sly grin as he finally set a slightly dizzy Harry back on his feet.

Harry gave him an eager grin, and leaned in closer. Ron was constantly complaining about having older brothers but Harry was thrilled to have met Jormungandr, and that he seemed to be as eager as he was to have a relationship with him.

Jormungandr gave him a whole list of pranks that he could pull on Loki, and ones that he could pull when he went back to Hogwarts. Harry was normally too busy to think about pranks but Jormungandr insisted that he uphold his trickster heritage, and at least pull one of the pranks in the coming school year.

He then turned to telling Harry stories about their other siblings. Narfi and Vali were the twin sons of Loki's ex-wife Sigyn. Narfi and Vali suffered an unfortunate accident while they were young. Jormungandr wasn't sure exactly what had happened because by that time he had already been thrown into the ocean, and Loki, who was his only source of information on Asgard, refused to talk about it. Either way Narfi and Vali perished, and that started all of the rumors in Asgard about Loki's children being cursed because of his own misdeeds. Sigyn ended up separating herself from Loki in her grief over their children's deaths, and Loki had sworn to never have any more children.

He had kept his promise to himself until he had been punished and lost his memories, and unknowingly had Harry.

Their conversation about their other siblings had been cut short when Loki returned bearing Harry's birthday presents and a birthday cake. The three of them relaxed in the rock chairs Loki transfigured to eat their slices. Jormungandr then proceeded to quickly eat the rest of the cake when Loki's back was turned. Harry couldn't help but laugh at the glare Loki shot at Jormungandr when he realized what had happened. Who knew giant snakes liked cake?

After cake Loki brought Harry's attention back to the presents he had brought with him. Harry was shocked and pleased by the gifts that Loki had presented him with. Loki had gotten him several new outfits that he could wear in place of Dudley's castoffs, a book on Asgardian history and culture, a beautiful dagger that Loki promised to teach him how to use, and finally a woven leather bracelet with a jade stone set in it. The bracelet held several protections in it, and as long as Harry wore it Loki would be alerted to when Harry was in danger.

"I have given you the wristband because I am uncertain when the next time I will be able to visit you will be. I am nearly finished with my task, and soon we will be able to be a family once more," Loki informed him as he helped Harry tie the bracelet securely to his wrist with a little bit of magic. "The wristband will also allow you to contact Jormungandr in the event of an emergency."

"And I'll come running as fast as I can. It might be a little slow considering I won't have my magic, and have to come all the way from the sea. But I'll do my best," Jormungandr swore.

Soon after that Loki and Harry said their goodbyes to Jormungandr with promises to visit again as soon as Loki had finished with his task. Apparently Loki's task would not only free Harry from the Dursleys but his plans also included breaking the enchantment that kept Jormungandr locked away in the sea. It would also see their other siblings freed. Jormungandr was practically giddy at the thought of being reunited with his other siblings. Harry also couldn't help but look forward to having his other siblings free, and getting the chance to meet them face to face. He and Jormungandr had gotten along really well. Harry couldn't wait to see what his other siblings were like.

Two weeks had passed since Harry's birthday. Two weeks without hearing anything from Loki, and he couldn't help but be worried about him. Loki hadn't looked good the last time he had seen him. He had tried to hide it from him but Harry had seen the dark circles under his eyes, and his increasingly pale complexion was definitely not good. Harry knew Loki was as close to immortal as one could get but he had looked sick. It made Harry wonder what was possibly powerful enough to make him so weak.

What made matters worse was that Vernon's sister Marge had come to stay with them. She was a truly awful woman who bred bulldogs. She had brought her prized dog, Ripper, with her. Harry hated Ripper and Ripper hated him. The beastly dog used to bite and chase Harry when he was younger, much to the encouragement of the Dursleys.

Now, however, Ripper wouldn't even come near him anymore. Not after his first attempt at biting him. The dog had bitten into Harry's ankle as soon as he came through the door but had yelped when he nearly broke off a tooth against Harry's much tougher skin. It was a huge contrast to even a month and half prior when Harry had cut his hand when Dudley and his friends had attacked him in the park.

It was proof that he was changing, and growing stronger by the day. It was nice to have gotten stronger but it was a constant reminder to Harry that he wasn't human. Loki had explained that the glamour would probably break down completely by the end of the summer, and that his Asgardian blood would be coming into full effect. Soon he would possess the full powers he had always been meant to have. It was so strange for Harry to contemplate. A part of him recognized that both of his parents were gods. It was so much stranger to think of himself in the same context. He was just Harry well Harek technically. But the Dursleys had always insisted to anyone who would listen that his name was Harry. Harek was far too abnormal for the Dursleys to handle.

It was so hard to imagine that he was nearly immortal, and that he was, for all intents and purposes, a god too. Harry wasn't sure if he would ever come to truly see himself in such a manner. Well, at least it meant that he didn't share any blood with the Dursleys.

Harry had kept himself mostly out of the way during Marge's visit. It was made easier with the Dursley's newly discovered wariness of him. Harry had performed a few tricks that Loki had taught him to get them to leave him completely alone. Since then they had left Harry to his own devices, not making him do any chores or anything. However, one morning when he ventured down to get breakfast he found the Dursleys all sitting around the tellie. It wasn't an uncommon sight to see them all around it so Harry continued into the kitchen to make himself breakfast. It was only when he was heading back up to his room to eat that he realized something was wrong.

"Just what is this world coming to?" Vernon demanded in an angry voice. "We've got all kinds of freaks flying around, and now there are even aliens attacking us."

That caught Harry's attention; it was just too crazy a statement for him not to find out what they were going on about. "Did you just say aliens?"

The Dursleys, save Dudley whose gaze stayed locked on the tellie, all looked over at him as he stepped into the living room.

"Where have you been, boy? Lazing about no doubt while the world's been attacked by aliens," Vernon barked.

"The world's gone utterly mad," Marge agreed as she took a swig from her glass of wine. No one even bothered to stop her even though it was still early morning.

"Aliens?" Harry questioned.

Before meeting Loki that statement might have had him laughing at the absurdity of it, and believing that the Dursleys had finally lost it. But Loki had told him all about the Nine Realms, and how there were even worlds beyond that. He knew because Loki had seen them for himself, and he had promised to show them to Harry some day. The universe was a huge place with all sorts of different people and creatures out there. Harry should know considering his mother was actually the God of Mischief, and he'd met his brother the giant sea serpent. Harry just didn't think aliens would ever come to Earth.

"Yes, now shut up and watch the tellie if you want to learn something. The rest of us would like to know what happened without you interrupting," Petunia snapped.

Silently all of their gazes returned to the news broadcast. Harry gaped in amazement at what they were reporting. Yesterday aliens had attacked New York City, leveling nearly half of it. A portal had been opened on the roof of Stark Tower, and an alien army had poured through into the city. A group of extraordinary people had worked together to stop these invaders, and in the end they had triumphed over them. The aliens had been destroyed and the world was saved.

The news was still trying to piece together everything that had happened but they did have some video footage of what had happened, and they played them continuously on almost every channel. It was the biggest story in the world. There were six heroes that were listed as being responsible for saving the city and by extension the world. They were calling themselves the Avengers.

Harry had heard of Iron Man or Tony Stark before. Who hadn't? He was often in the news for something or other, and Dudley was obsessed with him because he was rich and girls loved him. Harry also knew Captain America, he had learned about him in primary school. The Black Widow, Hawkeye, and the Hulk were unfamiliar to Harry. But the last member of the group was both familiar and foreign to him.

Harry closely studied all the videos and pictures of Thor that flashed across the screen. It was utterly strange for Harry to consider that the muscular man in the silver and blue armor, and long red cape was his biological father. The God of Thunder was nearly the exact opposite of Loki in every way. Loki was tall but lean with inky black hair, pale skin, and emerald green eyes. Thor was tall as well, taller even. But where Loki was lean, Thor was broad and muscular with long blonde hair and a well-trimmed beard. His skin was a golden tan, and his eyes were blue. The same electric blue as Harry's own would soon become. Or at least that's what Loki had claimed their color to be. The pictures on the tellie made it difficult to tell if Loki had told him the truth or not.

Harry didn't get long to ponder about his father being on Earth because the news program switched to the perpetrator of the attack. The shock of seeing Loki riding around with the aliens, and fighting with Thor was enough to send Harry scrambling back up to his room unable to continue watching. Loki was the reason behind the attack. He'd tried to take over the world. He'd kept this knowledge from Harry and it hurt. Why had Loki done this? Why was he fighting Thor? There had been footage of the two of them fighting on Stark Tower. It wasn't close up or very clear but it was good enough to see that Loki had stabbed Thor in the side only for Thor to retaliate and slam him into the ground. Before Thor could attack again, Loki had rolled off the side of the building only to be caught by an alien craft.

Loki had only told him stories from their childhood, and from them Harry assumed that they had been close. He never once mentioned what their relationship was like now. Harry had been too enraptured by the idea of both his parents being alive that he didn't really think about what their relationship might be. Never once did he imagine that their relationship would have been this bad. While fighting they had looked as if they had wanted to kill one another. Harry wasn't sure what to do with this information. Everything was far too confusing. Harry had been really starting to trust Loki, and this attack made him second-guess his feelings towards Loki. Only time would tell just what Loki's true motives were.

Chapter Text

The next week passed with a constant stream of news articles and TV programs all talking about the invasion of New York. Harry was perhaps the one person in the world who was tired of hearing about it. Everyone else couldn't shut up about it. Hermione had sent him a letter gushing all about it but Harry couldn't find it within him to bother responding. Ron was in Egypt so Harry wondered if the redhead even knew about the attack. Even other news like an escaped mass murderer was over shadowed by speculations about the Avengers.

Most people hailed them as heroes while some thought they should pay for the destruction, and be brought up on charges. However, everyone seemed to be in agreement that Loki was at fault, and they wanted to see him punished for his crimes. He'd led an attack in Germany that had killed 80 people, and that's not counting the many others who had perished from opening a portal to let an alien army attack Earth. Harry just couldn't get a handle on his emotions or how he felt about what Loki had done. It was hard to reconcile the caring person he had been with him to the evil villain that had been responsible for destroying half of New York.

The only good thing about all of this was that the Dursleys and Marge were all distracted, which meant that so far none of them had noticed that Harry's eyes had finally turned blue, and that he no longer wore his glasses. Although, to be honest, Harry wasn't sure they would have noticed anyway.

Harry had been spending a lot of his time in the park to avoid hearing more about the Avengers and the attack. It was also the first place he had met Loki, and the place where they had continued to meet over the month and half of their acquaintance. A part of him almost hoped that Loki would show up and declare that it had all been some big misunderstanding. It would figure that Harry would get his parents back only for that parent to turn out to be an evil mastermind.

He was tempted to call Jormungandr. Maybe his brother would know more about what had happened with Loki, and why he had done this. But he was hesitant because it wasn't really an emergency.

It was while he was sitting on a swing in the park that a familiar face entered the park. Not the familiar face he had been hoping for. Harry watched with trepidation as a man with short dark blonde hair approached him. He had only seen him a few times from a distance when Loki had visited him. When he asked Loki had waved off his question by giving him a brief explanation that the man was a friend. To be honest Harry hadn't given him a lot of thought. He'd been too focused on getting to know Loki, and learning his new form of magic to care too much about him. Had this man been in on the plot to take over the Earth as well?

"Hello," the man greeted as he came to a stop beside Harry's swing.

"Hi," Harry replied uncertainly.

"I'm Clint, I don't think your dad ever introduced the two of us properly," he stuck out his hand to Harry.

Harry didn't return the gesture. Uncertain about what this man wanted. Loki had been imprisoned, and was slated to be brought back to Asgard for punishment. Why would his associate want to speak to Harry? He knew he was Loki's son at the very least. "I'm Harry. Are you here because of my… er dad?"

Clint withdrew his hand his open friendly expression hardening. "So you are Loki's kid."

"What?" Harry frowned.

"I wasn't sure. My memories were fuzzy but you look like him and he came to visit you so often. And then of course you just confirmed it," Clint said eyeing him critically.

"Wait, what do you mean your memories were fuzzy? You didn't know who I was? I thought Loki said you were his friend?" Harry was growing wary about just what this man's intentions were.

Clint snorted. "Oh, we're definitely not friends. You could say I was more of an unwilling minion thanks to his mind control mojo."

Harry tensed on his swing and prepared to flee. Was this man out for revenge against Loki, and decided to use Harry to get it? But something suddenly clicked in Harry's mind. He recognized this man from somewhere else.

Clint bore a striking resemblance to Hawkeye, the archer in the Avengers. There weren't many close ups of the man's face because he wasn't highlighted as often as say Iron Man or Thor were but Harry was certain that it was him.

"What do you want? Why are you here?" Harry questioned.

"I need you to come with me," Clint stated firmly.

"Why?" Harry couldn't help but be curious. From the news the Avengers were the good guys. Would they want to prosecute him just because Loki was the bad guy in this situation? Did they think he'd known something about the attack?

"We don't want to hurt you, we just want to ask you some questions, kid," Clint assured.

"Whose we?"

"You're a paranoid little shit, aren't you?" Clint questioned with a chuckle.

"Just being careful especially considering you just admitted to hating Loki," Harry replied.

"Smart. We, is the Avengers and SHIELD. The Avengers you've probably heard about unless you've been living under a rock the past week. While SHIELD is an organization that protects the world from strange anomalies like the little stunt your old man pulled. We want to know how much you know about Loki, what your relationship is with him, and why he came to visit you so often. We already know the relationship part but we'd like to know the how you came to be part," Clint said.

"Do I have a choice?" Harry asked.

"Not really. This is us asking nicely. If you cooperate we'll return you home after we're through, if not… well I think you've seen the power we've got backing us," Clint hinted.

"Fine, I'll go," Harry agreed.

Loki hadn't been able to defeat the Avengers with an entire alien army. Harry certainly wouldn't be up to the task all on his own. He could fight but he would still end up being dragged away anyway. Besides Harry might be able to learn some valuable information that just might help him understand just what Loki had done. He could call for Jormungandr. But then again calling his brother would just bring him to the attention of the Avengers and these SHIELD people, and without his magic his brother was a lot more vulnerable. Not as weak as a normal human but he certainly wouldn't be able to stand up to all the Avengers just like Loki hadn't been able to.

"Great, we'll just inform your guardians that you'll be gone for a little while," Clint said.

"Don't bother, I doubt they'll even notice I'm gone," Harry said with a roll of his eyes.

Clint frowned but shrugged. "All right if you insist, follow me kid."

Taking a deep breath Harry did just that. Clint led him to a nondescript black SUV with several people in suits and sunglasses waiting inside. Harry was forced to sit in the middle between Clint and one of the other men. This man wasn't wearing a suit, instead he wore a brown leather jacket, and he was looking straight ahead so that Harry could only glimpse his strong jaw and chin. There was complete silence in the car as they started driving.

"Where are we going exactly?" Harry asked.

"To a secure SHIELD base," Clint answered curtly.

Harry decided Clint wasn't really interested in having a conversation with him, and so he kept his mouth shut. They stopped the SUV when they reached a runway, and a waiting jet. Nerves consumed Harry. He'd never even seen a jet in person before, let alone ridden in one. He couldn't believe he was about to just hop in one and take off to parts unknown. But then again how was this any different from the time he had just gone off with Hagrid to Diagon Alley? At least he'd seen Clint before and knew that the man belonged to a group who was dedicated to protecting the world.

Clint and the man on the other side of Harry were the only ones who got out of the SUV. Harry got a closer look at the other man's face and realized he recognized him. It was Steve Rogers, Captain America himself. Harry didn't quite know what to make of such an escort. The Captain kept sending quick glances in Harry's direction as if he was a bomb that was about to go off. The two Avengers escorted Harry onto the jet. Clint helped Harry put on his safety straps before sitting down beside him. One of the pilots also had a familiar face. It was the only female member of the Avengers, the Black Widow.

They were really taking this seriously, and Harry couldn't help but feel like some sort of dangerous criminal. It was worse than the whole Heir of Slytherin experience last year.

Again there was silence in the jet as they flew to their location. Harry fidgeted nervously in his seat and wondered what was going to happen when they got to their destination. Would Thor be there? Would Loki? Harry wasn't sure if he was ready to see either of them especially together. What would the wizarding world do once they realized he had gone off with SHIELD? Unless he made it back before they even noticed he was gone. That would certainly be the best scenario. Of course how was he going to face them all once school started knowing what he now did about himself?

"We're here, kid," Clint said waving a hand in front of his face to snap him out of his thoughts.

Harry was so distracted he hadn't even noticed, and he stood without thinking. The jet's safety belts snapped and ripped off him as if they were tissue paper. He had forgotten to unhook the belts, and they weren't able to withstand Harry's newly developed strength.

"Oops, I'm sorry," Harry flushed as he fumbled with the broken belt straps. He tried to put them back together but ended up making a bigger mess of things.

Clint, the Captain, and the Black Widow were left staring at him with varying expressions of surprise and amusement.

"It's fine, just leave it," the Black Widow commanded before striding out of the jet.

"Right, okay," Harry dropped them in the seat and followed.

Captain America and Clint fell in at his sides once more. It was only when they got outside that Harry realized that they hadn't landed somewhere on the ground. The base they had arrived at was some sort of huge hovercraft that flew high up in the clouds. There were four great turbine fans ensuring that the massive station stayed aloft.

It was utterly incredible that such a massive ship was able to stay in the air without the aid of some type of magic. Harry's head was swiveling back and forth as he worked to catch sight of all the activity on the large aerial runway. All of the workers on the runway stopped to watch as the four of them passed, and Harry couldn't help but feel like they were staring at him.

The three Avengers ushered him into the interior of the base awing Harry further by the sheer size of the flying craft. He hadn't even known that muggles were capable of such feats. After walking through a maze of corridors the four of them entered a secure conference room.

There were six other people waiting for them. A tall black man dressed in all black leather with an eye-patch stood in front of the others giving Harry a hard piercing stare. Behind him sitting at a table Harry recognized Tony Stark himself sitting and whispering with a curly haired man with glasses wearing a yellow shirt. A woman with dark hair and a blue form-fitting suit stood off to the side of the eye-patch man. On his other side was a giant blonde man Harry knew only too well. Harry's anxiety ratcheted up several notches at being in the same room as his father for the first time.

Harry's gaze was soon pulled from Thor to the person in the glass cell in the very back of the room. His hands were chained to the floor and the lower half of his face was covered in a black muzzle. It killed Harry to see Loki shackled like that. What was more, there were cuts and bruises that lined his face, and he looked a little worse for wear. Despite the fact that Loki had gotten himself into this situation Harry still wanted nothing more than to go and free him. Loki's eyes widened when he saw Harry enter with the other Avengers, and clear panic was written all over his face before he managed to conceal it away. The look of panic was not lost to others in the room either.

Harry hadn't realized he had taken a step towards Loki until a hand was placed on his shoulder. He looked up to see Captain America looking back at him. His blue eyes were kind but held a warning.

"So you're Loki's offspring?" the man with eye-patch drawled.

Harry's gaze snapped back to him. He was clearly the one in charge of this operation.

"Yes," Harry replied proudly. Loki may have tried to take over the world but it didn't stop the fact that he had given his life for Harry's.

"I can see it," the eye-patch man said disparagingly.

"Who are you?" Harry demanded.

"Nick Fury, Director of SHIELD. Who are you?" Director Fury countered.

"Harek Potter," Harry said.

"Harek? As if it wasn't bad enough that Reindeer Games over there was your father. You get stuck with a name like that, yeesh. What were you thinking giving the poor kid a name like that?" Tony Stark questioned throwing a smirk Loki's way that had Loki glaring back.

"Stark," Fury snapped.

"What?" Tony flashed an innocent smirk.

"I really don't need your input on this matter, Stark," Fury snapped.

"What do you want from me? Why did you bring me here?" Harry asked bringing the attention back towards him. He was on his own here, and he needed to step up and speak up for himself. There were so many instances that he had allowed others to speak for him. There was no time like the present to learn how to stand on his own two feet now that he was here without anyone else to help him.

"We need to ask you some questions, Harek, before we can let you go home. So why don't you take a seat. Make yourself comfortable," Fury waved him towards the round conference table with the chairs. Tony patted the chair beside him in welcome.

Harry stayed where he was. He didn't like the way this man was just ordering him around, and if there was one thing Harry was good at it was disobeying orders.

"Kid, this isn't a game, and I really don't think you want me to make you sit," Fury warned.

Harry felt a helpless rage settle within him as he stiffly seated himself across from Tony with a direct view of Loki. Loki's emerald green eyes caught his blue. They were just as warm and full of caring as they had always been. Harry felt a sense of warmth and safety flow over him even now, knowing just how dangerous Loki was. It reminded him of the pictures he had treasured of his mum. The face may have been different but the eyes were still the same warm, loving emerald green. He was the same person who had stood in front of Voldemort and given his life for Harry's.

Harry turned to glare at Fury, waiting for him to start asking whatever questions he had to ask. He would have to pick his battles carefully, and whether or not he sat down was a rather minor one. He was willing to follow along for the moment.

"That's better. Now, first and foremost how do you exist? Thor here told us that Loki hasn't been on Earth in centuries. So you're existence should be impossible," Fury stated.

Harry's gaze flicked to Loki's. He gave a minute nod of his head. Harry found himself repeating the bizarre story that Loki had told him. However, Harry kept Thor's and the wizarding world's involvement out of it. He wasn't about to reveal his true parentage to a room full of strangers. Thor didn't deserve to find out that way, and Harry wasn't ready to deal with it quite yet. Harry didn't mention the wizarding world in fear that he might be breaking the wizard Statute of Secrecy.

Of course considering the company he was in, he couldn't be sure if they already knew about them. He substituted Voldemort for terrorists and made sure they knew what a big sacrifice Loki had made for Harry. Although, at this point he wasn't really quite sure why he was defending Loki.

When he was finished everyone was staring at him in stunned silence.

Tony Stark was the one to break that silence as he burst into a fit of chuckles. "Let me get this straight, Mr. Kneel Before Me is actually Mrs. Kneel Before Me?"

Loki sent Tony a death glare. The billionaire didn't seem at all phased by it.

"Not exactly…" Harry trailed off uncomfortably.

"My brother is a shape shifter, which includes changing his gender. Such tricks often got him in a great deal trouble with Father. It is very possible that Loki is his mother. He would be the second child that Loki has given birth to," Thor cut in.

"Wait, are you talking about the Norse Myth about the eight legged horse?" questioned the man in the yellow shirt and glasses.

Thor nodded, and Harry perked up. Jormungandr had told him quite a bit about their brothers. But he was always eager to hear more. Even if they were considered monsters in mythology, and to Asgardians they were still Harry's siblings and Loki's children. It had been obvious to Harry that Loki loved all his children a great deal, and hated that he had allowed them to be taken from him. Loki said he wanted to change that, and rebuild his relationships with his children. Harry had been interested as well. He'd always wanted a family and he now had a large, pre-made one waiting for him.

"His name is Sleipnir. He is Loki's oldest child," Thor explained.

"But he's a horse," Tony stated blankly.

"Yes, but an intelligent one. On par with any mortal or Aesir. He has eight legs and is the fastest steed in the nine realms," Thor agreed.

"But he's a horse and his father was horse and Rock of Ages gave birth to him?" Tony stated incredulously.

"As I said my brother is an adept shape shifter. He is capable of taking female form or the forms of animals, and sometimes both. He took the form of a mare to lure away Svadilfari, a stallion who was being used by a giant to help him trick Asgard, and it had unforeseen consequences," Thor stated looking regretful at remembering the occurrence.

"Just when you thought the world couldn't any weirder," Clint muttered.

"Whose your father then?" Fury cried in exasperation.

Harry glanced to Loki in a panic. He definitely hadn't inherited Loki's penchant for lying. In fact he was terrible at it, and had a good idea that this man would sniff him out in a moment. Loki's gaze was beseeching. Harry knew that he didn't want Thor to find out. Considering the terrible state of their relationship Harry could understand. Harry couldn't help but want to protect Loki, and if he wanted to keep it a secret Harry supposed he could try and go along with it.

"James Potter," Harry answered hoping he sounded a little bit convincing. It should be considering the fact that he had believed it was the truth for most of his life.

They seemed to take in this information without any skepticism. Or at least not anything that Harry noticed.

"Were you aware of the impending alien invasion?" Fury demanded his gaze practically burning a hole through him.

"No," Harry said firmly staring him in the eyes…Er eye.

Again the man seemed to believe him, and accepted his answer. After that it was a blur of questions about where he had grown up, how long he had known about Loki, and a lot questions revolved around what sorts of abilities he possessed. Harry refused to speak about his abilities partly because he didn't quite know himself, and because it wasn't any of their business. Fury didn't like it but in this matter Harry refused to budge.

The magic lessons with Loki were never brought up either. The last thing he needed was them knowing that Loki had been training him in magic. He reasoned that keeping his abilities a secret would allow him a measure of surprise should he need to escape at some point. He saw no reason to lie about the Dursleys or about how long he had known Loki. Once he was through Fury demanded he be taken for a physical examination.

"Why? I answered your questions, can't I just go back to my relatives now?" Harry glared at the Director.

"We must make sure that you are healthy, nephew. The children of immortals and mortals can sometimes experience complications. I would take you back to Asgard to have you checked but Loki has insisted that you remain on Midgard, and I will try to respect his wishes in this regard. My friends are going to do their best to check and ensure that nothing is wrong," Thor explained gently.

"I'm fine. I've survived this long," Harry replied nervously. It was strange for him to realize this was the first time his biological father had ever spoken to him, and he didn't even realize it.

If they did check him over, Harry was fairly certain that they would be capable of figuring out that he was lying. After all he wasn't half human, and Harry figured that it would be pretty obvious if they did any blood tests. What if they found out that Thor was really his biological father? That was a situation that Harry wasn't sure he was ready to deal with just yet.

"It's just a check up, kid, we aren't going to experiment on you. Your uncle here wouldn't dare let us no matter how much the SHIELD's council of elders would love to get their hands on you," Tony pointed out causing Loki to look even more furious than before, and maybe just a tad bit frightened. His green gaze flickered to Thor.

"No one will touch my nephew," Thor rumbled. Loki's tense frame visibly relaxed, trusting Thor's word to keep Harry safe. Harry couldn't help but feel a little thrill that Thor was so willing to protect him even without knowing just how close their connection actually was.

Harry knew that avoiding this check up wouldn't be an option. Just as coming here hadn't been an option.

"Fine," Harry sighed in defeat. "But if I do this I want to be able to talk to my mother after."

Tony giggled. Everyone stared at him. The man in the yellow shirt gave a long-suffering sigh, and took his glasses off so he could pinch the bridge of his nose.

"What? Okay, I'm sorry. I just can't help it. Loki is a mother. He's a mother."

"So we've heard. Repeatedly," the dark haired woman said dryly.

Harry turned his gaze to Fury. The two of them stared at one another, neither of them willing to back down.

"Fine," the director snapped. He looked extraordinarily displeased. It reminded him a bit of the way that Snape looked at him so it didn't really bother him that much. Harry was immune to those sorts of looks.

The man in the glasses and yellow shirt stood. "I'm Dr. Bruce Banner, I'm going to be the one to give you your check up. It's nice to meet you, Harek."

"Nice to meet you too, Dr. Banner," Harry replied standing up as well and realizing that he was nearly as tall as the man.

Harry felt instantly at ease with the doctor. Dr. Banner exuded a center of calm that Harry had never sensed from anyone else before. Dr. Banner was friendly and chatted with him about nonsensical things as he led Harry over to the side of the room where a little examination table had been set up.

"We're just going to do a quick check up. Height, weight nothing you wouldn't do on a normal visit to the doctor's. We're also going to take a small sample of blood to analyze further, okay?"

"Okay," Harry agreed. They were doing this to try and make sure that Harry was healthy because most half humans weren't. The only way to stop them was to admit to not being half human. Either way it would reveal the truth. At least with them taking a blood sample it would delay the inevitable a bit longer.

"All right first things first, step right up on the scale," Dr. Banner indicated the industrial sized one on the floor.

Harry had never actually been to the doctor's before, and so the process of the examination was new to him. Harry watched as the numbers of the scale continued to rise past what he knew should have been acceptable for someone of his height, and lean build. He knew that not even Dudley weighed that much despite his impressive girth.

"You're about 5'9", and you weigh 468 pounds," Dr. Banner informed him looking a bit dumfounded. "Wait, Thor can you come over here for a second?"

The large blonde walked over, and Dr. Banner asked him to step on the scale.

"Okay, well that makes a little more sense. Thor is about 6'6" and he weighs 642 pounds," Dr. Banner announced.

"You need to lay off the pop tarts big guy," Tony joked.

Thor looked confused and saddened by the thought of not being able to eat pop tarts.

"Asgardians must be physically denser, which would account for their greater durability, and physical strength," Dr. Banner theorized. "I wouldn't have expected Harek to have inherited that much of an Asgardian durability."

"Loki is a Jotun, perhaps that is why? They are larger and physically stronger creatures," Thor explained.

"That would make sense. We'll look into it more, later. For now let's just continue with the exam." Dr. Banner suggested and proceeded to check his ears, throat, blood pressure, heart, lungs, and various reflexes.

Finally he produced a needle, a needle made of a newly discovered metal. It was one of the strongest metals on Earth, and was capable of breaking the skin of an Asgardian. Harry watched as the needle pierced his skin and withdrew a small vial of his blood.

"Thank you, Harek, you did a great job. I wish all of my patients were as easy to work with as you. We'll just run this through a couple of tests, and then we'll go from there. Maybe we'll do an MRI and a full body scan later on to check for any abnormalities in your organs or skeletal structure," Dr. Banner assured him. He wiped off the small pinprick of blood that had formed and moved to place a plaster on it. But the small hole had already sealed itself shut.

"Accelerated healing," Dr. Banner mumbled and made a note of it on his chart. Harry could hardly be bothered to notice. He was too focused on the upcoming confrontation with Loki.

"Can I speak to Loki now? Alone?" Harry requested.

"You can't be alone with him. I wasn't born yesterday, and though you didn't have any part in the attack it doesn't mean you wouldn't help him out now. We're not going to risk you letting him escape," Fury replied firmly.

"I will remain in the room to ensure that nothing happens, and so that Harek has some measure of privacy in speaking with Loki," Thor offered.

"Fine, but if his ass gets out," Fury warned pointing a finger at Loki. "It's on your head."

"Of course," Thor agreed easily.

Fury sighed. "Get over here, kid." Fury motioned him towards the cage door.

Harry eagerly walked to his side. Everyone else reluctantly filed out of the room. Fury hit a button on the panel by the door and pulled out a key from his pocket. He placed the key in the lock and turned it. The glass door slid open. Harry stepped inside and was about to ask how they were supposed to talk to one another when Loki still had his mask on. In the next instance Fury hit another button, and the mask popped off; although, his hands remained chained to the floor. After another glare for both Thor and Loki, Fury strode from the room.

"Harry," Loki said smiling softly.

"You lied to me," Harry accused. His sense of betrayal was even stronger now that he was standing face to face to Loki.

A pained expression flickered across his features. "I did not lie to you."

"No, but you weren't completely honest with me either. How are you any better than Voldemort? What you did was worse than what he did. You tried to take over the world. People died because of you. You made me care about you, and think that we would be a family. And all this time you were planning to conquer the world," Harry cried his grief pouring out of him without him being able to stop it.

"Harry," Loki said sounding truly desolate. He took a step towards him only to be brought up short by his chained hands. "If I could I would tell you everything but I cannot."

"Why not? Give me one good reason why you can't be honest with me?" Harry demanded.

"I've been bound to keep my silence," Loki said looking a bit pained as he spoke the words.

"What do you mean bound? Who bound you?" Thor interrupted. He'd slowly moved closer to the cell despite his promise to give them space.

Loki threw him a dark glare. "What part of bound to silence is difficult for you to understand? I can't tell you."

"This would mean that there is another controlling you, and that you are not responsible for your actions," Thor enthused.

"No one controls me," Loki snarled.

"Then why can't you speak, Loki? Who keeps you silent?" Thor demanded.

Loki just glared. He turned back to Harry. "What happened in New York doesn't change anything in regards to my feelings for you. You're my son and I love you. What I did was only in an effort to protect you, and your brothers. All of our time spent together was real. Never for a moment doubt that I care for you. My greatest fear was that I might lose your trust over this. But I physically could not tell you."

"How was trying to destroy the world I live on protecting me?" Harry demanded.

"If I hadn't joined them they would have followed through with their plans and the attack would have been much worse. My joining them gave me a measure of control of how the attack would proceed. If I had not, you would have been killed or worse been enslaved," Loki pleaded for understanding.

"How can I trust you again?" Harry questioned forlornly.

"Give me time, and I will prove myself to you," Loki begged.

Harry wanted to forgive him so badly. Even after everything he was desperate to cling to any semblance of family that he had. Maybe Loki really did have a good reason for doing what he had. Harry could recall that Loki had mentioned working for someone when he had spoken about the task he needed to complete. Could he be telling the truth or was he just trying to get back in his good graces? Either way it was obvious that Loki cared for him. More than anyone ever had before. For this reason alone Harry was willing to give him a second chance.

"All right, I'll give you another chance," Harry agreed.

"Thank you, Harry," Loki smiled looking utterly relieved.

Harry nodded and gave a slight smile back.

"But this is the last chance," Harry warned.

"I will not disappoint you," Loki swore fervently.

Harry signaled to Thor to open the door. Once Harry stepped from the cell Thor called Fury and the other Avengers back into the room to secure Loki once more.

"Come, nephew, let us get you something to eat," Thor offered putting an arm around his shoulders and pulling him towards the door so that he wouldn't have to watch them re-muzzle Loki. "You have had a long day."

Harry nodded his acceptance and chanced one last backward glance towards Loki. The chained god watched him with a bleak expression, worry in his eyes as Harry disappeared from his sight along with Thor.

Chapter Text

Thor watched his nephew. The boy was seated by a large window and was looking out at the approaching storm with rapt attention. It was a huge improvement from the earlier sorrow he had shown whilst speaking to Loki and then whilst eating. Thor had to marvel at the abilities of the mortals as well. Their creations had grown to new heights since the scant few years he had visited last. Thor had not believed them capable of creating a building that could fly. The helicarrier, as his friends called it, allowed mortals the chance to see the approaching storm from inside the clouds themselves. Thor was used to such a sight but he still enjoyed watching. It seemed as though his nephew did as well.

“Watching the storm from up here is quite a different sight, isn’t it?” Thor asked as he sat down beside the boy.

Harek was the first of Loki’s children that Thor had gotten a chance to really speak with. All of the others had been declared monsters, and locked away before Thor had even gotten a chance to see them. He remembered just how saddened Loki was afterwards. His brother had refused to speak or see anyone for months afterward. Then of course there were the dark times after the deaths of Loki’s twins. This child seemed perfectly whole and healthy, and Thor hoped that the tests Tony and Bruce performed proved he truly was. The children of mortals and immortals were prone to difficulties. Sometimes they were born with all the strength of an immortal but with the fragile bone structure of a mortal causing easy breaks and damage to internal organs when exerting that strength. Sometimes they were gifted with the long lifespan of an immortal but suffered the quick aging of mortals. They would age and age until their bodies were frail and wrinkled but still their longevity would keep them alive. Thor did not wish such a life on his nephew.

It was a shock to discover the deception his father had enacted, and the harsh punishment he had forced on Loki. Thor could only count himself lucky that his father had merely stripped him of his powers, and not his memories during his own punishment. He could not imagine having to grow up again and live another life, becoming attached, and then eventually losing an entirely new family. Loki had given birth to a child without knowing who he truly was, and then when Loki had returned to Asgard his father had kept that knowledge from him. His father had kept that knowledge from all of them, and caused his nephew to grow up without the knowledge of his true parentage. Who knows what he had suffered without knowing the truth about the origin of his abilities?

“I’ve always loved storms. In the summers it meant I didn’t have to go out and work in the garden all day,” Harek replied looking longingly out into the clouds.

“I am fond of storms as well. They are beautiful, powerful, and deadly,” Thor observed.

“Is that why you’re the God of Thunder? Because you love storms?” Harek asked with a hint of a smile.

Thor laughed. “I suppose in part. I had something of a natural inclination towards them as a boy. Everyone always says they match my temper, which can start quickly, and be quite fierce.”

Harek smiled at him and then fell silent. Together they watched the approaching storm enjoying the companionable silence between them. Lightning flashed and Thor could feel the energy tingling through his skin. After years of wielding Mjolnir, he could still control some of the hammer’s powers even when he was not in direct contact with it.

“You said you often worked in the garden. Your relatives gave you many tasks to perform?” Thor questioned curious about his nephew’s life.

“You could say that,” Harek agreed. “You and Loki didn’t have a lot of chores growing up?”

“No, Mother tried but we would often do more harm than good. On one occasion we managed to set fire to all of the draperies in the palace. I don’t recall how. It was odd because we had been tasked to wash the windows,” Thor chuckled in remembrance.

“Loki told me about that,” Harek said with a smile. Thor smiled back pleased to see his nephew happy after all the shock and pain he had suffered today.

“Did he? What else has he told you about me?” Thor was surprised that Loki would have bothered speaking to his son about him considering his level of hate for Thor.

“He told me a few stories of your adventures with your friends. What exactly is a bilgesnipe?” Harek questioned.

Thor grinned and happily launched into an excited tale of the time he and his friends had been attacked by a pack of bilgesnipe. He used his hands to show the size of the antlers, and made appropriate slashing motions to show off his skillful attempts at dispatching them. Harek laughed and listened eagerly to his tale.

“I slayed a basilisk,” Harek informed him shyly after his own tale was through.

“Truly? They are a most dangerous beast to hunt especially for one so young,” Thor was shocked.

“Yes,” Harek said proudly.

“All on your own?”

Again Harek nodded.

“That is a great accomplishment, nephew!” Thor exclaimed and clapped Harek on the back. He seemed a bit young for such a battle but if he had done it already then Thor would gladly congratulate him for such an impressive feat.

The boy smiled and flushed at the praise.

“You must tell me everything,” Thor said.

“Well, I’m not sure I can,” Harek replied uncertainly.

“Why not?” Thor frowned.

“There’s this Statute of Secrecy. I could be expelled if I tell you, maybe thrown in prison,” Harek explained.

This sounded vaguely familiar to Thor. “Are you speaking of the magic users of Midgard?”

“You know about wizards?” Harek asked in surprise.

“Yes,” Thor recalled his father’s tales of them, and his own experience with Lily.

“Oh, then I suppose I can tell you since you already know,” Harek shrugged.

“Yes, I wish to know all about your heroic adventure,” Thor enthused.

“There was a basilisk in the school that I go to. It’s a magical school you see. A school for wizards and witches to learn magic. Loki and J- my father went to it as well. It’s hidden from the muggles, er mortals. I don’t know if you know but wizards and witches have their own separate governments, towns, and schools. There are also a bunch of magical creatures that exist here on Earth, and wizards help hide them from muggles. The basilisk in my school had been there since the time of the school’s founders. It was put there by one of the founders who was angry at the others. He wanted to get revenge because he didn’t like some of the students that were being let in. He wanted there to be stricter requirements based on a person’s blood. He ended up leaving the school before he ever let the basilisk loose, and never returned. So hundreds of years later someone else did it for him. It was attacking the students so my friends and I tracked it down. I managed to stab it through the roof of its mouth to kill it. It was more dumb luck than anything else,” Harek explained.

“It cannot have been all luck to slay such a large beast. You were very brave to have gone after such a creature,” Thor assured. Although, he did wonder if Loki knew of what Harek had done. His brother was very protective of his children. Such an event was sure to worry Loki immensely. Just then something else registered in his mind. “Did you say you stabbed it through the roof of its mouth?”

Harek flushed. “I was kind of… almost in its mouth at the time.”

Thor felt himself pale. “Mayhaps you are lucky.”

Harek sent him a weak smile. Basilisks had deadly venom. If the beast was old enough, and with enough venom they could even fell an Aesir. It was truly lucky that one of the fangs hadn’t nicked Harek when he had been near the creature’s mouth. It certainly would have killed his young, half human nephew.

“So how do you know about wizards and witches? How much do you know exactly?” Harek questioned, regarding him a shrewd manner that reminded Thor of Loki.

“I am somewhat familiar with the mortal magic users and their society. Mostly because my father worked with them during the Frost Giants’ last attempt to take over Midgard,” Thor explained.

“I didn’t know that. Loki told me that the wizards revere the Asgardians because they think their powers came from them. Is that true?” Harek questioned.

“I am not sure. Not all Aesir are born with the talent for magic so I am not certain if that is something that would have been commonly passed down to the children of mortals and Asgardians. And as I mentioned the children of Asgardians and mortals aren’t always the most hale beings. My mother is quite fond of history; it is something that you could ask her. If anyone would know the origins of your father’s people, it would be she,” Thor offered without really thinking about it.

“When? Is she coming here?” Harek asked with a frown.

“No, I suppose I thought that for a moment you would return with us to Asgard after all.”

Thor had forgotten that Loki didn’t want Harek to return to Asgard. To be honest he had to agree. It was one of his father’s staunchest rules that no mortals were to be allowed on Asgard. His father had also known about Harek and had made the decision to leave him on Midgard. His father would no doubt cast Harek back to Midgard if Thor was to return to Asgard with the boy.

“Yeah, I have to go back to Hogwarts in about a week and half,” said Harek.

“Hogwarts? The school you attend is Hogwarts?”

Harek nodded.

“I am familiar with the school. Another reason I am familiar with mortal magic users is because the last time I came to Midgard, several years ago, I met a witch. She had once attended a magical school called Hogwarts. Her name was Lily. What a coincidence that you attend it as well,” Thor said, smiling at the thought of have something in common with Harek.

Thor watched as Harek’s face paled and a frightened look flashed across his features.

“Harek?” Thor questioned reaching out to touch the boy’s shoulder in concern.

“Oh, well, it’s not that a big of a coincidence. After all it’s the only school in the UK,” the boy replied breathlessly, a nervous twitch to his fingertips.

“I see,” Thor smiled trying to bring back the easy camaraderie that the two of them had shared before, and not understanding why he was so suddenly ill at ease.

But the boy drew back, his head dropping so Thor only had a clear view of his messy crop of black hair.

“Harek?” Thor tried again, concerned.

“‘M fine,” the boy mumbled turning to look back out the window.

Thor wanted to question the boy further but they were interrupted.

“Uh, Thor, could you come here for a minute?” Bruce questioned from the doorway.

“I will be back in a moment, Harek,” Thor said.

The boy turned back around panic in his bright blue eyes.

Thor frowned but continued to follow Bruce from the room. Harek had been given temporary quarters on the helicarrier until they returned him to his mortal relatives.

“Is there something wrong?” Thor asked in concern as Bruce began leading him through the hallway.

“We’ve found a couple of irregularities in Harek’s blood sample. Tony and I haven’t said anything to anyone else yet. We wanted to talk to you about our findings first,” Bruce replied looking a bit nervous.

Thor felt his stomach twist with the first touch of fear. Something must be wrong with Harek. He could only imagine how devastated Loki would be when he found out.

The two of them entered the lab. Tony was waiting for them, looking over the screens of their machines.

“What have you found? What is wrong with Harek?” Thor demanded.

“Why don’t you take a seat big guy?” Tony motioned towards one of the stools beside him and in front of the screen.

Thor frowned but did as Tony asked of him. Bruce seated himself on the other stool.

“Please, just let me know if Harek is all right,” Thor pleaded.

“Harek is fine, Thor. In fact he’s perfectly healthy,” Bruce assured him.

“Yeah, he’s just not human, like not even a little bit,” said Tony.

“I do not understand. What do you mean he is not human? He is half mortal. Even if his Jotun blood was dominant there would still be traces of his mortal blood,” Thor elaborated. Even if Harek’s father was a wizard he was still a mortal magic user, and his blood should register as such.

“We located the Jotun blood, and we were able to match it to the sample we had taken from Loki. We were able to identify that they were the same species and that they are a genetic match,” said Bruce.

“Yup, the half of Harek’s DNA that is contributed by the mother is definitely Loki’s,” Tony added.

“But we ran into a problem when we looked at the other half of his DNA. We realized it wasn’t human or Frost Giant in the slightest. So we needed another nonhuman sample to compare it to. Yours was the only one we had access to,” Bruce explained.

“Well, we had the Chitauris’ but we were pretty sure it wasn’t going to match,” Tony cut in.

“Anyway,” Bruce spoke over Tony. “We had a match.”

“Harek’s father is Asgardian?” Thor frowned. It would certainly change things if Harek wasn’t half mortal. He would be able to return with them to Asgard if he wasn’t.

“You could say that,” Tony muttered glancing at Bruce and shifting uncomfortably.

“Thor your blood was too close of a match,” Bruce informed him carefully.

“Too close?”

“Yes, according to our extensive tests, you’re Harek’s biological father,” Bruce stated.

At first the words did not make sense. He had heard Bruce perfectly but the words held no meaning to Thor.

“I do not understand,” Thor admitted.

“You are Harek’s father,” Bruce repeated firmly.

Tony gestured to the screens and began to explain their findings in a swift, anxious manner with words that were unfamiliar to Thor. He wasn’t even attempting to listen. Only one word seemed to be echoing around in his mind, and that word was father.

“How is this possible?” Thor whispered. He trusted his friends, and their abilities. But surely in this one instance they were wrong. This could not possibly be the truth. Unwillingly, his mind pulled up an image of Harek. His bright blue eyes, so similar to Thor’s own, stood out to him, mocking him.

“You tell us,” Tony said glancing at him. “I mean the last time you were on Earth you crash landed in New Mexico. And that was just a year ago, right? So the timelines don’t really match up with Loki’s kid. Surprisingly, SHIELD wasn’t able to find a lot about him or his parents. But with a little digging we got ahold of his elementary school records, and his birth certificate. It says he was born in London, England, July 31^st, thirteen years ago. The information we got on female Loki was about the same. It’s like he, well she, just disappears and she, or he, turns eleven. And we couldn’t find any record of the dad anywhere in the system. It’s a little strange…”

Thor felt himself freeze. He had stopped listening to Tony after he said Harek was thirteen. “I came to Midgard once before.”

“Really? And you’re still this clueless about our world?” Tony asked.

“Tony, not helping,” Bruce hissed. “How long ago was this visit?”

“I suppose it was thirteen or fourteen years ago. It is difficult to keep track. Asgardians live much longer than mortals. Before long a few years become nothing to us, and we lose track of time…” Thor answered with a dawning sense of realization. There was only one mortal he had spent any time with. But surely it was far too absurd an idea that Lily could have been Loki.

“Well, I hate to say this but the timing would be right,” Tony pointed out.

“Is it possible you ran into Loki while he was being punished?” Bruce offered gently.

“What was Loki’s name while he was on Midgard? What is Harek’s mother’s name?” Thor demanded.

“Um,” Bruce scrambled to pull up the records. “Lily Potter nee Evans.”

“There aren’t any photographs of her available. Like I said records of her stop at eleven, which means no photo IDs or yearbook pictures. So we can’t see if she looks like a female Loki. I wonder if lady Loki is hot… I mean I could seem him being a —Ooof. Ow. What was that for?” Tony demanded when Bruce elbowed him sharply.

Tony rubbed his chest while Bruce glared at him.

Thor stood abruptly. His heart felt like it was about to beat its way from his chest. He couldn’t remember ever feeling such a strong sense of panic before. His chest felt too tight, and he couldn’t breathe. The world was spinning out of his control, and for once his strength seemed to be failing him.

“Thor? Are you all right?” Bruce questioned in concern.

“I must speak to Loki,” Thor found himself saying.

He did not wait for their answers, and ignored their attempts to call him back. Thor stormed down the corridors of the helicarrier straight to his brother’s cell. There were several SHIELD agents standing guard in the room.

“Get out!” Thor roared. His roar was backed up by a peal of thunder.

The hardened SHEILD agents took one look at the enraged god, and scampered out as fast as they possibly could leaving Thor alone with Loki. Thor went to the panel beside the cell. He remembered the switch to remove Loki’s muzzle so that he could speak with him. Thor wasted no time in removing it. The sooner he did, the sooner he would get some answers.

“Thor,” Loki greeted warily as he watched the agitated God of Thunder pace in front of his cell.

“How long have you known?” Thor demanded still pacing.

“Known what?”

“Don’t play games with me, Loki!” Thor slammed his fist against the glass cell, cracking it slightly. “You know very well what I am speaking of.”

“I told you, I’ve only had my memories back for a couple of months. All of which were mostly spent in the company of my lovely benefactors,” Loki sneered.

“Months where you have known that your son…” Thor could hardly get the words out. “That your son… is my son. That you were Lily.”

“I didn’t want you to know,” Loki was unwilling to meet Thor’s fierce blue gaze.

“I deserved to know, Loki,” Thor growled at him. In a somewhat softer tone he choked out, “He is my…I am his…”

“Well, now you do. What do you plan on doing with this information, Thor?”

“I…” Thor faltered.

Loki gave him a disparaging look. “This is why I did not want you to know. I knew you wouldn’t be able to handle the truth of what occurred between us when I was unaware of who I truly was. I feared you would reject Harek because of his parentage, because you wouldn’t be capable of accepting what happened between us.”

“Do not assume to know how I feel, Loki. Yes, I am shocked and horrified over what happened when you were not yourself. However, it happened, and we cannot change the past. It does not matter how this came to be or that we are not on amicable terms now. We have a child and we must move forward.”

“You are going to pretend that the past didn’t happen then?” Loki quirked an eyebrow at him.

“At the moment, yes,” Thor admitted. He wasn’t ready to deal with his and Loki’s past relationship and the feelings that came with it no matter how brief it had been. For now he would push it to the back of his mind, and focus on the fact that a child had been born from their ignorance of one another’s identities. Thor had a child. He was a father to a boy who already spent his life up until this point without him.

“I suppose you’re taking this a little bit better than I imagined you would,” Loki eyed him suspiciously as if waiting for him to suddenly change his mind. “But ignoring what happened isn’t going to make it go away, Thor.”

“I am a father to a thirteen year old boy that I barely know, and right now that is all that I care about. I want to get to know him. Everything else can wait,” Thor told him.

“You wish to be a part of his life?”

“Of course, I do. He’s my son,” Thor said simply. Nothing else mattered at the moment and no matter how much panic those words left him with, it also filled him with a strange sort of elation. He had a child, a son to share things with.

“You mean to claim him?” Loki asked eyeing him shrewdly.

“Yes, I will gladly claim him as my son before all of Asgard,” replied Thor cheerfully. His mind was already churning with all of things he would be able to teach and share with Harek.

“Doing so will make him your heir. Odin may not approve,” Loki pointed out.

“Let me worry about Father,” Thor insisted.

“I will worry about him. I don’t want Odin to know about my son,” Loki snapped.

“Things are different now, Loki. It is not just your decision anymore. He is not your son, he is our son. I have a say in what will happen to him.”

“Do you want Odin to lock Harek away like he locked away all of my other children?” Loki cried.

“He will not do that. I promise you this. I will not allow him to,” Thor vowed.

“You did not put up such a fight for my other children. You allowed them to be locked away like monsters,” Loki accused.

“I apologize. I thought that I was doing what was best.”

“They were children,” Loki argued.

“I recognize that I may have been wrong about them. Perhaps that is something else I can speak to Father about,” Thor admitted.

“You would go against the All-Father?”

“For my son, without question. And I will do all in my power to see justice is done for your other children,” Thor replied earnestly.

Thor had been a selfish child in the past. He had been too caught up in his own life of fighting and feasting to truly think of all that Loki had suffered. He had gone along with his father because it was easier. Now, Thor liked to believe he was a changed man. He wanted to make things up to Loki, and it would hopefully go a long way in repairing their relationship. They truly needed to repair their relationship for the benefit of Harek.

“So you plan to take Harek back with us to Asgard?” Loki questioned.

“I do not know what I am going to do. I am still reeling from the discovery that I am a father, and that you are the mother of my child,” Thor replied. “Does Harek know?”

“He is aware that you are his biological father,” Loki stated in a clipped tone.

“You didn’t poison him against me. Why?” Thor couldn’t help be surprised that Loki would have done such a thing. He was also a bit hurt that Harek had known and yet he had chosen not to share this connection with Thor.

“I would not do that to my son. I hate you, Thor, but I love Harek, and I did not want to ruin his dreams of having a happy family. So I did not tell him of our broken relationship instead I told him stories of our youth, of happier times. His relatives, my mortal sister and her fat oaf of a husband, did not treat him kindly,” Loki’s emerald eyes darkened.

“What do you mean?” Thor growled.

“They are small minded beings who hate anything that is different from themselves. I planned to take him away from them as soon as I was able, and appropriately reward them,” hatred and regret glimmered in Loki’s eyes.

Thor felt anger stir inside him. “He cannot return to these mortals.”

“For once we are in agreement,” Loki said looking uncomfortable about that fact.

“Loki, we cannot allow the disagreements between ourselves to keep from doing what is best for Harek. We are parents together, as strange as it may be. We must put our differences aside and work together towards Harek’s best interests.”

“Again, I agree. And you think what is best for him is to return to Asgard with us?” Loki questioned.

“Yes, I think he should live there. He is a Prince of Asgard, and he should live in Asgard with people like himself. People who will live as long as he will, who are as strong as he. Besides Mother would kill us if we kept him hidden from her. And I think you are wrong about Father. I think he will accept Harek once he knows the truth.”

“Perhaps, but it would only be because he is your son as well,” Loki sneered.

“Then it is decided. Harek will return to Asgard with us,” Thor stated.

“I’m not agreeing to anything yet. You must speak to Harek about it first, and see what he wants to do. The Bifrost is still broken. Returning to Midgard wouldn’t be easy if he wished to return,” Loki argued.

“I will speak with him,” Thor murmured.

Speaking with Harek suddenly seemed to be a much more daunting task than it had just an hour ago. He wouldn’t be speaking to his nephew anymore. He would be speaking to his son. Harek was his first and so far only child.

“Good, then afterwards bring him here. I wish to see him,” Loki commanded imperiously.

Thor knew Loki well enough to recognize the vulnerability in his eyes. Loki loved his son and being on uncertain terms with Harek had left Loki a little lost. Thor needed to find out just who Loki had been working with and who had been controlling him. It wasn’t just about protecting Loki, it was about protecting Harek. Whoever Loki had been working with would undoubtedly come back for revenge for Loki’s failure. Harek would be the perfect target as the youngest, and therefore the most vulnerable of Loki’s children. This was another good reason for Harek to return with them to Asgard. It would be the safest place for him.

The moment he stepped out of the room to go in search of Harek, Director Fury and his fellow Avengers ambushed him. Tony and Bruce had been attempting to keep them from entering the room to give Loki and he some much needed privacy to speak. Thor was grateful to have such friends to stand beside him.

“What in the hell is going on here?” Director Fury demanded.

“It is a private matter between my brother and I,” Thor stated firmly.

“Well, I want to know what Thing 1 and Thing 2 told you about your nephew that made you stomp down the hall to have a little heart to heart with your brother,” Fury’s eyes narrowed on him.

“I must speak to my… I must speak to Harek first,” Thor said firmly.

“You’re a guest on my helicarrier, in case you’ve forgotten. I deserve to know if something is going on that could possibly endanger the lives on this ship,” Fury growled.

“No one is in danger, of this I assure you. I will tell you more after I have spoken with Harek,” Thor remained firm.

“Fine,” Fury moved aside.

Thor moved quickly to Harek’s room only to open the door and find it empty. Irrational fear welled inside Thor. Had Loki’s enemies come for Harek already? Thor ran from the room and went sprinting down the hallway in search. He quickly came upon the group still milling about in the corridor.

“Harek is gone,” Thor shouted.

“Great,” Fury sighed then in a louder shout, “Search everywhere. I want the boy’s location discovered within ten minutes.”

Thor turned to go and search. Tony and Bruce fell in on either side of him.

“So is it true, Hammertime? Is the kid yours?” Tony whispered.

“It would appear so,” Thor admitted.

“Wow, talk about a story readymade for a soap opera. I mean having a kid with your adoptive brother when neither of you recognized or remembered the other one. I mean you couldn’t make that up,” Tony muttered.

“Tony,” Bruce hissed.

“Sorry, Thor, it’s just taking a bit for even my giant brain to wrap my mind around,” Tony apologized appropriately chastised.

“It is fine, my friend. I am having trouble accepting this as well,” Thor sighed.

“Let’s just focus on finding Harek, all right?” Bruce offered.

Thor nodded in agreement. The Director put the helicarrier on lockdown, which included landing the craft back into the water, and keeping all other aircrafts from landing or taking off. All of the doors were locked and each room would be checked thoroughly for any trace of Harek. Thor, Tony, and Bruce were about to split up when the three of them turned a corner only to run into Harek.

“Harek!” Thor cried in delight. Without thinking twice he quickly grabbed the boy up in a tight embrace.

“Thor?” Harek squirmed in discomfort within the tight grasp of his arms.

“Forgive me, I was worried about where you had gone,” Thor released the boy from his arms. But he kept his hands firmly on the boy’s shoulders. He had the irrational fear if he let him go he would disappear again.

“I was just in the toilet,” Harek said flushing red all the way to the tips to his ears.

Tony burst into laughter. “This is the best thing that’s ever happened. Fury locked down the whole base because the kid was taking a bathroom break. I can see his face now when he finds out. His eye is going to pop out of his head.”

“I thought you had run away or that you had been kidnapped,” Thor said somewhat sheepishly.

“You panicked worse than a soccer mom who forgot where she parked her minivan,” Tony added with a cheerful grin.

“It was understandable after the information he just received. He’s not in the best emotional state for rational thinking at the moment,” Bruce soothed.

“Sorry if you were worried,” Harek offered. “I didn’t think anyone would miss me. There wasn’t a bathroom in the room I was staying in so I went to look for one.”

“No, it’s fine, Harek. Perhaps, I was too quick to believe the worst had happened,” Thor admitted.

“Just a bit,” Tony murmured with a smirk.

“I suppose we should let Director Fury know that we have found you,” Thor rubbed at the back of his neck feeling more embarrassed than he had in a long time.

It was difficult for him to suddenly be face to face with Harek again now that he knew the truth of their relationship. He was no longer looking at his nephew. He was looking at his son. Thor really took the time to observe Harek. He couldn’t believe that he hadn’t noticed before all of the similar features the two of them shared. At first glance Harek seemed to strongly resemble Loki but Thor could easily pick out features that he had gotten from himself. The shape of their chins and brows as well as the color of their eyes were very similar. Harek truly was his son. It would certainly make things easier that Harek already knew, no matter how much it hurt him that he had chosen to keep it a secret from him.

The four of them had just turned to head down the corridor to let the Director know they had found Harek when a loud siren went off. The siren was followed by a loud voice reverberating throughout the ship for all available agents to make their way to the deck and be prepared for a hostile enemy. They all looked at one another before Tony took off to grab his suit.

“Harek, go back to your room,” Thor commanded, convinced that Loki’s enemies had come to take Harek, and were now in the process of attacking the helicarrier.

“No, I think I know what’s going on. I may have accidentally called my brother. I was a bit upset and I forgot about the bracelet Loki gave to me call him,” Harek said embarrassedly.

“Your brother?” Bruce frowned.

A loud roar and the sounds of gunfire had all of their heads whipping in the direction of the helicarrier’s deck.

“That doesn’t sound promising,” Bruce muttered, furiously cleaning his glasses in an effort to calm his rising temper.

“I think we should get out there before someone gets hurt,” Harek said, and before Thor could argue Harek had taken off.

Bruce and Thor quickly followed, and soon the three of them had made their way out to the deck of the helicarrier. Bruce wanted to assess the situation for himself before unleashing the beast he carried within him. However, when they stepped outside and caught sight of the enemy that had come to visit them the Hulk might be just what they needed. He was certainly the only thing that might have been capable of putting a dent in something that was even larger than the flying leviathans the Chitauri had used.

Thor had never actually met his nephew Jormungandr. Everyone had worked hard to ensure that such a meeting never happened considering Jormungandr was prophesized to swallow him whole one day. Looking up at the giant sea beast, Thor couldn’t help but believe that such a thing could easily be possible. Jormungandr was a fierce thing with a head like a dragon, and thick armored scales set in a fiery hue. He was a lethal and deadly beast with wicked looking spikes curling down his spine. With only one tiny flick of his giant tail he could have easily crushed the helicarrier. Instead his immense head simply hovered over the ship. His large emerald eyes were locked on the figure of Harek who stood facing the serpent. They were conversing with each other in what was obviously a pleasant and familiar manner despite the increasing number of agents with weapons trained on Jormungandr.

“Put down your weapons!” Thor shouted, fear springing upside him at the thought that one of them might accidentally hit his son. The agents were shaking with terror at the sight of Jormungandr. One could very well lose control, and fire their weapon without meaning to. From the earlier sounds of gunfire he was sure that they were more than capable of open firing at any moment if they felt threatened. Thor pushed his way through the crowd to the front of the agents to be closer to his son.

“Do you not see the giant sea monster hovering over the side of my helicarrier?” Director Fury demanded from where he stood flanked by Natasha and Clint.

“He’s not a monster,” Harek snarled as he turned around to face them.

“Don’t worry, little brother, I’ve been called worse,” Jormungandr reassured, giving Harek a gentle nudge with his nose.

“Hello, nephew,” Thor greeted, cautiously moving closer to stand beside Harek.

“Hello uncle Thor, it is a pleasure to finally meet you,” Jormungandr replied, dipping his head.

“You mean no harm, correct?” Thor asked, simply for the mortals’ benefit. If Jormungandr meant to harm anyone he was fairly certain the sea serpent would have already capsized them.

“No, I only came because Harry was distressed,” Jormungandr’s large eyes regarded Harek with concern.

“Maybe you should take your human form, Jormungandr. I think it would calm everyone down a bit,” Harek suggested.

“Only if the humans swear not to harm me,” Jormungandr stated firmly.

They all looked to Director Fury.

“Jormungandr? As in the Midgardian Serpent, and Loki’s son?” the Director questioned.

“I don’t think there’s another giant snake with the same ridiculously long name lurking around here, Fury. Or at least I really hope not,” came Tony’s dry voice. He appeared hovering over them in his metal suit.

“Yes, Jormungandr is one of Loki’s older son’s,” Thor agreed in an effort to disperse tension. It was strange for him to attempt to take on the role of peacekeeper. He was normally the cause of most arguments in Asgard.

“As long as he doesn’t cause any trouble then we won’t have any reasons to attack him,” Fury finally stated.

At those words Jormungandr began to change, and fold in on himself. Soon a red haired man with familiar grin eyes, and an obvious resemblance to Loki was standing in place of the giant serpent. The tall, lean man immediately swooped Harek up in a tight hug that had the younger boy flushing in embarrassment.

“Huh, now that is something you don’t see every day,” Tony landed beside Thor.

“Do Midgardians not embrace their relatives?” Thor frowned.

Tony sighed. “No, Point Break, I meant the giant snake turning into a skinny ginger Loki.”

“Ah, yes, I was also unaware that Jormungandr was capable of shape-shifting,” Thor agreed.

Thor had believed one of the reasons behind his banishment was because he was incapable of changing his form, and therefore would have been unable to safely remain among Asgardians. It was a little shocking to discover that there was more to his nephew than the mindless beast he had been portrayed to be. It made Thor wonder about Loki’s other children.

Thor brought Jormungandr and Harek back to the room where Harek and he had conversed before. The Avengers and Director Fury followed them to keep a close eye on Loki’s older child. Thor understood that they had accepted Harek more readily because he was still just a boy. Jormungandr on the other was a millennia old sea beast, and was potentially much more dangerous.

“Now, Harry, why don’t you tell me what was bothering you so much for you to have unconsciously summoned me?” Jormungandr asked Harek once they had settled down.

Jormungandr had sat down beside Harek on the couch leaving Thor to sit across from them. The Avengers and the Director took up places around the three immortals trying to give them some semblance of privacy. Jormungandr easily ignored them as he placed an arm around Harek’s shoulders, and pulled the boy in close.

“Er, well… Loki sort of tried to take over Midgard. These people stopped him, and now he’s being held here as a prisoner,” Harek explained.

“What? No, he didn’t. He’d have to be completely insane to do something like that,” Jormungandr argued.

“Oh, he’s definitely a few shades shy of sane, Jormy,” Tony muttered.

Jormungandr shot the Man of Iron a dark glare reminiscent of Loki.

“My father isn’t stupid or crazy. Why would he want to rule Midgard? He hates mortals,” Jormungandr argued.

“We know, considering how many of us he killed a week ago,” Natasha stated dryly.

This seemed to finally make Jormungandr realize they were not playing a prank on him.

“I can’t believe he did this,” Jormungandr whispered. “No wonder you were so distraught. Why would he do this? It makes no sense. Have you spoken with him?”

“Yeah, but there was a lot he couldn’t say,” Harek replied.

“Couldn’t or wouldn’t?” Jormungandr questioned.

“Couldn’t, he said someone bound him or something like that,” Harek explained.

“Who would be powerful enough to bind Father?” Jormungandr wondered, gaze flicking to Thor in concern.

“I do not know. There are very few in this universe who would be powerful enough to control Loki,” Thor replied.

“Is that what he told you? That someone else was the one pulling the strings?” the Director demanded.

“Yes,” Thor admitted.

“And how do we know he’s not just lying? He’s kind of known for it,” Clint said disparagingly.

“Loki is many things but he is a good parent. He loves his children and would never willingly lie to them,” Thor said fiercely.

After everything Loki had done Thor would still defend his brother. For he knew Loki best, and he knew deep down that the brother he had grown up with was still in there somewhere. Loki might knowingly withhold the truth from his children to protect them but he would never lie to them. He would lie to everyone else and manipulate them to meet his own ends but never his children. If he had told Harek he was bound to secrecy then he was bound to secrecy. No matter his faults Loki loved his children above all else, and Thor would ensure that no one thought otherwise.

“You’re sure about this?” the Director insisted eyeing him shrewdly.

“I know Loki. I know he speaks the truth in this,” Thor swore.

“It doesn’t negate what he’s done, and he needs to be held responsible for it. But if there really is someone else out there who he was working with then they’re still free to try again, and we need to be prepared. We’re going to need to look into this further. We can’t be left in the dark again. If there’s the slightest chance of a threat to Earth we need to find it, and eliminate it,” the Director announced sternly. “Do you think there would be a way to get around this ‘binding’ of his so that he could give us more information?”

“I am not well versed in magic. It is possible that if my mother and father were to take a look they may be able to remove it. As soon as we know I can return to Midgard. Of course it would have to be after the Bifrost is restored,” Thor offered.

“Right, and that’s just wasting more time we may not have,” the Director muttered.

“I don’t think whoever attacked will do it right away. I mean we nuked their mother ship. I should know considering I was the one to send it at them,” Tony snorted.

“Tony’s right. They needed Loki for a reason. They needed him to get the Tesseract, and open the portal from this end for them to be able to reach Earth. Wherever they were coming from it was too far away for them to make the trip here. It will be a long time before they regroup enough to make their way back. If they even can without the Tesseract, and someone on the other side helping them out,” Bruce reasoned.

“Well, my motto is ‘better safe than sorry’. We need to be prepared. We were almost completely in the dark for all of this. I don’t want the same panic we had last time. So Thor whatever you can get out of Loki will be very much appreciated,” the Director ordered.

“Perhaps I could speak with him?” Jormungandr offered.

The Director’s scowl was all the answer that was necessary.

“I may be able to get more information from him. He won’t lie to me,” Jormungandr shrugged.

“Fine, but we’ll be sitting in,” the Director barked.

“As you wish,” Jormungandr smiled charmingly.

He stood to follow the Director from the room. Harek made to follow him but Thor held him back.

Harek sent him a questioning look as everyone else filed out of the room leaving the two of them alone.

“We must speak, Harek, and I think you know exactly what I wish to speak to you about,” Thor said gently.

Harek sat back down. Uncertainty and just a hint of fear flashed across his son’s features. Thor would do his best to put his son at ease for this conversation was necessary. Thor wanted a relationship with his son, and that could only happen once they were all aware of the truth. He was nervous about whether or not Harek would accept him but Thor would not back down. He was determined. The two of them would not leave this room until they had come to some sort of understanding.

Chapter Text

“We must speak, Harek, and I think you know exactly what I wish to speak to you about,” Thor told him calmly.

Jormungandr, and the other Avengers had left to go and speak with Loki leaving Thor and Harry completely alone.

“Yeah, I probably do,” Harry admitted nervously as he glanced over at Thor.

This day had been a whirlwind for Harry. It was practically a family reunion for him with Loki, Thor, and Jormungandr all in one place. Harry knew when Thor left that Dr. Banner had told him about the results of his blood test. Harry had heard the god’s shouting as he went to confront Loki. Harry’s anxiety over Thor’s reaction had him nervously tugging at his bracelet, and unconsciously wishing that Jormungandr were there. His unconscious wish seemed to have been enough to summon his older brother, which of course only served to make things even more awkward. Harry had been hoping to at least use Jormungandr to his advantage of avoiding being alone with Thor. But the Thunder God was persistent, and didn’t seem like he was letting Harry out of his sight any time soon.

Harry was terrified of what Thor was about to say to him. This new anxiety only added to what had been building up inside him all day, and now a strange tingling was beginning to burn just beneath his skin. Harry did his best to focus on what Thor was saying to him.

“We are both now aware that I am your father,” Thor stated.

“Yes,” Harry nodded, unable to meet Thor’s gaze.

“All is well, I’m not angry with you. This knowledge has come as a shock to both of us, I’m sure. But rest assured, I am pleased to know of our relationship,” Thor said, smiling warmly, and surprising Harry with his sincerity.

Harry recalled how panicked Thor had been when he thought he’d gone missing. Thor had sent out a search party to look for him, and had the entire helicarrier locked down.

“You don’t think it’s strange?” Harry asked.

Harry had been utterly convinced that Thor was going to be disgusted by him, and would want nothing to do with him. He was still half convinced he would change his mind even though he had said otherwise.

“It is a difficult situation. Loki is my brother. Not by blood but we are brothers no matter how much he insists otherwise. I never would have intended to have a child with him. However, we do have a son, and I would like to get to know my son. I would like to get to know you. I wish to be your father if you will allow me the chance. I do not know how to be a father but I will do my best,” Thor insisted.

Harry stared at the god; feeling conflicted about what Thor had just admitted. He truly hadn’t been expecting Thor to want to be his father especially after learning about his turbulent relationship with Loki. Harry had been so certain of his rejection despite Loki’s reassurances to the contrary that he didn’t really know what to do now.

Harry supposed the important question for him to think over was did he want Thor to be his father? It wasn’t exactly Thor’s fault that he hadn’t been there for Harry when Voldemort attacked, or for him while he was growing up with the Dursleys. Thor hadn’t known about his existence, and now that he knew he seemed more than willing to accept Harry, no questions asked. It couldn’t be easy for him finding out he had a thirteen year old son, not to mention that son was also the child of your brother who recently tried to destroy you. It was easier for him to accept Loki because Loki was Lily. He had raised and loved Harry for the first fifteen months of his life, and a part of Harry seemed to intrinsically recognize him. Thor, on the other hand, had never been a part of his life before. However, Harry found himself wanting to give Thor a chance.

Harry couldn’t help but felt a bit guilty, though. James Potter had been willing to raise him as his son, and had even died for him. But at the same time Harry didn’t remember James. All his life he had dreamed of having his parents alive. He had grown up watching his classmates’ interactions with their parents; the way they loved them, took them places, and taught them things. Harry had watched Dudley’s interactions with his parents from the isolation of his cupboard. There had been so many times he had wished for the same approval, for the same affection. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had praised everything Dudley did. They loved him unconditionally, no matter what he did, or how he had behaved. Harry had craved the same approval but no matter how good he behaved or how quickly he completed his chores he was never good enough for his aunt and uncle.

Hogwarts had given him some sense of acceptance. It had settled the empty ache inside of him for a bit, enough so the feeling wasn’t constantly nagging at him. But it never truly went away, and this was made abundantly clear when he returned to the Dursleys for the summer and his friends went home with their families. His loneliness and a desire for a place to belong always bothered him more during his months of isolation and torment with the Dursleys. Loki’s appearance had made those feelings disappear. The revelation that he had more family out there just waiting for him to come across their paths was awe-inspiring. He had a family that was just his. He wasn’t intruding like the way he had always felt with Dursleys and even sometimes felt when he’d gone to stay with the Weasleys last summer.

Now, being face to face with Thor, his biological father, it was terrifying. What if Harry didn’t live up to Thor’s expectations? What if Thor didn’t live up to his? Not that Harry had a lot of expectations considering he’d grown up with stories about how his father had killed his mother in a drunken automobile accident.

“Harek?” Thor questioned in concern.

Harry realized he’d been caught up in his thoughts, and the silence had stretched between them for too long.

“Sorry, I was just thinking,” Harry murmured.

His feelings of anxiety were continuing to rise up inside him, and threatened to turn into a full on panic attack. He was holding onto the chaotic swirling of his emotions by a thread.

The bright hopeful look in Thor’s eyes had dimmed a bit, and the large blonde god’s shoulders had slumped. It was then that Harry realized just how much this meant to Thor, and how much Thor wanted Harry to accept their relationship. He was disappointed now that he thought Harry didn’t want him around.

“I see, I do not wish to force this relationship upon you,” Thor rumbled softly.

“I’ve never had a dad before so I don’t know if I’d be a good son either,” Harry explained. He really didn’t want to hurt Thor even after knowing him for such a short time.

Thor beamed. “I’m sure you will be the finest of sons. I have already been impressed with your bravery and kindness.”

Harry flushed at Thor’s declaration, and didn’t know how to respond to such a statement. The god didn’t even know Harry. He could very well change his mind. Harry’s control slipped a bit, and he felt a warmth tingle through his fingertips. He glanced down to see frost spreading across the couch where his hands were rested. Harry covertly shifted in hopes that Thor didn’t notice. It worried him a little that his tumultuous emotions were causing him to perform some accidental magic, and it worried him even more because he had never formed frost before.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the truth when I had the chance. I didn’t know how you would react. I thought it would just be better if I kept it a secret, instead of having to face your rejection,” Harry admitted, trying desperately to get a rein on his magic.

“I would never reject you, Harek. I would never reject any child of mine. I always hoped to one day have children of my own. I am saddened that we have missed your early years together but there will be many, many more to come,” Thor gripped Harry’s shoulder surprising Harry with the contact. Thor seemed to be a very touch oriented person. Harry wasn’t used to it.

Thor suddenly drew back sharply. He looked to his hands, which had turned a bright red.

“Are you okay?” Harry asked worriedly.

Thor smiled, “I am fine it was only a little sting. Are you all right? Your skin is freezing.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t know how it happened. I don’t know why it happened,” Harry panicked, which only caused more frost to spread.

“It is all right, Harek. You need only calm yourself. I am not well versed in magic but in our youth Loki’s emotions always triggered burst of uncontrollable magic. I was often the cause and the target of such outbursts so I learned the tricks necessary to calm him,” Thor chuckled.

“How can you laugh when I hurt you?” Harry asked.

“Hurt me? My son, it would take much more than that to hurt me, and I know it was not intentional,” Thor shrugged.

Harry gave a startled laugh at Thor’s easy dismissal of the occurrence. He tried to take Thor’s advice and took a deep breath before releasing it again. His breath caused the air to frost.

“Loki will be able to help you more with your magic,” Thor said uncertainly.

“He has been teaching me a bit. But nothing to do with any ice abilities,” Harry told Thor.

“You have inherited a Jotun’s abilities to control ice. They can create weapons and the more powerful can create living sculptures of ice. Loki is only newly aware of his true heritage, and I do not think he has entirely accepted it yet.”

“What about you? Loki gave me a book about the history of Asgard and the Nine Realms. Frost Giants aren’t exactly the most popular people,” Harry said uncertainly.

“I do not care if Loki is a Frost Giant. I do not care that you are half. Loki is my brother and you are my son that is all that matters,” Thor pledged.

“That’s a really weird statement when you think about it in context. But then everything sounds odd when talking about how we’re related,” Harry joked hoping to lighten the mood.

Thor laughed. “I do not think it will ever not be strange.”

Harry supposed he would just have to learn to accept his parents’ very strange and infinitely complicated relationship. It was just going to take him awhile.

“Loki and I will be returning to Asgard soon. I would like you to come with us,” Thor offered suddenly.

“I don’t know,” Harry was stunned by the offer.

The thought of leaving Earth for an entirely new world was terrifying. Harry had never even been out of Surrey until he’d gone to Hogwarts. How could he just leave behind everything he’d ever known? What about his friends at Hogwarts? He had only become reacquainted with Loki just a month and half ago, and he’d just met Thor today. How could he just go off with them? Of course that hadn’t stopped Harry from going off to Hogwarts. He’d barely known anything about the wizarding world before he decided to join it with only the knowledge that his parents had belonged to the same world. But Harry was older now, and his experiences at Hogwarts had served to make him a bit more cautious. On the other hand Thor and Loki were his parents, and he didn’t want to just be separated from them after being reunited with both of them for the first time.

“I understand that this is a difficult decision, you must have friends in this realm. I too have friends here that I will miss. However, accompanying us to Asgard now does not mean that you can never return to Midgard. It might take a little while before we can return. The Bifrost was destroyed during an earlier altercation between Loki and myself. With the Tesseract it will speed up the process of rebuilding it, and then we may come visit whenever you wish,” Thor reassured him.

The thought of being trapped on Asgard gave Harry pause. What if things didn’t work out with rebuilding the bridge and he was trapped there? What about all of his friends at Hogwarts? He couldn’t just abandon them. What about his magical education? But then Harry wasn’t actually a wizard. All of his magic came from Loki who was in fact a Frost Giant. Although, Harry had still been capable of performing all of the same magic that a normal witch or wizard could. Didn’t that mean that Harry would be capable of remaining at Hogwarts, and continuing to learn magic with witches and wizards? Harry didn’t know the answers to any of these questions. What it really came down to was the choice between getting to know his parents, and returning to his friends at Hogwarts.

He always thought Hogwarts would be the only chance he’d have for a home, and the people there had become the closest he’d ever get to having family. Loki’s appearance in his life, and the secret he revealed had changed everything. It had opened Harry’s eyes to a whole new realm of possibilities for him. Suddenly he wasn’t confined to just going to Hogwarts, and maybe one day defeating Voldemort. He had other options. Harry was the son of two gods, and he would live for a very long time. He had the time to accomplish whatever he wanted. It was terrifying but also exhilarating.

Loki was going to be taken back to Asgard as a prisoner. Could Harry really just sit around while he was punished? He hadn’t entirely forgiven Loki for what he had done but Loki was still his parent. A parent that obviously loved him, and Harry didn’t want to see him punished with whatever sentence Asgard would dish out to him. He wanted to be there for Loki to speak up on his behalf.

“Okay, I’ll go,” Harry said before he could talk himself out of it.

A huge grin stretched over Thor’s features. Harry yelped in shock as he was swept up into Thor’s massive arms for the second time that day, and crushed to his broad chest.

“I am so pleased to know that you will return with us, my son. I cannot wait to introduce you to my friends! The Lady Sif and the Warriors Three are my oldest and dearest friends. They will be so surprised but thrilled to discover I have a son. And your grandparents! They will love you! Mother has always wanted grandchildren to spoil. She has been pestering Loki and I for several centuries to give her grandchildren,” Thor enthused.

Harry wished he was capable of being half as happy as Thor seemed to be all the time.

“I bet she wasn’t expecting to get them this way,” Harry muttered.

Thor paused gaping at Harry before dissolving into thundering chuckles. “No, I suppose she wasn’t.”

“When are we going to leave? I have some things I would like to bring with me, and I should probably let Hogwarts know I won’t be back this year,” the statement sent a pang of sadness through him.

Harry really did love Hogwarts, and all of its little oddities. He would certainly miss Ron and Hermione not to mention his other friends, and even some of the professors. But the chance to be with his parents was a little bit too tempting for him to pass up.

“Perhaps you may return next year?” Thor offered.

“I don’t know if it works like that. But maybe…” Harry shrugged.

“Either way, we will make sure that you remain in touch with your friends,” Thor promised.

“Right, okay. Er… so when do you plan on leaving again?” Harry would have liked to tell his friends face to face about where he was going so that he didn’t just disappear. He didn’t think owls would be able to reach him in Asgard, and he didn’t want them to think he’d died or been kidnapped.

“We should return as soon as we are able. The device that will allow us to travel back to Asgard has already been crafted, and with the Tesseract to power it we can leave whenever we wish,” Thor informed him.

“Oh, all right,” Harry was dazed by the thought that they could possibly leave for Asgard today.

“We won’t leave until you are ready. We can go together now to collect your things and say your goodbyes,” Thor offered solemnly.

“Yeah, that would be good,” Harry nodded.

“Wonderful! Let us depart. I will fly us there,” Thor boomed, clasping a hand to Harry’s shoulder.

“You can fly?” Harry asked attempting to remember the details from the attack on New York.

“With the aid of Mjolnir, yes,” Thor said proudly as he herded Harry from the room.

“I love to fly,” Harry confided. “Although, I’ve only ever flown on a broom.”

“A broom?” Thor questioned in confusion.

“Wizards have a sport called Quidditch. They play it on flying brooms high above the ground. They have different positions and different types of balls. I play the Seeker. I’m the youngest to do so in a century,” Harry couldn’t help but boast. Flying was definitely one area that he was quite proud of his skills.

“You must tell me more!” Thor insisted, actually appearing interested.

Happy to have a captivated audience Harry began to explain the rules as the two of them continued to walk down the hallway.

“So once the Seeker catches the snitch the—”

“Wait!” Thor shouted cutting Harry off.

Harry looked over at him in confusion.

“I had almost forgotten. I promised Loki to bring you to speak with him after we had spoken. I believe he wanted to make sure you were all right after our conversation,” Thor explained.

“Right, do you think he’s still talking with Jormungandr?” Harry wondered.

“We shall see,” Thor replied steering him back in the other direction.

They quickly made their way back to the room where the holding cell that contained Loki was located. Jormungandr and Loki were engaged in a heated argument, which was causing tension among the Avengers and the SHIELD agents who were observing their argument.

“—don’t understand what is you speak off,” they heard Loki snap as they entered. The God of Mischief was clearly angry.

“I understand enough,” Jormungandr retorted.

“Are we interrupting?” Thor butted in.

“No, your brother hasn’t given up any more information than he’s already told you. In fact he’s given up even less, and I think its time they had a break from one another before tempers get any hotter,” the Fury replied dryly.

Jormungandr rolled his eyes and turned to exit the room. “Fine, I’m through with him anyway.”

“Don’t think that you can walk away from me!” Loki snarled.

“Whatever you say, Father,” Jormungandr rolled his eyes.

Loki loosed a hissing breath as he attempted to rein in his temper.

“Goodbye for now, Harry. You know where to find me if you need me, okay?” Jormungandr smiled as he walked by.

“All right. Bye,” Harry replied, confused, and a little hurt that Jormungandr was just taking off like this.

“Harry,” Loki greeted, his anger seemingly melting away as if it had never happened. He smiled warmly at Harry.

“Er… Loki,” Harry smiled back.

It was awkward interacting with Loki knowing that the two of them had an audience. Thor must have thought so too because he quickly shooed everyone else out. Fury and Mr. Stark went reluctantly while the others were all too eager to get away from the Asgardian drama. Harry wished he could too. But considering he was the cause of most of the Asgardian drama he figured he wasn’t going to be able to avoid it anytime soon.

“Harry has decided to return with us to Asgard,” Thor announced happily.

A look of fear flashed across Loki’s face. “Are you certain, Harek? You would have to leave school and your friends behind. I know how much they mean to you.”

“I want to go with you and Thor. I don’t want to lose you only after just finding you,” Harry replied firmly.

“We cannot guarantee your safety in Asgard,” Loki worried.

“I have already told you, Loki, that I will guarantee his safety,” Thor insisted.

“You cannot stop the All-Father if he wants to lock my son away in some cave for the rest of his life,” Loki snarled.

“I would not let such a thing happen,” Thor argued.

“You let it happen to Fenris. My poor boy doomed to be chained to a rock for all eternity. Would you doom Harek to such a fate as well? Fenris wasn’t much older than Harek is now when Odin had Tyr bind him to that rock with an unbreakable dwarven forged chain,” Loki shouted enraged.

“He won’t Loki. I swear on my life that he won’t. I only have Harek’s best interest in mind. If I thought he was in danger I would not bring him,” Thor swore.

“You really think Odin would do that to me?” Harry worried.

“No.”

“Yes.”

Thor and Loki spoke at the time.

“He is your grandfather. He will not harm you,” Thor put his hands on Harry’s shoulders, and looked him directly in the eyes. It was strange looking in Thor’s eyes and seeing his own reflecting back at him.

Thor seemed so earnest in his belief of the good in Odin while Loki seemed equally determined to believe the worst of him. Who did Harry trust? He felt like they were putting him in the middle of the two of them, and he really didn’t want to pick a side.

Harry looked beseechingly at Loki. The green-eyed god’s features softened a bit in the face of Harry’s distress.

“To be fair, Odin will be much less likely to harm you than your siblings because the two of you actually share blood, and Mo—Frigga will be quite eager to meet you,” Loki conceded.

“I would still like to go,” Harry said softly.

Thor smiled. “We are going to collect Harek’s things from his relatives, and then tomorrow after Harek has gotten the chance to say goodbye to his friends, we may depart to Asgard.”

“Very well,” Loki waved Thor away imperiously.

“I will inform the others of our plans, and then we can leave, Harek,” Thor exited the room leaving Harry and Loki alone for a few moments.

“Why don’t you want me to go to Asgard?” Harry asked.

“I fear how you will be treated there because of my own mistakes. You will branded as a traitor’s son,” Loki replied concern etched in the line of his face.

“Will they hate me because I’m yours and Thor’s son?” Harry worried.

The reactions of the Asgardians were definitely something he should have considered earlier. What if they utterly hated him? But then Harry had been hated before. He’d grown up with the constant hate of the Dursleys, the neighbors, and his primary school teachers and classmates. Even last year at Hogwarts half of the school had turned against him. At least he would have Thor and Loki. Their support would be more support than he’d had growing up.

“They will get over that quickly enough. It will be a shock but they will adapt quickly. They are an ancient and long-lived race. There is very little that they have not encountered before. No, they are more likely to be distant because you are my son while others will love you because you are Thor’s son. Frigga is sure to fawn over you,” Loki shrugged.

“She’s my grandmother, right?” Harry asked in interest. In was strange to think he had grandparents as well as parents now.

“Yes, she is a great woman,” Loki murmured softly.

“Why were you and Jormungandr fighting?” Harry asked to change the subject. Loki looked so sad when he thought of Frigga.

Before he could answer Thor returned. They said their goodbyes to Loki, and prepared for their flight to Little Whinging. Thor gripped Harry tightly with one arm looped around his chest while Harry clasped his hands around his neck. Thor lifted his very impressive hammer and began to swing it. Without warning the two of them shot into the air. Harry gasped as they shot over the water at speeds not even his Nimbus would be able to reach. Once he realized Thor wasn’t about to drop him, Harry enjoyed the ride. There was nothing quite like the freedom of zooming through the air. He and Thor shared identical grins as they shared one another’s appreciation for flying.

With Mjolnir’s speed it didn’t take them long to touch down in a field just outside of Privet Drive. The two of them walked the rest of the way. Harry wondered idly how the Dursleys were going to react when they were confronted with the very large God of Thunder dressed in blue and silver leather armor. Thor only seemed to wear his long red cape and silver arm plating when he was in full battle mode. Harry couldn’t help but grin at the at the thought of just how many different colors Vernon was sure to turn at the sight of Thor.

It felt surreal to Harry as he led Thor up to the door of Number 4, and brought him right inside.

“Boy! Where have you…” Aunt Petunia’s shrieking trailed off when she caught sight of Thor standing behind Harry.

“Aunt Petunia this is Thor, my biological father. Thor this is my Aunt Petunia who I’ve lived with for the past few years,” Harry introduced awkwardly.

“Well met Lady Petunia, I am Thor Odinson, Prince of Asgard. I am Harek’s father, and I am here to take him back with me to the Realm Eternal, Asgard,” Thor declared loudly in greeting.

Aunt Petunia clearly had no idea how to respond to such a claim so for once in her life she wisely remained silent.

“I’ll be right back, Thor, I just have to grab a couple of things from my room, and the rest of my stuff is down here,” Harry explained darting up the stairs before Thor could offer to come up with him. He didn’t want Thor to see the locks on his bedroom door.

Harry swiftly pulled up the floorboard containing his prized possessions. He had his photo album, his wand, his invisibility cloak, and the knife Loki had given him. Harry packed all of the nicer clothing Loki had gotten him in duffle bag along with his other things. He gladly left Dudley’s ragged old clothing behind. He also released Hedwig. He would have to ask Thor about whether or not it would be safe to bring her along. He couldn’t imagine leaving her behind but he supposed she could stay with Hermione until he came back to Earth.

By the time Harry came back downstairs Vernon and Dudley had waddled out to see what all the commotion was about. Marge didn’t seem to be around or else she had drunk too much already and had passed out in the guest room.

“Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my home? Are you one of their lot?” Vernon roared already turning red to purple.

Thor looked a bit startled by Vernon’s obvious vehemence but he replied firmly, “I am Thor, Prince of Asgard. I have come to retrieve my son’s belongings.”

“Son?” Vernon frowned momentarily distracted by his own confusion.

“Yes, Harek is my son,” Thor said, smiling widely in relief at seeing Harry descending the staircase.

“You’re the one from the telly. An Avenger. Mum, dad, he’s Thor the God of Thunder!” Dudley cried in awe.

Vernon’s face began to molt from purple to a variety of different colors as his slow mind worked to finally understand just who had entered his home.

“You mean you’re the boy’s real father?” Petunia asked shrewdly ignoring her husband and son’s gawping.

“I am,” Thor said proudly.

“And you’ll be taking him?” Petunia questioned closely.

“Yes… I understand if you would not wish to be parted with him. But I am his father and I would like to take him with me. Perhaps he could come vis—” Thor was cut off.

“Oh, no that won’t be necessary. Of course you can take him. A boy deserves to be with this father after all,” Petunia agreed suddenly amicable now that she knew she would soon be rid of Harry.

“You require no proof?” Thor frowned.

“Oh, I’m sure you’re trustworthy. You were on the telly after all. Wonderful work you did in America. You’re a hero to the entire world,” Petunia waved away Thor’s concern.

Thor seemed to be confused with Petunia’s utter lack of concern.

“Very well then. We shall retrieve the rest of Harek’s belongings, and then we will be off,” Thor said slowly, clearly dumbfounded by the Dursley’s easy dismissal.

“Wonderful. Isn’t that wonderful Vernon?” Petunia practically cheered.

“We’ll finally be rid of the freak,” Vernon agreed.

Petunia elbowed Vernon and shot him a vicious glare.

“What did you call him?” Thor growled, and thunder flashed ominously in the distance as Thor raised Mjolnir.

“I… we…” Vernon stuttered in the face of Thor’s obvious power.

“You dare call my son, a prince of Asgard, such a foul name you swine?” Thor demanded.

Vernon really was a coward when it came down to it. Harry just wished he had realized this earlier in life. Vernon hated magic so much because he feared it, and he feared it so much because it was a force he didn’t understand. It was obvious that he feared Thor. He’d seen what Thor could do on the news. Not only could he summon lightning but he was physically much stronger and more durable than a normal human. Vernon may not like it but even his small mind recognized when not to antagonize a being much stronger than himself any further than he already had.

Or maybe not.

“He’s been nothing but trouble since the day we got him. We’ve suffered his strangeness for years,” Vernon spat.

“You tiny, small minded mortal! I have crushed creatures that were thrice your size, and half as loathsome as you. I will smite you!” Thor raised Mjolnir threateningly.

Part of him really would have liked to see Thor smite Vernon into a pile of ash but he figured he should probably stop Thor from murdering Vernon. If only to keep the public from accusing Thor of murder. With the dark expression on his face, Harry was fairly certain that he actually would have done it.

“Thor, let’s just leave,” Harry begged.

“I will not let these mortals get away with such horrible treatment of you,” Thor growled.

“You can’t just hit him with Mjolnir either. He’s mortal, he would die, and you’d be a murderer,” Harry argued.

“Mayhaps you are right,” Thor glared, and reluctantly lowered Mjolnir.

The Dursleys fled to hide upstairs before Thor changed his mind, and Harry went to grab his trunk. The door to the cupboard under the stairs was locked. But Harry took a vicious sort of pleasure in yanking the door right off of the hinges. He was a bit too enthusiastic about it because he accidently pulled so hard that he sent it through the opposite wall where it got stuck.

Harry and Thor shared a look. Neither of them was overly concerned about ruining the Dursley’s property. Harry pulled out his trunk, which felt significantly lighter than he remembered it being when he carried it home at the beginning of the summer. It was a stark reminder that Harry had changed a great deal this summer. He was practically a different person all together.

Thor slung an arm across Harry’s shoulders as they exited Number 4, hugging him close. Harry took comfort in the side embrace, grateful for the physical comfort. Thor’s obvious strength made Harry feel safe. It was as if no one could touch him while Thor was there. He wondered if that was what having a father actually felt like. If so, Harry rather liked it.

Thor paused before they returned back to the helicarrier. He hefted Mjolnir, sent a dark glare at the house, and brought the hammer down on Vernon’s company car. Harry gaped as Thor gave the car several more whacks until the vehicle was completely flattened, leaving a huge crater in the middle of the driveway.

Harry burst into a fit of laughter. Thor grinned back before a serious expression overtook his features.

“You will never have to stay with those wretched mortals again,” Thor promised.

“Thanks,” Harry murmured.

“If you have any wish to discuss their treatment of you, I will listen,” Thor offered, hesitantly.

“Maybe later,” Harry said having no intention of telling Thor about the Dursleys. They were behind him now and he didn’t want to waste anymore of his life by so much as thinking about the Dursleys.

“If they have harmed you, I will see them punished for their crimes,” Thor swore.

“They just don’t like me. They never hurt me,” at least not physically, Harry added mentally.

“Very well,” Thor replied looking uncertain of what to do in this situation, which Harry used to his advantage.

“How are we going to fly back to the helicarrier?” Harry indicated his large trunk and Hedwig.

“I will hold your trunk under one arm, and you can climb onto my back,” Thor decided. “Your pet may fly there herself. It is not that far.”

“Right, okay,” Harry agreed.

“Would you like me to kneel down?” Thor offered already crouching a bit.

“Er… all right,” Harry clumsily clambered onto Thor’s back.

It was probably one of the most awkward things Harry had ever done. No one had ever given him a piggyback ride before. He’d seen some of the other children from primary school get ones from their fathers when they’d come to pick their children up from school. He had often wished that he had a father who would come to pick him up from school, and swing him up into their arms. He was pretty sure getting a piggyback ride from his father was much more awkward now that he was thirteen.

Despite Harry’s new, greater weight Thor didn’t seem at all burdened by it. He swung Mjolnir around quickly and took to the air just as quickly as he did before. Hedwig hooted and tried to keep up but the owl was incapable of keeping pace with the speed Mjolnir set. Harry was confident that Hedwig would find her way back to him. She was the most intelligent bird Harry had ever seen.

It wasn’t long before Thor and Harry spotted the helicarrier. But it soon became apparent that something had happened in their absence. Billows of smoke rose up from the side of the helicarrier, and it looked like an entire chunk had been taken out of the side of it. Agents and the Avengers were swarming around trying to keep the helicarrier from sinking into the sea.

Thor set Harry and his trunk down near Fury who was barking orders at everyone.

“Director, what has happened here?” Thor demanded.

“I’ll tell you what happened here. Your damn brother,” he pointed an accusing finger at Harry, “Bit a hole in the side of my helicarrier so that he could free your damn brother.” The angry finger was turned on Thor.

“But Jormungandr and Loki were feuding,” Thor looked confused.

“That’s what they wanted us to think,” the Black Widow explained as she materialized at their sides. She was soaking wet and looked a little banged up but other than that she was in one piece, and just as stoic as she usually was.

“They wanted to lead you into a false sense of security so you would let your guards down, and Jormungandr would be able to help Loki escape. If you thought they were fighting you wouldn’t think of Jormungandr as a threat to freeing Loki,” Harry realized.

“Were you in on it?” Fury demanded his dark eye swinging towards Harry accusingly.

“No,” Harry glared. He was actually a little put out that he wasn’t let in on the plan.

“Harek is innocent of such knowledge,” Thor declared, offended on Harry’s behalf.

“Sure he is. But all the same I think I’m going to keep my eye on you,” Fury replied.

“We must find Loki. I cannot return to Asgard without him,” Thor stated.

“We all have to find Loki before the lunatic decides to try for a second act of destroying the world. First we have to keep the helicarrier from sinking into the goddamn ocean long enough for us to get air born,” Fury snapped.

“Of course,” Thor took off towards the hole in the side of the helicarrier to help Iron Man and Captain America patch up the side.

Harry would have liked to help but he was pretty sure such skills were beyond the realm of his capabilities at the moment. So he sat down on his trunk to wait. Harry was confident that they would be able to fix the helicarrier enough for them to take to the air again. Today was easily one of the longest days of his life, and he wasn’t sure how to handle it. He’d semi-made up with Loki. He’d met his father for the first time, and his father now knew of his existence. The two of them had decided they wanted to get to know each other. Harry had decided to go to Asgard. And now it looked like he wouldn’t be going to Asgard anytime soon because Loki had escaped. Harry couldn’t help but wonder what he was going to do now.

Harry felt more than a little lost. A part of him understood that Loki needed to escape while he had the chance. He didn’t want Loki to go to Asgardian prison even if he probably deserved it. But Harry was worried about him. What if the ones who had been controlling him found him while he was alone? Thor would have to focus his attention on finding Loki now. Harry wanted to help him search but at the same time he didn’t because if Thor found him than he would bring Loki back to Asgard for his punishment. Some kids had divorced parents. Harry got parents that were quarreling adopted brothers who were practically enemies.

Just when he was really starting to feel despondent Hedwig landed on his shoulder. The snowy owl hooted, and promptly bit him on the ear. It didn’t hurt like it used to but it strangely made Harry feel better. He stroked her feathers as the helicarrier slowly began to rise into the air.

Thor approached where he sat, dripping wet and a huge grin on his face.

“Come Harek, let us enjoy a meal with my fellow Avengers. The flying craft has been saved, and you have had a most taxing day.”

“What about Asgard? What are we going to do now?” Harry worried.

“We can decide later, for now let us feast, and relax,” Thor wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him close.

“You’re getting me all wet,” Harry laughed.

“My apologies,” Thor grinned and shook out his long hair like a dog sending more saltwater all over him.

Harry laughed harder and pushed Thor away, making his way towards the entrance to the helicarrier. Thor scooped up his trunk and followed him inside.

Chapter Text

Loki groaned as he was dropped unceremoniously onto a rock-strewn beach.

“Was it really necessary to carry me in your mouth?” Loki glared up at his son’s grinning, sharp-toothed visage. Loki’s brow wrinkled as he attempted to wipe the saliva off his armor.

“That went better than expected,” Jormungandr ignored him. “They didn’t even try to mount a party to come after us.”

“I think they were too busy trying to keep their metal craft from sinking,” Loki grinned.

Loki and Jormungandr’s escape plan had gone off perfectly. As soon as Jormungandr entered the room where SHIELD had been holding him the two of them had been able to silently communicate through gestures to create a course of action. Thor taking Harry from the ship had been perfect for their plan. Loki and Jormungandr wouldn’t have to worry about Harry getting hurt when Jormungandr freed him. Loki also didn’t want Harek to be a part of their plan for SHIELD would certainly persecute him if they even suspected something. They were a paranoid bunch, and their mistrust of him would easily extend to his child. Loki was confident that it wouldn’t take long for them to be reunited. Loki had a plan, a plan that had not included returning to Asgard as a prisoner, and he certainly hadn’t wanted his little boy to face Odin’s judgment. Perhaps Odin wouldn’t have harmed him because Harek was his own flesh and blood. Loki wasn’t willing to take that chance. There were far too many other instances where Odin had proved his unwillingness to accept any child of Loki.

“So what now father? We’ve left Harek behind with uncle Thor. How will you retrieve him?” Jormungandr wanted to know.

“The Other, the one who… employed me,” Loki spat. “He cannot reach Midgard now. At least not for a very long time. Not without a portal, so for the time being I need not worry about him. For now I need to hide myself and recuperate. I am not fully healed from my time with the Other and the Chitauri. The damage from that infernal green beast set back my recovery not to mention the months of energy that went into putting off their demands to opening the doorway so I could spend time with Harry.”

“What did they to do to you, father?” Jormungandr asked in concern.

“It is not your concern, Jor,” Loki waved him away.

“You are my father, if you were harmed or tortured I deserve to know,” Jormungandr growled.

“Yes, I am your father, and it is not your duty to worry about me. It is a parent’s job to take care of their child not the other way around,” Loki argued. He loathed feeling like an incompetent parent. He had missed all of his children’s childhoods. Loki wanted to make up for lost time by not missing any more time with Harry.

“We will see those who wronged you punished. I may not be as skilled or as knowledgeable as you are in magic but even I can see there was damage done to your magic. There are scars in your aura. I have never seen such things before. What sorts of tortures did they submit you too?” Jormungandr asked softly.

“Another time, Jor,” Loki replied, too tired to argue with his son.

Loki was grateful to have his children’s support but he was not yet ready to share the torments he had suffered. The weakness he had experienced while being under the mercy of someone else had been awful, and humiliating to Loki. He was too ashamed to relive the moments where he had been overpowered.

“As you wish,” Jormungandr agreed, watching him with cautious eyes.

“I know just where to go into hiding. Incidentally it will also bring me closer to Harek,” Loki smiled.

Jormungandr regarded him shrewdly. “You will return to your form as Lily Potter? Won’t Odin recognize you?”

“Odin is in Asgard. The Bifrost is destroyed, and without the Tesseract to aid them it will take them many years to rebuild the bridge, and Heimdall will not be able to see through the wards of Hogwarts. The mortals know nothing about the wizarding world. Not even SHIELD with all of its spies has been able to uncover the truth of the wizarding world yet. I would be effectively hidden among the wizards,” Loki replied confidently.

“And what of Thor?” Jormungandr questioned. “He knows you in that form.”

“It will be a simple matter to keep him ignorant of my being among the wizards. He will be far too busy looking for me to notice me hiding in plain sight. Thor knows little of the wizarding world. He would not think to look for me there, knowing that I had been declared dead in that world. Besides if Thor did find out and came to take me away the wizards would seek to stop him. Of course they could not stop him completely. However, they could halt him long enough for me to escape,” Loki replied.

“If you say so,” Jormungandr didn’t look the least bit convinced. “I still say it would be smarter to simply remain invisible all together.”

Loki glared. Yes, he recognized perhaps it would be the better option to remain completely in the shadows but Loki thrived on a bit of danger and chaos. He was willing to take the risk. This was the only way he could truly be with Harry without constantly being on the run or having to worry about Thor’s interference. The wards wizards provided would hide him effectively without him draining his own weakened abilities to put up his own wards to hide from Heimdall’s gaze. There were many loose ends he needed to tie up in the wizarding world. He also had many good memories of his time among them, better than some of the ones he held of Asgard. Loki wanted the chance to be back among them, to once again belong somewhere. Magic was considered a weak pursuit among Asgardians but among the wizards magical strength was respected and revered. Loki knew he wouldn’t be able to stay long before he was discovered but hopefully staying in a magic rich environment would aid him in speeding up his healing process.

“And how will you explain your miraculous resurrection to the wizards?” Jormungandr asked skeptically.

“I won’t. That’s the thing about wizards such strange occurrences are part of their everyday life. Once I provide a sample of my blood, which will be the same as the sample the goblins have on record, they will have all the proof they need to know that I am who I say I am.”

“When Odin removed your powers he couldn’t change the fundamental structure of your DNA so your blood as Lily was the same as it is now,” Jormungandr nodded in agreement.

“Exactly, and with a little manipulation my magical signature will be the same. After all the magic I had as a witch came from my own residual power that Odin couldn’t quite remove completely. The wizards will hardly bat an eye at my return once they have that evidence,” Loki grinned.

He could suppress his magic beneath impressive barriers that the mortals wouldn’t be able to sense. It would be made easier because at the moment his magical energy was running low anyway. The wizards would be able to sense a portion of his magical aura without them seeing the full affect and becoming too suspicious over his incredible magical strength.

“What should I do?” Jormungandr questioned.

“Find Harry, stay close to him, and tell him to return to Hogwarts. Don’t tell him about my plan. I want it to be a surprise. Thor won’t be returning to Asgard without me but I have no doubt he will not wish to relinquish Harry. My only chance to get close to him is if he goes to Hogwarts, far, far away from Thor and the Avengers,” Loki replied.

“I took a chunk out of their boat, I don’t think they’re going to let me anywhere near them or Harry anytime soon,” Jormungandr said sarcastically.

“No, but I don’t think they would notice a harmless little snake, and Harry will hide you,” Loki smirked.

“You mean to shrink me? If you transfigure me and then I go on land I’ll be stuck in the form of an ordinary snake until I return to the seas,” Jormungandr complained.

“Yes, a large and venomous snake who will also benefit from the protection of his brother,” Loki argued.

“Yes, my younger brother who doesn’t have the slightest grasp on his newly developing powers,” Jormungandr growled.

“If you wish to help me, you will watch over your younger brother for me until I have secured my place in the wizarding world,” Loki argued.

“Fine, do what you must. I will keep an eye on Harry,” Jormungandr agreed sullenly.

“Good,” Loki wasted no time in transforming Jormungandr.

The great red sea serpent was now a much more manageable three-foot long reddish brown viper. Loki teleported Jormungandr back to the helicarrier so he would be able to meet up with Harry once he returned. Loki’s next stop was seeking out a familiar face. Loki had noticed another presence during his visits with Harry in the park. It had taken him a little while but he finally had figured just who that presence was, and Loki was going to find him. He owed him that much.

Loki teleported himself to Little Whinging, and set about searching for the familiar presence. It wasn’t hard before he discovered the large, mangy black dog rummaging through a garbage bin for scraps.

Loki conjured Sirius’s favorite meal.

“Here, doggie,” he called softly.

The dog turned, it’s familiar gray eyes looking him over. The dog sidled closer to catch a better scent of the food.

Sirius cautiously approached and Loki crouched down to allow him to eat the food.

“Now, Sirius, I think the two of us really need to have a conversation,” Loki whispered into the dog’s ear.

Sirius jerked back, panic in his eyes. He tried to bolt but Loki easily grabbed hold of the ruff of his neck, and hauled him up into the air. Sirius squirmed in an attempt to free himself. It reminded Loki of the way he used to pick up Fenris when he’d been younger, and so he was easily able to contain the large dog.

“There is no need to fear. I mean you no harm. We must speak. I am going to bring us to a safe location so that we may do so,” Loki informed him.

Sirius did not answer considering his current form. Loki brought them both to a very familiar location to Sirius. The Shrieking Shack as it had been dubbed in their school days from Remus’s screams whilst changing into his werewolf form. James had confided in Loki about the truth of the Marauder’s monthly outings while they had been dating in their seventh year. Loki had been suspicious about their monthly disappearances, and was close to discovering the truth anyway. He had always felt a connection to Remus. It made sense now considering werewolves had been created through a mishap with his son Fenris before he had been forever imprisoned. James had shown Loki the secret passageway into the Shrieking Shack not that Loki needed it now. The Shrieking Shack was beyond the wards of Hogwarts, which made it simple for Loki to teleport the both of them into it. The old place looked just as decrepit as it had all those years ago.

Loki released Sirius from the spell. Instantly the dog sprang away from him, and resumed his human form. Loki felt a pang of regret as he caught his first good look of Sirius. The man was dressed in threadbare rags but the state of his clothing paled in comparison to the state the man himself was in. In their school days Sirius Black had been larger than life always the center of attention and always laughing. He was once a tall, well built young man with a handsome face and a charismatic personality. Sirius had also been a prankster with a mean streak towards those he considered a threat to his small group of friends.

The man in front of Loki was a pale shadow of that man. Sirius was gaunt in the extreme. Azkaban had caused his once handsome face to waste away to skin stretched taut over bone, and his muscular frame had withered from malnutrition. His thick black hair was a long and wild mess, and an untrimmed, unkempt beard covered his face. But what worried Loki the most was the crazed look in his gray eyes. Eyes once so full of laughter and mischief were now haunted with madness. Loki couldn’t help but wonder if this is what he looked like when he had first stepped out of the portal onto Earth. Loki had certainly felt insane enough at the time to warrant it. Only time with Harry had managed to ease the madness Loki had been suffering. Loki felt a stab of guilt at the fate Sirius had undergone. He could certainly relate to his situation, and hoped to rectify it.

“Who are you?” Sirius rasped.

“You don’t recognize me. But of course I looked a little different the last time you saw me,” Loki smirked easily finding some amusement in the current situation.

“I have no idea who you are, and I don’t really care. What I want to know, is just how did you know who I was? Only a handful of people knew my animagus form and half of them are dead now,” Sirius growled with a bitter grin.

“I know your animagus form because you told me yourself, Sirius,” Loki explained.

“I did no such thing. I don’t know you.”

“You would be surprised,” Loki murmured.

“Tell me your name,” Sirius snarled.

“My name is Loki.”

“Loki? I don’t know any Lokis,” Sirius spat.

“No, but you knew me by another name: Lily. Lily Evans and later Lily Potter,” Loki changed before Sirius eyes taking his female form while changing the color of his hair.

“What is this? Have I finally gone completely mad? This isn’t possible! Are you some sort of specter come to haunt me for failing you?” Sirius cried backing away, and gripping his head.

“It’s me, Sirius. I swear to you, I really am Lily Potter. Ask me anything. Something only I would know,” Loki insisted gently reaching out to touch Sirius’s shoulder. But he stopped before making contact thinking that it would best to give the wizard some space.

“No, this isn’t happening. You aren’t real,” Sirius shook his head.

“I am real Sirius Orion Black, and I am alive and well. You were at my wedding. You bought my son a broom for his first birthday despite my wishes to the contrary. I know your animagus form is a black dog, and your nickname is Padfoot. You were not the Secret Keeper for James and I. You didn’t betray us, it was Peter Pettigrew. You and James were the only ones in this world who knew the truth that Harry wasn’t James’s biological child. His biological father was an Asgardian, Thor,” Loki continued.

“How? No one else knew that…How can this be happening? Are you really alive? Is this really happening?” Sirius muttered to himself in distress.

“Yes, Sirius, I am alive, and I’m really here,” Loki told him sincerely.

“How are you alive? How did you survive? Why were you a man a little earlier? Is it some sort of disguise to keep others from realizing you’re really alive?” Sirius questioned quickly, eager to hear his story now that he was finally starting to accept the truth.

“It’s a rather long story. One that would be best explained with you sitting down before you fall down. You are still quite weak,” Loki waved at the couch and transfigured it to make it a bit more comfortable. Sirius could use any sort of comfort, and so could he if he was being honest with himself.

“Why do I have a feeling things are about to become very complicated?” Sirius mumbled as he reluctantly seated himself as far away from Loki as possible.

“Very astute, Black. Now listen closely, and try not to interrupt,” Loki commanded.

“You’re still bossy as ever I see,” Sirius muttered.

Loki glared and Sirius subsided into silence. Loki took advantage of his silence to begin his tale. Sirius tried to interrupt a few times but Loki cut him off, and forced him to listen to the entire tale.

“Let me see if I fully understand this situation. You are actually Loki the Norse God of Mischief and Magic. You were punished by your adopted father, Odin, by him de-aging you while in your female form, and then stripping you of your powers and memories. You grew up as Lily Evans, had a brief fling with your adopted brother when both of you didn’t recognize one another, and then you had Harry. You married James, Voldemort attacked you, and you died but only for a little bit because Odin showed up took you back to Asgard and restored your godly powers. You had no memory of your life as Lily so you went on your merry way until you fell off the rainbow bridge. You also tried to take over the world. Did I get that all right?” Sirius asked dryly.

“Yes,” Loki gritted his teeth.

“All right then,” Sirius sat back looking a bit overwhelmed

“You believe me? You don’t want proof?” Loki asked in surprise.

“The dementors may have addled my mind but they didn’t make me crazy enough to think up a story like that. I’ve never been that creative, and I can’t imagine that I would start now when my head’s practically a pool of mush. A story that unbelievably mad has to be true,” Sirius said sagely.

Loki slapped him in the back of the head. “Stop being an idiot, Black.”

Sirius’s hand went to rub the back of his head. “Oh yeah, you’re definitely Lily,” he grumbled.

“Did I finally knock some sense into that thick head of yours?” Loki quirked an eyebrow.

“No one could hit quite like you could, Evans,” Sirius flashed him a crooked grin.

“I never did anything that you didn’t deserve, Black. Someone had to keep you in line,” Loki smiled innocently.

“I don’t believe this. You’re a bloke! Well, not right now. But before you were a bloke,” he suddenly burst out, the initial shock was beginning to wear off.

“A god,” Loki corrected smugly.

“Yeah, a god. Thank Merlin James never knew. We never would have heard the end of it if he knew he’d bagged himself a god, and the God of Mischief to boot,” Sirius snorted. 

Loki rolled his eyes and felt a pang of loss over James. He wished he could find a way to repay the wizard for all that he had done for him.

“You should have been helping us with pranks not turning us in or lecturing us about them,” Sirius accused.

“I recall quite a few times I pranked the lot of you. You just never realized it was me,” Loki smirked slyly.

“You…? I don’t believe it. What did you do?” Sirius demanded.

“The hair incident of sixth year,” Loki offered as an example.

Sirius gaped at him. “You? You turned my gorgeous black locks Slytherin green and silver?”

“I did,” Loki nodded.

“I can’t believe it. My hair was striped green and silver for three months. I couldn’t turn it back, and it really put a halt on my dating life. Pranked by Evans, it’s a travesty,” Sirius shook his head sadly.

“If it makes you feel better you can say you were pranked by the God of Mischief,” Loki offered.

“It would definitely help. Which reminds me, how should I refer to you? You know Loki or Lily? He or she?” Sirius asked thoughtfully.

Loki rolled his eyes. This was a question he was asked frequently. “You may use the gender pronoun of whichever gender I currently am at the time. As for names you may do the same. In this form call me Lily and in my other you may refer to me as Loki.”

“But you’re really the same person?”

“Yes, Lily and I are one. We have slight differences because we grew up differently, and had different experience but at the core we are the same especially now that I have assimilated all of Lily’s memories. Lily is me and I am Lily,” Loki explained.

“But you think of yourself as Loki,” Sirius observed knowingly.

“I have been Loki a lot longer than I was ever Lily. So yes as the more dominant part of me I do think of myself as primarily Loki,” Loki clarified.

“All right then,” Sirius smiled.

Loki sighed. “I believe we’re getting off task. I mean to return to the wizarding world. Once I have proven my existence to them I will clear your name.”

“What?” Sirius murmured in shock.

“I’m sorry for what happened to you, Sirius. You have lost a great deal of your life, and I do not want you to miss any more of it. You are perhaps one of the few friends I have right, and I don’t want to leave you in such a desperate situation,” Loki whispered.

“Thank you,” Sirius replied sincerely.

“You can remain here until then. It should not take me long,” Loki assured him.

“Wait, I broke out of Azkaban for a reason. I found Pettigrew,” Sirius hissed.

“Tell me,” Loki commanded, feeling rage stir inside him at the thought of the traitor.

“He’s a rat animagus, which you know. When I confronted him after yours and James’s death he cut off his finger before blowing up the street and disappearing into the sewers as a rat. Minister Fudge came by with a paper for me towards the beginning of summer. There was a picture of Wormtail in the paper,” Sirius informed Loki.

“A picture? How?” Loki frowned.

“The little bastard’s been hiding all of these years as a rat. He’s pretended to be the family pet to the Weasleys. They won some sort of contest so their picture was in the paper, and imagine my surprise to see Wormtail on the shoulder of the youngest boy. I knew I had to get out then. Pettigrew was right there in Hogwarts. In the same dorm as Harry,” Sirius ranted.

Loki froze. “I will rip that rat limb from limb.”

Sirius flashed a fierce grin. “I would be more than happy to assist you in such an endeavor.”

“We’ll need to get our hands on the rat before proving my identity. Once the truth of my being alive is spread he’ll no doubt take off,” Loki murmured.

“He was in Egypt. I think the Weasleys should be back by now. We can capture him there,” Sirius agreed.

“Do they live in the same place?” Loki asked.

“I believe so. Ottery St. Catchpole, I think it is,” Sirius nodded.

“Well, then we have a rat to catch, don’t we?” Loki smirked.

Sirius rubbed his hands together looking eager.

“First, let’s clean you up a bit, shall we?” Loki snapped his fingers.

Sirius was now perfectly clean. His hair and beard were trimmed and he wore simple, but elegant black slacks, a gray shirt and black jacket. He was still horribly gaunt but at the very least he didn’t look like a complete raving lunatic now.

“I believe we have a rat to hunt now,” Sirius said impatiently.

Loki nodded and took hold of Sirius’s arm. He brought the two of them just outside of the quaint little town.

“I think it would be best if you returned to your animagus form, and used your nose to sniff out the rat. Knock him out, and then bind him with this. Just be careful and don’t trap yourself in it,” Loki held an enchanted chain out for Sirius to bind Pettigrew. The dog gingerly took it into his mouth. “Apparate with him back to the Shrieking Shack, I’ll meet you there. Meanwhile, I will go to the Ministry and begin the process of confirming my identity. Once my identity is confirmed we’ll clear your name.”

The dog nodded once before taking off up the path. Loki was certain Sirius would be able to catch Pettigrew. Sirius’s desire for vengeance was far too great for him to fail in this endeavor. Loki just hoped that Sirius brought Pettigrew back alive. It would certainly make clearing his name much easier, and Loki wanted the chance to enact his own revenge on the little worm.

Loki teleported straight to St. Mungo’s. It was strange to think that he had been considering joining the medi-wizard program here at one point. But the war and then later Harry pushed his dream off for a little while. He’d always intended to go back but of course then he’d died. Loki decided to go right up to the main desk, ready to put on the performance of the year. He was known as the God of Lies for a reason after all, and it would be hardly difficult to fool the mortals.

“Excuse me ma’am, I need some help. I don’t know where else to go. I’ve looked everywhere for my husband and son, James and Harry Potter. I can’t find them anywhere. The last thing I remember was being attacked, and our house is destroyed but they aren’t inside. Has anyone brought them here?” Loki asked in a flawlessly panicked voice.

The receptionist was just gaping at him in shock. Of course Lily Potter was just as well known as the mother Boy-Who-Lived, and her appearance was well known amongst wizards. Her picture was in many history books, and she was considered a saint for sacrificing her life for her young son.

“Lily? Lily Potter?” she gasped.

“Yes,” Loki frowned in feigned confusion.

“I can’t believe… We need to get you checked over.”

“I don’t understand. Are my husband and son here or not?” Loki demanded.

“Just calm down, we’ll explain everything. Just let me get a healer,” the woman ran off before Loki could complain further.

Once the healer arrived and shuffled him into an examination room everything moved very quickly. They tested his blood and magic, and once both came back positive the healer was falling over herself to explain everything to Loki. Loki played his part well. Pretending to be distraught and disbelieving until he was brought proof. They brought him the day’s Daily Prophet.After that he demanded to see his son. Instead he got the Minister and Dumbledore. Loki was shocked and disgruntled to find out that Cornelius Fudge had actually been elected Minister of Magic. The man was utterly incompetent, and Loki wondered how much ruin he had caused to the Ministry and the British wizarding world during his time in office.

Another round of exams were completed at the request of both Dumbledore and Fudge so that they could witness them for themselves and ensure that they were not tampered with. Not that Fudge would have been able to recognize if they had. They all came back proving he was Lily Potter. Theories on his survival began bouncing between the two healers allowed in the hospital room while Fudge was already trying to spin his survival as something he had accomplished as a way to get more votes for the next election. But Loki urged them to keep his return a secret for the time being. There was a chance that Thor would want to bring Harry to get his school things himself. It would lower the risk of Thor discovering him if his existence wasn’t revealed until the school year began, and the chances of Thor getting into contact with the wizarding world lessened. Dumbledore heartily agreed with this idea.

Dumbledore was genuinely thrilled at his return but Loki understood the man much better than he had when he thought he was just Lily Potter. As Lily Potter he had been more naïve. He had led a simpler, happier, and shorter life as Lily, and therefore had not quite developed all of the observational and manipulative skills he had as Loki. Now that Loki had gotten all of his memories back he was able to recognize that Dumbledore had not gotten his place of authority on countless councils just because he was kind and grandfatherly. He’d earned them through his power, intelligence, and natural authoritative presence. Loki knew the man would already be concocting all sorts of different plans of how to best use his return. A part of Loki understood this as manipulation was a part of his own nature, and unlike Loki Dumbledore was often trying to manipulate things for the good of the whole. While Loki often did things for his own amusement or lately to get back at Odin and Thor.

“I am so happy that you are alive and well, Lily. Do you remember anything?” Dumbledore questioned while Fudge was speaking with the healers.

“I remember the attack. I think Voldemort hit me with something and then the next thing I know I’m waking up in Harry’s destroyed nursery. I know that James is dead. I saw the flash of green while he tried to hold of Voldemort. But Harry is alive. When can I see Harry? I hope that Sirius hasn’t spoiled him too much,” Loki smirked internally at the shocked expression on Dumbledore’s face. Likewise the healers and Fudge whipped around to stare at him.

“Sirius? Why would Sirius have raised Harry?” Dumbledore questioned.

“Why wouldn’t he have? He is Harry’s godfather,” Loki feigned confusion.

“But Sirius Black betrayed you. He was your Secret Keeper, and he gave your location away to Voldemort,” Dumbledore replied.

“Sirius wasn’t our Secret Keeper, Peter Pettigrew was. The two of them switched at the last moment. James and Sirius thought it would be too obvious if Sirius was our Secret Keeper. Pettigrew betrayed us,” Loki stated firmly.

Fudge erupted into a flurry of activity. He needed to look into Sirius’s case to cover himself when it became public knowledge that Sirius was innocent. The man had pleaded with Loki to keep this information to himself for the time being. Loki sincerely assured him he would. Of course he was lying. But Fudge didn’t know that.

In the ensuing maelstrom Dumbledore got Loki alone once more. Loki wasn’t too fond of the Headmaster at the moment. Harry had told him all about how he was the one to place him with the Dursleys, and had forced him to return there for the last two summers. But he needed Dumbledore on his side so he played nice, and hinted at wanting to be closer to Harry. Dumbledore was happy to have the newly resurrected Lily Potter closer to him, and offered her a position co-teaching with Remus. Apparently he had already hired the werewolf for the Defense Against the Dark Arts position but they would need someone to cover the days before and after the full moon. Remus was an intelligent but gentle soul who had been a close friend even before Loki started dating James Potter. And the more allies Loki had at his side the harder it would be for Thor to take him back to Asgard.

Loki managed to convince the healers to let him stay at Hogwarts. They reluctantly agreed. All of their tests proved he was in perfect health. There was no reason for them to hold him. He needed to get back to Sirius as soon as possible. Who knows what he would do to Pettigrew if left alone with him for too long? Loki had given his official statement to Pettigrew being their Secret Keeper but they were holding off on beginning the process of clearing his name. Mostly because Fudge was an idiot, and still believed he was responsible for killing Pettigrew in revenge. He wanted any excuse to keep the public from knowing that an innocent man had been locked away in Azkaban for years, even if though he hadn’t been incarcerated under Fudge’s reign. Fudge was smart enough to realize the public would turn on him. They would need the rat to officially clear his name.

Only Dumbledore, Hagrid, Filch, and Sybil Trelawney actually stayed at Hogwarts during the summers, which made it easier to avoid conversation with anyone. Dumbledore tried to strike up a conversation with him by chatting about how Harry was doing in school. Loki feigned tiredness to get him to leave him alone.

The moment Dumbledore was gone Loki made his way back down to the Shrieking Shack. He found Sirius poking a bound rat with a stick. Loki felt relief wash through him. He honestly hadn’t been sure if Sirius would have kept Pettigrew alive or not. Perhaps Sirius had more sanity than Loki had given him credit for. Or perhaps being given a task to complete had given him enough purpose to get his mind to focus and momentarily chase away the madness.

“I thought you were never coming back, and it had all been a figment of my imagination,” Sirius admitted.

“It wasn’t,” Loki assured him. “Now, I believe we have some unfinished business to attend to.”

Sirius flashed him a grin, and turned his attention towards Pettigrew.

With a wave of his hand Loki forced Pettigrew to turn back into his human form. Loki sneered in disgust at the pathetic creature Peter Pettigrew had become. He’d always been a rather unremarkable boy but the heavy, putrid little man in front of him was far more loathsome than the boy he remembered.

“Lily, oh sweet Lily, dear Lily. You’re alive,” Pettigrew whimpered in terror.

“Shut up! You don’t get to apologize for murdering her,” Sirius snarled.

“I… I’m sorry. The Dark Lord… He’s so strong and I couldn’t… He would have killed me,” Pettigrew cried.

“Then you should have died, rather than betray our friends,” Sirius replied darkly.

“You wouldn’t kill me, would you? Lily you were always so kind, so gentle to everyone. You would never hurt anyone,” Pettigrew sniveled.

“I’m not the same person I was back then, Wormtail. You had a part in murdering my husband, and the attempted murder of my child. That is something I just can’t forgive I’m afraid,” Loki taunted.

“But you need me. Sirius your name will never be cleared without me,” Pettigrew cried.

“You’re right, Wormtail, we need you, alive,” Loki emphasized. “Your condition isn’t as important, just as long as you’re still in one piece afterwards. We’ll drop you off anonymously at the DMLE when we’re through,” Loki grinned fiercely.

Fear flashed through Pettigrew’s eyes as Loki and Sirius converged on him. Of course they kept things fairly tame considering Sirius didn’t have a wand and Loki was in a weakened state. Loki mostly cast a few illusions making Pettigrew believe he was covered in various insects or had snakes crawling beneath his skin. Sirius was happy enough to watch and taunt the rat, and give him an occasional kick. Loki dropped him off in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement after the rat had been reduced to a complete sniveling heap. He made certain that his mind was properly erased on Loki’s involvement, and that he would be found immediately.

Only once the Aurors had their hands on him did Loki return to his bed at Hogwarts. The next morning he had breakfast in his room, served by the house elves. There was one particular house elf that was utterly beside itself over meeting ‘Harry Potter’s Mother’. Loki couldn’t help but smile at the little creature’s title for him. Dobby was certainly devoted to his son, and eagerly told Loki just how Harry had tricked his master into giving him clothes. Loki felt pride in hearing about Harry’s accomplishments. The little elf was a good source of information. He was eager to provide Loki with any details of Harry’s life that he was unaware of. Loki was positive that Harry hadn’t been completely honest with him over some of the details of his life when Loki had asked him at the beginning of summer. He was proven correct when Dobby told him all about his master’s plan to stir up trouble in the school. Loki was enraged to learn his son had fought a basilisk on his own. Lucius Malfoy would have a great deal to answer for in putting his child at risk. Hogwarts and the Ministry also had been lax in their duties to the students, and Loki would allow no harm to come to his youngest son.

Loki was doubly pleased that he was here now. He would be here to observe the way his son was treated. Loki had enjoyed his own time in Hogwarts but things were prone to change, and Harry’s fame seemed to have caused all sorts of trouble. Either way Loki was thrilled at the thought of getting to see Harry every day without the interference of Thor. Loki knew Harry deserved the chance to know his father but it didn’t stop him from wanting to keep Thor as far away from Harry as possible. Loki selfishly didn’t want to share Harry with Thor. He wanted to be the only parental figure in his life.

Hogwarts would be starting in just a week now. Loki could wait that long to have Harry back beside him, and then Loki was never letting his youngest child out of his sight again.

Chapter Text

The next morning after the almost sinking of the helicarrier Harry woke up to find a snake hovering over his face. The fork tongue flicked out to touch his cheek. Harry gave a startled shriek and flipped out of the bed.

The snake loosed a couple of hissing chuckles.

“Oh, little brother, you should have seen your face,” came Jormungandr’s voice from the snake.

“Jormungandr?” Harry squeaked, turning red in embarrassment.

“Yes,” his brother nodded.

“How are you here? Why are you here?” Harry frowned.

The snake looked like a viper Harry had seen in the reptile house at the zoo but his scales were similar in color to Jormungandr’s larger form.

“Father transformed me into this smaller shape so that I could come and watch over you while he is unavailable. He apologizes for not letting you in on the plan but he didn’t want the angry one-eyed man to think you were involved,” Jormungandr informed him.

“I would have rather he told me what he was going to do instead of just running off,” said Harry. Loki hadn’t exactly earned his trust back by pulling the little stunt no matter how much Harry understood he needed to get away before he was dragged back to Asgard as a criminal. It still stung.

“I understand that you’re upset. But you have to understand Father isn’t in the best frame of mind at the moment. I knew something was wrong when he came to visit me at the beginning of summer. When he told me about his fight with Odin and Thor, and falling from the Bifrost into the Void I assumed that was what was plaguing his mind. I never thought for a moment that he had been tortured or was being used by another,” Jormungandr murmured solemnly.

“Tortured?” Harry gasped. “Who did it?”

“I don’t know, and Father refuses to tell me. You have to understand, Harry, Father has always had a strong protective streak even more so after Fenris and I were imprisoned. Whatever was done to him has scrambled his better reasoning, and left him acting on instinct. It will be awhile yet before he has healed himself enough to return to his more rational state of being,” Jormungandr explained.

“Are you saying Loki’s crazy? Because he acts mostly sane,” Harry pointed out.

“No not crazy, just a bit confused at the moment. He may act otherwise but he is capable of wearing a very convincing mask. Only time will help him heal and return to what he once was,” Jormungandr assured.

“I can’t help but still be angry with him,” Harry muttered.

“I know, Harry, but I promise he was not trying to purposely leave you behind,” Jormungandr swore

“Right. Well, I might as well go back to Hogwarts for the time being. We’re not going back to Asgard without Loki so I might as well go back. Besides I don’t really think I’m all that welcome here on the helicarrier,” Harry shrugged.

“You’ll be fine staying here until school starts, and I’ll stay with you. Brother bonding time!” Jormungandr cheered.

Harry laughed at his enthusiasm. “I think it’ll be a little difficult considering you’re a snake at the moment.”

“True, we’ll have to be careful, especially around Thor in case he overhears our conversation or senses me,” Jormungandr explained.

“Thor can hear you speak?” Harry asked, confused.

“Of course, why wouldn’t he?” Jormungandr replied.

“How? Aren’t I speaking Parseltongue? Did I get that ability from Thor then?”

“Parseltongue? No, that’s a wizarding ability. You’re speaking All-Speak. It’s something that Asgardians and other immortal beings of the Nine Realms are capable of. It basically means you can speak and understand all the languages of sentient beings. For example when you are speaking to someone who speaks Spanish, to you it would sound like English because that is the language you grew up speaking. While to them it sounds as if you are speaking Spanish. Likewise their words would sound like English to you,” Jormungandr stated.

“That is exactly what happens when I speak to snakes. But this past year, with the incident with the snake at the Dueling Club everyone heard me hissing at the snake. That’s why everyone thought I was a Parselmouth,” Harry told him.

“It’s all about perception. Wizards and witches are aware of abilities to speak to animals. They saw you talking to a snake so they assumed you were speaking Parseltongue so that’s what it sounded like to them,” Jormungandr flicked his tail in an imitation of a shrug.  

“So I’m not a Parselmouth? But I can’t talk to other animals just snakes,” Harry pointed out.

“You’re young yet, and still developing your abilities. All Speak is just another ability that will grow and evolve as you get older. It will be a while yet before you understand all languages, and everyone understands you,” Jormungandr told him.

“I nearly gave Thor frostbite yesterday when he touched my skin,” Harry confided.

“Interesting. As far as I know you’d be the only one of us that inherited Father’s Frost Giant abilities. But then you are the only one of us who is more than half Jotun,” Jormungandr said thoughtfully.

“More than half, how?” Harry asked.

“Odin is half Jotun. His mother Bestia was a Jotun.”

“Really?” Harry was shocked.

“Yes, which means Odin is half, Thor is a quarter, and you are 5/8 Jotun.”

Harry just stared at him.

“You know because you get half from Father and then 1/8 from Thor, add them together and you get 5/8,” Jormungandr continued.

“I know how to do fractions, thank you, it’s just odd to be 5/8 anything,” Harry replied.

“It works out then because you’re an odd kid,” Jormungandr hissed slyly.

“Oi!” Harry glared.

Jormungandr gave a snakey smile.

“At least I’m not a wimpy little snake,” Harry taunted.

“Who are you calling wimpy, you skinny little shrimp?” Jormungandr glared indignantly.

Harry laughed but there was an important question he’d wanted to ask. He’d gotten side tracked by the introduction of All Speak. “What about Loki? Where is he?” Harry may have been upset with Loki but it didn’t stop him from worrying about him.

“Father is in a place he can properly recuperate, and you’ll see him soon,” Jormungandr answered secretively.

Harry narrowed his eyes at the snake who was also his brother. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means it’s a surprise. Father doesn’t want me to tell you. He told me only to tell you that you’ll see him soon,” Jormungandr replied firmly.

Harry’s thoughts whirled with possibilities.

“Is he—” Harry was cut off by a loud knocking on the door of his room.

“Harek, are you awake?” called Thor.

“If you weren’t, you would be after that pounding,” Jormungandr hissed quietly. Harry didn’t know that snakes were capable of rolling their eyes.

Harry glared at Jormungandr. “Hide,” he commanded as he went to the door.

Jormungandr slid under his bed.

“Yeah, I’m awake,” Harry opened the door.

Thor beamed at him from the other side. “SHIELD has made a most glorious feast for us to break our fast, and you must be hungry, my son.”

It still gave Harry a little shock to hear Thor so casually refer to him as his son even though he had done so all day yesterday. Thor said it without a care as if it was natural for him to say. Harry wasn’t sure he would ever get used to being referred to as someone’s son. It was sort of nice he had to admit. It did make Harry wonder if he was going to tell the rest of the Avengers the truth. Tony Stark and Dr. Banner already knew. Would Thor want everyone else to know as well?

“Breakfast sounds good,” Harry agreed.

Thor beamed again and threw an arm across Harry’s shoulders. Harry took one last look into his room to make sure that Jormungandr was well hidden before allowing Thor to drag him from the room. Thor brought him to a small cafeteria. The other Avengers, Fury, and the blue suited woman were all sitting, and eating the huge breakfast laid out before them. They all stopped for a moment to look up at Harry and Thor as they entered.

“Good morning, my friends. Harek has agreed to join us for our morning meal,” Thor boomed as they walked in.

“He’s more than welcome as long as he doesn’t cause any more damage to my helicarrier. His brother and father have done enough,” Director Fury glared at him.

Harry glared back.

“Loki is not Harek’s father,” Thor spoke up.

Harry felt his heart begin to race, and that familiar icy tingle started to spread through him as he got nervous. Was Thor really going to tell them right here? Right now?

“Fine, his mother, whatever,” Director Fury snapped.

“I am Harek’s father,” Thor stated proudly. “And I do not like the way you are treating my son. He has done nothing to deserve this treatment.”

His statement was followed by complete silence as they all attempted to process that sudden piece of information. Harry supposed that they were his friends, and it was his right to tell them the way he wanted to. Harry just wished that he would have talked with him about it before he actually did it. He would have liked to be prepared for the inevitable fallout of sharing the truth.

“What?” Director Fury asked sharply.

“Loki’s identity during his punishment was a woman named Lily Evans. I came to Midgard nearly fourteen years ago, and became close to her without knowing that she was Loki. I had no knowledge that my father had even sent Loki to Midgard. We did not realize what we were doing, and we had a child together. I am Harek’s father. Tony and Bruce completed all of the tests to prove it,” Thor told them steadily.

“Just when I thought things couldn’t get any weirder,” Clint muttered. It seemed to be his favorite sentence or maybe the past few days had really warranted the use of the statement.

“I will not hear of any disrespectful comments about Harek or allow anyone to speak cruel words to him. His conception was not his fault and he should not be condemned for his parentage,” Thor growled.

“And it won’t happen,” Captain America said firmly even if he did look a little shell-shocked.

“Come on, kid, Point Break, the bacon’s getting cold,” Tony called them over.

Thor sat Harry down at the table beside Dr. Banner, Tony, and Captain America. He began to ladle Harry’s plate with more eggs than even Dudley would have been capable of eating.

“Er, thanks but I can do it myself,” Harry stopped Thor from making another scoop.

“Oh, of course,” Thor nodded and saw to his own plate.

Tony snorted in amusement at Thor’s behavior.

“You do know the kid is thirteen and not three, right?” Tony questioned.

“Yes, and thirteen is very young to Asgardians,” Thor replied.

Harry didn’t like the thought of being treated like a child. Although, he could understand considering Asgardians lived for thousands and thousands of years. Thirteen would certainly seem extremely young to them. Harry was practically still an infant in their eyes. It did make him curious as to just how long Asgardians were capable of living.

“Harek, I do not think you were properly introduced to Steve. This is Steve Rogers, he is the Captain of America,” Thor introduced.

“Hello, sir,” Harry greeted.

“Nice to officially meet you… Har—Her-ick?” Captain America stumbled a bit over his name.

“You can just call me Harry, Captain,” Harry assured.

“Right, sorry about butchering your name. You can call me Steve,” the blonde man smiled.

“Yes, forgive him, he is a doddering old grandpa after all, and sometimes he gets confused,” Tony grinned.

Steve scowled at Tony.

Director Fury and the woman in the blue suit, who Harry learned was his second in command, Maria Hill, left soon after that. They had work to do in trying to locate Loki. The Director demanded that everyone else join him after they finished eating to help search for him. The Avengers defied him by sticking around in the cafeteria talking, and getting to know one another. To the world they were portrayed as this strong crime fighting team but as Harry learned they had only known one another for a few weeks, and hardly knew one another. Except for Natasha and Clint. They had been partners in SHIELD before. Tony and Steve also had somewhat of an odd connection. Steve had been a friend of Tony’s father, a father he seemed to hate.

Despite their differences, they all somehow seemed to work as a team. They bickered and squabbled amongst themselves but it was all good-natured, and they were all very accepting of one another. It put Harry at ease knowing that they didn’t seem all that bothered by who his parents were. He was actually happy that Thor had been honest and told them. It was nice to see that people were capable of reacting positively to the news. It gave him a boost of confidence at the situation.

By noon Steve managed to convince the rest of them that they really needed to go meet with the Director. Harry was not invited.

“I am sorry, Harek. I believe there is an entertainment box for to you use in your room. I will try not to be gone for too long,” Thor clapped him on the back.

“Do you think you’ll be able to find Loki?” Harry asked Thor.

“I do not know,” Thor admitted looking a little lost.

“Will you eventually go back to Asgard without him?” Harry wanted to know.

“I suppose I will have to if we are unable to locate him,” Thor nodded. “Although, the entire purpose of coming here was to collect Loki. My father feared what he had planned when the Keeper of the Bifrost, Heimdall, saw him with the Chitauri army. He used a great deal of his strength to send me here to bring Loki home.”

Harry nodded, thinking. Harry could go back to Hogwarts for now, and then when Thor was ready Harry could go to Asgard with him. Harry would give it a few days. There was still a little more than a week left before school began. He had time to see how things would play out. Harry didn’t want to rush into any decisions.

Thor went to his meeting, and Harry returned to his room. He wanted to spend some time with Jormungandr without running the risk of anyone finding out about him. As soon as he entered his room Jormungandr slithered out from underneath his bed.

“How was breakfast?” Jormungandr questioned.

“It was good. I brought you and Hedwig back some bacon,” Harry offered his owl some as he sat down on the bed.

Jormungandr crawled up beside him, and Harry handed him a few pieces of bacon.

“How low I’ve sunk. Eating cold bacon out of my little brother’s hand. I used to swallow whole ships,” Jormungandr muttered sullenly.

“You didn’t really eat people, did you?” Harry asked worriedly.

“I was young… and hungry,” Jormungandr gave his equivalent of a shrug.

Harry carefully withdrew his hand out of Jormungandr’s reach.

“Am I going to have to lie to Thor when I find out where Loki is?” Harry asked softly.

“Probably,” Jormungandr told him bluntly.

“I don’t want to lie to him. But if I don’t then Thor is going to take Loki back to Asgard,” Harry muttered.

“You’re between a rock and a hard place, Harry. I don’t envy your position.”

“Thanks, you’re very helpful,” Harry glared at the snake.

“Sorry, I don’t mean to sound callous. I just don’t want to sugar coat things for you. Loki and Thor are essentially enemies at the moment, and as their son you are going to be put in the middle of things whether they mean to do it or not. You’re going to have to make difficult choices, and you’re probably going to hurt one or the other at some point. Unless, they somehow reconcile, which I don’t see happening anytime soon. Father can really hold a grudge.”

Harry sighed and flopped back down onto his bed.

“Why does everything have to be so complicated?” Harry questioned.

Jormungandr slithered up to his side, pressing close.

“Don’t worry yourself with things that haven’t happened yet, Harry. If something does, know I will be there for you,” Jormungandr hissed gently.

“Thanks, Jor,” Harry smiled. Without really thinking about it he reached over to scratch his head.

“Anytime little brother,” Jormungandr assured him. “And down a little further. Now to the right.”

Harry snorted and complied with his demand. But he took Jormungandr’s advice to heart and tried to relax a bit.

///

A couple of days had passed with the manhunt for Loki in full effect. Thor, and the rest of the Avengers hardly spent any time on the helicarrier anymore. All of the SHIELD agents were also constantly working around the clock to pick up a signal or using facial recognition software to pick up a trace of Loki. But so far no one had been successful in catching sight of Loki. Thor was now afraid he had found a way to sneak back to Asgard or one of the other realms. Thor wanted to exhaust their search on Earth before he went off to the other realms. Travelling by Tesseract was a one-way trip, and he didn’t want to risk going all the way back to Asgard when Loki might still be hiding on Earth somewhere.

Harry was still conflicted about what he should do. It was difficult for him to decide what the right thing to do in this situation was. Loki was considered a criminal by the entire planet. If Harry learned where he was then the right thing for him to do should be to turn him in to Thor. Harry couldn’t betray Loki like. But not turning him in made it seem like he was siding with Loki, and by keeping Loki’s hiding place a secret he was betraying Thor. It was a complicated situation, and as much as Jormungandr insisted he not worry about it Harry couldn’t quite help himself. Now that he had a family he wanted to keep them. He didn’t want to upset one of them.

Harry was sitting in the mess hall having dinner. He had finally come to the decision that he was going to go back to Hogwarts. At least for the time being. Thor was much busier searching for Loki than Harry had thought he would be, and Harry had been left on his own a lot in the past few days. On the bright side he’d finished his summer homework with the help of Jormungandr who had a surprisingly vast amount of knowledge. When Harry questioned him his brother had replied that he’d spent a lot of time alone, and had to occupy his time somehow. The not so bright side was that Harry hadn’t gotten to spend a lot of time with Thor. It wasn’t Thor’s fault, he was just running, or flying rather, himself ragged trying to find Loki. Harry figured he might as well be at Hogwarts with his friends if he wasn’t going to be able to spend much time with Thor. He had made up his mind, now all he needed to do was tell Thor, and hopefully he wouldn’t mind dropping him off at Diagon Alley. Harry figured he could rent a room in the Leaky Cauldron until September 1^st. It was only a couple of days away anyway.

The Avengers trooped into cafeteria shortly after Harry had arrived. They looked tired. They had all been working nonstop for the past few days. They were exhausting every possible lead that SHIELD had. But it was as if Loki had vanished. Harry was beginning to have a vague idea of just where Loki might be hiding.

“How goes the search?” Harry asked Thor.

“It is becoming much more probable that my brother has left Midgard entirely,” Thor sighed as he sat down beside Harry.

He ruffled Harry’s hair affectionately before turning his full attention to his food. Harry caught Tony looking between himself and Thor with an amused expression. The resemblance between Harry and Thor was noticeable especially when they were sitting next to one another.

“I did not think he would leave Harek behind. But I am more convinced now that there are more malevolent forces at work. Loki has run to separate himself from Harek to keep him from their wrath,” Thor continued once he came up for air.

“Maybe, or maybe he’s plotting his next plan of attack,” Clint snapped.

The archer still held a huge grudge towards Loki, and even seemed a little leery in Harry’s presence. Harry had learned that Loki had put the SHIELD agent under some sort of mind control spell. Needless to say Loki was not Clint’s favorite person, and by extension he wasn’t too fond of Harry. He wasn’t hostile or openly antagonistic but Harry could tell being around him made him uncomfortable, and reminded him of his time under Loki’s control. Although, knowing he was Thor’s son too seemed to help ease some of that tension in him.

Thor was angry at the continued apathy towards him but didn’t say anything. He seemed to realize that Loki’s track record proved that Clint might not be all together wrong. Harry honestly didn’t know where he stood. He was just as angry over what Loki had done but at the same time he wanted to protect Loki. Harry didn’t want him to be imprisoned or taken away.

“I was thinking that I would go back to school,” Harry said to ease some of the tension in the room.

“Are you certain that is what you want, Harek?” Thor questioned in surprise.

“I figured you were busy, and all. I know you can’t help it but I might as well go back for a little while. See my friends and all that,” Harry shrugged.

Thor looked saddened at the thought. “I apologize for not spending more time with you these past few days.”

“It’s all right, I understand. I just think it will be easier this way. You can still come visit on the weekends. We have trips to the local village so we can meet up there,” Harry offered. Uncle Vernon had grudgingly signed his permission slip after witnessing some of the magic Loki had taught Harry.

“Perhaps that is for the best,” Thor nodded regretfully.

“Right, so can you drop me off tomorrow? I need to pick up my school things. School starts September 1^st so I really should start getting prepared,” Harry said. He’d procrastinated long enough and now he only had a few days before school started.

“I will take you,” Thor agreed.

Harry nodded in thanks.

The next morning Thor and Harry prepared to leave early. Jormungandr wrapped himself under Harry’s clothes, and Harry grabbed up his trunk.

“Why have grabbed your chest?” Thor frowned.

“I thought I could rent a room at the inn for the next two nights,” Harry shrugged.

“Nonsense, if you are going to go off to school I wish to spend as much time with you as possible before we are separated,” Thor insisted looking uncharacteristically vulnerable.

The two of them had a rocky start to their relationship. The past week or so that they should have been bonding and getting to know one another Thor had been forced to go out searching during all hours of the day. They were still relative strangers to one another. Now Harry was leaving, and there was nothing Thor could do about it because he had his own set of responsibilities that he needed to see to.

“All right then, after shopping I’ll come back here,” Harry agreed.

Thor nodded in relief.

The trip to London was quick. Thor landed in a secluded alleyway at Harry’s suggestion. Humans weren’t quite as unaware of unique abilities as they used to be but a flying man would draw too much unnecessary attention. It did make Harry wonder just what the wizarding world thought of the whole alien invasion thing. Thor walked with him all the way to the Leaky Cauldron. He wasn’t the least bit surprised to discover that Thor was more than capable of looking through the charms surrounding the little pub.

“You can come pick me up in a couple of hours. I should have everything I need by then,” Harry told Thor when they stopped in front of the pub.

“You don’t wish for me to accompany you?” Thor asked looking a bit like a kicked puppy.

“I… I mean I didn’t think you would want to come shopping with me,” Harry said hesitantly. He already felt bad about keeping Jormungandr a secret from him, and for heading off to Hogwarts without him.

“I do wish to,” Thor assured him eagerly.

“Okay,” Harry had no idea how he was going to explain Thor’s presence but he just hoped no one noticed him.

Harry snorted to himself at the thought. He was the Boy-Who-Lived and Thor was a massive blonde god. Thor was dressed only in his blue and silver leather vest with blue leggings but Mjolnir hung from his belt, and there was an unmistakable aura of power surrounding him that wizards were bound to notice. Harry had no idea if the wizards were even aware of what had happened in New York. As a whole wizards seemed to completely ignore whatever was happening in the outside world. They didn’t have tellies or keep up to date with the muggle newspapers. He could only hope that they didn’t know who Thor was. Harry took a deep breath. They would just have to ignore the stares, and if anyone approached them… well they would deal with problems as they came. It seemed that was often Harry’s life motto. He should probably do something about that.

Harry wasn’t sure what would happen if he told wizards that Thor was his father. It would undoubtedly cause all sorts of backlash about him having a different father even if James Potter was well aware of that fact. Besides the entire reason Loki and James had decided to keep the truth from everyone is because they were afraid Voldemort and his Death Eaters would come after him. Voldemort was still out there somewhere as an angry spirit, and many of his Death Eaters were free. Who knows what they would attempt to do if they discovered he was something more than human? And it wasn’t just the Death Eaters that Harry needed to worry about. The entire wizarding world would have extreme reactions to finding out just who his parents really were. Not that he planned on anyone knowing Lily Potter’s true identity anytime soon.

Harry pushed his own internal musings aside. The two of them had been standing outside of the Leaky Cauldron for long enough. Harry led the way inside the little pub. It was a weekday, and the pub wasn’t all that busy. Thor wanted to sample some of the fire whiskey that the pub offered, and insisted they stop for lunch. While Thor went up to the barkeeper, Tom, to order, Harry got the two of them a booth in a secluded part of the bar.

“Are you sure bringing him along was a good idea?” Jormungandr hissed, poking his head out from under his shirt.

“I’m certain it wasn’t,” Harry sighed.

“Then why did you agree? Thor is like the proverbial bull in a china shop. He’s bound to draw attention,” Jormungandr pointed out.

“Probably, but any trouble we might have will be worth it because it will be the most time we’ve spent together since I’ve known him,” Harry murmured.

“If there’s too much trouble I’ll take care of it,” Jormungandr announced.

“Oh, you’re very terrifying,” Harry teased.

“I’ll have you know I’m venomous. I could fell an elephant with one bite,” Jormungandr sniffed, still clearly not enjoying his much smaller form.

Harry snorted but was saved from replying when Thor returned with their meals and a tall glass of bubbling alcohol.

“How did you pay for this?” Harry asked in confusion. He’d completely forgotten that Thor wouldn’t have wizarding currency on him.

“The barkeeper, Tom a most generous man, gave it to me free of charge. He saw us come in together, and he recognized you. Have you done some great deed for him to provide you with free meals?”

“Yeah sort of. You remember the story I told you and the Avengers about the terrorist attacking James and Loki when he thought he was Lily?”

Thor nodded.

“Well, that was a non-magical version. The real story is…”

Harry outlined the events that had taken place on that Halloween night, and just why he was famous in the wizarding world. Harry told him just how hated and feared Voldemort was, and how happy everyone was that Harry had gotten rid of him. He stopped the story when he got to his first year at Hogwarts not sure if they had enough time for him to go into the full details of his first two years at Hogwarts.

“This dark wizard, he is vanquished?” Thor was obviously concerned over Voldemort coming after Harry again.

“Not exactly,” Harry muttered.

Thor’s frown deepened, and Harry hastened to explain about how he was now a wraith-like creature without a body.

“So he can’t really hurt me,” Harry concluded.

“Spirits are deadly things, difficult to be gotten rid of because they lack a physical form and cannot be destroyed by normal means. Do you believe he will come for you?” Thor questioned worriedly.

Harry sighed it seemed like he would have to tell Thor about his first two years at Hogwarts after all. But later, he didn’t want Voldemort to ruin their trip.

“I think he will,” Harry confided.

“He will not touch you,” Thor swore. “I may not be knowledgeable in the ways of magic and spirits but I will not allow harm to come to my son.”

Harry smiled at Thor. Having an immortal god as a father certainly made Harry feel better, and Thor wasn’t the only one who had promised to protect him form Voldemort. Loki had as well. It was doubtful that Voldemort would stand a chance against two gods.

“We should start shopping. I have a lot things to get,” Harry said in hopes of moving the subject away from Voldemort.

“Yes, I cannot wait to see this magical alley,” Thor enthused.

The two of them made their way out to the back alley and Harry used his wand to tap the appropriate bricks to open up the alleyway. Thor gasped audibly when he caught his first sight of the alley. It was a beautiful sight and even after seeing it before Harry was still a bit entranced by it.

“I did not think mortals had such things,” Thor exclaimed as they began strolling through the alley.

Harry nodded distractedly. He was going through the amount of galleons he had on him and trying to determine if he would need to visit his vault or not. Harry was surprised to find quite a bit more in the bag than he remembered there being. Had Loki somehow slipped galleons into his bag? He did seem capable of drawing galleons seemingly out of thin air. Either way he now had enough to pay for all of his school supplies without making a stop to Gringotts.

Their first stop was Madame Malkin’s for a new set of robes. Harry had grown quite a bit over the last school year and there was no way his old robes were going to cut it. Madame Malkin cast curious glances towards Thor but other than that she didn’t seem to recognize him nor did she ask him any questions about who he was. No one else was in the shop to bother them. The rest of the trip continued in a similar manner, and Harry was feeling comfortable enough for the two of them to stop and get some ice cream at Florean Fortescue’s.

“This confection is most delicious. What is it called again?” Thor asked.

“It’s called a banana split,” Harry answered.

“A banana split. I will have another,” Thor announced.

He lifted his empty bowl as if to smash it to the ground. Harry’s face twisted in horror, and he reached out to stop him. But at the last minute Thor paused thinking better of it. Harry sighed in relief. A smashed bowl would definitely have drawn unnecessary attention to them.

“My Midgardian friends have taught me that it is not an acceptable custom to break your pottery on the ground when you wish for more,” Thor explained solemnly.

“No, it’s rather frowned upon in most places,” Harry agreed. “I’ll order you another sundae, all right? Just wait here.”

Thor nodded as Harry stood up to walk over, and make the order at the counter. As he was waiting for the employee to make the banana spilt a few more people got in line behind him. Harry didn’t think anything of it until they spoke, and he recognized the voices. He cursed his luck, and wondered what his chances were of slipping away before they noticed him. What was a family like the Malfoy’s even doing at the ice cream parlor?

“Sirius Black has been declared innocent. It is quite the scandal,” Lucius Malfoy’s oily voice whispered from behind him. His voice was obviously meant to be low enough so others around him couldn’t overhear but Harry’s hearing had become stronger and he was easily able to eavesdrop on them.

“Perhaps I should send a letter to my cousin. He’s quite popular at the moment, and it wouldn’t do for us to be seen being standoffish,” a woman replied. Harry could only guess that she was Draco’s mother.

“Wonderful idea,” Lucius agreed.

Draco started to speak but Thor’s sundae finally arrived and it was time for Harry to make his getaway. He turned quickly to try and get back to his seat before they could recognize him.

“Potter?” Draco questioned.

Harry reluctantly turned to face his school nemesis. Malfoy had gotten a little taller but other than that he looked the same. His face was still just as pointy, and his short white blonde hair was slicked back.

“Malfoy,” Harry nodded.

His gaze darted to his parents. Harry had the pleasure of meeting Malfoy Senior last year. But this was his first time meeting Mrs. Malfoy. She was pretty with perfectly styled blonde hair, and wore an icy demeanor.

“What did you do with your glasses, Potter? Finally got tired of looking like an idiot, did you? Wait, are your eyes a different color?” Draco asked curiously.

Of course Draco would be the only one to notice this change. He’d been shopping all day, and not a single person had noticed. Draco’s parents watched the two of them closely, no doubt eager to grasp at any little detail of information that they could use against him. All of the Malfoys must really hate him now after the way he’d tricked Lucius into freeing Dobby at the end of the last school year.

“Contacts, Malfoy. They’re a muggle invention. They’re little glasses that go right on the eye. They can even be different colors so that they change the color of your eyes. Would you like to see?” Harry reached a finger up to his eye as if to take it out.

“No need, Potter. It’s disgusting that muggles would put things like that on their eyes. Barbaric,” Draco sneered.

Harry just smirked.

“Are you here alone, Mr. Potter?” Draco’s mother asked, in what was no doubt feigned concern.

“No,” Harry replied stiffly. He could feel Jormungandr wriggling about under his jacket as he sensed Harry’s distress.

He was planning his second attempt at a getaway when Thor appeared at his side.

“Harek, why… Oh is this one of your friends from school?” Thor questioned, smiling broadly at Draco and putting an arm around Harry’s shoulders even while he took the sundae from Harry’s hands.

“Er…” Harry was at a loss as to what he should do.

“Hello, I’m Lucius Malfoy. This is my wife Narcissa and our son Draco. My son does indeed go to school with Mr. Potter. Who are you if you don’t mind my asking?” Lucius questioned the utter picture of cordiality as if he hadn’t attacked Harry just a few short months ago. Lucius’s gray eyes took in Thor’s appearance, and he no doubt sensed a touch of Thor’s power. Not to mention Thor and Harry’s obvious resemblance.

“I am Thor Odinson,” replied Thor reaching forward to clasp Lucius’s free hand in a firm handshake. It was amusing to watch Lucius’s composure slip a bit as Thor forcefully shook his hand in his strong grasp.

“You are a relative of Mr. Potter’s?” Narcissa asked once Thor had released Lucius’s hand. The longhaired wizard was too busy to ask himself as he was trying to covertly rub his slightly crushed fingers.

Harry froze in panic. He had no idea what to do. Should he stop Thor? The Malfoys were certainly the last people who needed to know about their relationship.

“He’s my mum’s brother,” Harry answered before Thor could say anything.

Thor sent him a confused, and slightly hurt look. Harry mouthed ‘trust me’. Thor reluctantly nodded.

“Your uncle then? I went to school with your mother. I was aware she had a sister but not a brother,” Lucius frowned.

“She’s adopted,” Harry replied. “Thor’s her real brother.”

“I see, and where are you from Mr. Odinson?” Lucius asked politely.

Thor spoke up this time before Harry was able to intervene.

“Asgard,” Thor answered.

“Asgard?” Narcissa questioned.

“Yes, Asgard, the Realm Eternal,” Thor nodded proudly.

“Are you saying you’re an Asgardian? A god? I mean you certainly can’t really be claiming to be Thor, the God of Thunder, can you?” Draco asked skeptically.

But Lucius’s calculating eyes were locked on Mjolnir, which hung so casually from Thor’s belt.

“Indeed I am,” Thor smiled.

“Prove it,” Draco demanded.

“Draco,” Narcissa reprimanded.

“It is all right. I have become accustomed to Midgardians not believing my claim,” Thor reassured them.

“Thor, what are you going to do?” Harry asked worriedly.

“Hold my split banana sun-day,” Thor replied as he pulled Mjolnir from his belt.

Harry took the bowl just as Thor raised Mjolnir and instantly clouds began to gather outside the ice cream parlor. In an instance a crack of lightning struck the cobble stone street of Diagon Alley startling the witches and wizards that had been walking by.

Draco’s mouth dropped open, and even the older Malfoys looked flabbergasted. Harry took a moment to savor the looks of shock on their faces before his common sense could return, and he could remember just why this was such a bad idea.  

“You truly are Thor, the Prince of Asgard,” Lucius looked a little awed despite himself.

“I am, I have come to spend time with Harek before he returns to school. We were going to return to Asgard, however, our trip has been delayed so for the time being Harek will be returning to Hogwarts until we are able to return to Asgard. I’m happy that I have gotten the chance to meet one of his friends,” Thor enthused.

“He’s not really my friend,” Harry finally admitted.

Lucius sent him a glare. Draco was still too busy staring at Thor in a state of shocked awe to hear what Harry said.

“Why not?” Thor frowned.

“We just have very different views,” Harry replied stiffly.

“Yes, you have had your differences but I am sure things can change,” Lucius smiled winningly, obviously attempting to get in Thor’s good graces. Loki was right, witches and wizards did revere Asgardians. The Malfoys had living proof that they were real standing right in front of them. Being the Slytherins that they were, they wanted to get on Thor’s good side.

“I don’t think so,” Harry smirked. He enjoyed having the upper hand over Lucius. After the trouble he had caused for Harry last year, he deserved it. “After all you were responsible for the incident with the basilisk, Mr. Malfoy.”

Thor’s expression instantly darkened, and thunder boomed. Thor’s anger was actually a terrifying sight to behold. Harry was used to seeing him constantly smiling, and in a good mood. Not seeing him that way was scary. Apparently the Malfoys thought so too because they all took a step away from the enraged Thunder God.

“You endangered Harek’s life?” Thor demanded.

“Mr. Odinson, there is an explanation for what happened,” Lucius cautioned.

“He could have died facing a basilisk. There is no excuse for the threat posed to his life,” Thor growled.

“No, there is not, and I apologize. It was all a very large misunderstanding. It won’t happen again,” Lucius attempted to calm Thor.

“No, it will not. For if you endanger his life again I will personally better acquaint you with Mjolnir,” Thor grinned darkly. “You will stay far away from my—from Harek from now on. Do you understand?”

“Of course, I understand perfectly. We really must be off now, good day,” Lucius herded his family from the parlor without bothering to get what they had walked in the shop for.

“You didn’t have to threaten the Malfoys,” Harry murmured once they were gone.

“I will let no one harm you, Harek,” Thor swore.

“Right, thank you. You were brilliant by the way. They were terrified,” Harry laughed.

Thor chuckled as well. “He did seem quite frightened.”

“I’m sorry about the whole uncle thing. But I just think it would be better if the wizarding world didn’t know about any of it. At least for now. The uncle thing will be enough for them to mull over,” Harry murmured.

“I understand,” Thor agreed still looking a bit distressed.

“I’ll tell my real friends the truth of course, and I can introduce you to them,” Harry offered in hopes of brightening his mood once more.

“I would very much like to meet your friends,” Thor smiled.

“Great,” Harry smiled back.

Thor went back to eating his banana split. Afterwards they finished up the rest of the shopping and returned to the helicarrier. Thor was immediately called out on a lead on Loki.

“It’s not really, him is it?” Harry asked Jormungandr nervously.

“No, trust me, Harry. He’s safe,” Jormungandr reassured him.

Harry sighed in relief. But it meant that Thor had gone out on a false lead, and that was more time the two of them lost with one another. Harry hoped the next two days would allow them to spend a bit more time with one another before he was forced to leave.

Chapter Text

There were only two days left before Harry returned to Hogwarts. Loki could hardly wait. He'd spent his days since returning to Hogwarts reacquainting himself with the other professors as they arrived, and trying to slip back into the mindset of Lily Evans. It was a bit difficult. While they were essentially the same person, Lily had a much happier childhood and therefore was a much happier and carefree person than Loki. She hadn't had all of the baggage that Loki had accumulated from his hundreds of years of life. However, any inconsistences that they noticed were waved away as grief over losing her husband, and realizing she had missed twelve years of her son's life. Despite the difficulties it was nice being back at Hogwarts. She got to see all of her favorite professors, and it was relaxing to know that she was safely hidden behind the powerful wards of the magical school.

Loki hadn't seen the one staff member she was dreading to see, Severus, and he was supposed to be arriving today. They had not spoken more than a few words to one another since Severus had come to apologize for the incident in their fifth year. Loki had been shocked to discover that Severus was the Potions Professor at Hogwarts. The position didn't seem to fit with Severus's character in the slightest, and there was the fact that Severus had been a Death Eater. Dumbledore swore that Severus had switched sides to become a spy for the Order. Loki had managed to glean the information that Severus had been the one to tell Voldemort about the prophecy, and when Severus discovered that Voldemort had targeted and Loki's family he'd switched sides in an attempt to protect his former friend.

Loki had missed Severus once they had parted ways. He had been Loki's first friend as Lily. In truth he was probably closer to being Loki's first friend period. Thor had always been his brother, and therefore they were naturally supposed to be close especially since they were so close in age. Thor had his friends but they weren't Loki's friends. To Loki it had always felt more like they tolerated his involvement in their adventures for the sake of Thor. Severus's decision to spend time with Malfoy, and Mulciber instead of her had begun to weaken Loki's trust of him. The final straw that broke their already weakening friendship was Severus's sharp slur. The insult caused Loki to realize just how much Severus had allowed himself to be influenced by the future Death Eaters, and she had decided to cut ties completely with Severus no matter how much it pained her.

Not only was Severus a professor but soon Remus would be coming to Hogwarts on the first of September as well. It would certainly be an interesting time spent with Remus and Severus in the same place. Sirius was also bound to make the occasional appearance now that he was considered a free man. But only after receiving his treatment first. The ex-convict had been forced to spend some mandatory recovery time in St. Mungos to help heal some of the damage done to his mind so for now he was stuck in the hospital.

Loki had also been reacquainting herself with the wizarding world, and gathering all of the information she could about Harry's first two years at Hogwarts. The other professors were only too glad to help her with that endeavor. They spoke highly of Harry, and went on about how he was a kind and friendly boy. They said he was someone the other students looked up to, and excelled in Defense. He did well in Charms and Transfiguration, and was average in the others. There was also mention of the adventures that he got himself into. The basilisk incident had only been one incident. Harry's first year also seemed to be filled with dangerous adventures one that included a full-grown mountain troll, a three-headed dog, and the shade of Voldemort if her conversation with Minerva McGonagall was anything to go. Loki decided she really needed to have a proper talk with Harry.

"If you can excuse me, Minerva," Loki smiled kindly at the older witch.

"Of course, dear," Minerva nodded.

Loki needed to get away to have some time alone to think. Her son had come so close to true harm countless times over his very short life, and Loki hadn't been there to protect him. It left Loki feeling horrible and angry at herself and all those around her.

Her mission to get away was waylaid when she caught sight of Severus. The passing years had been unkind to Severus. The thin, unkempt boy from her childhood memories had become a sallow faced, greasy haired man with a dour disposition. Loki froze, she wasn't ready to face Severus quite yet. Her former friend seemed to have just arrived as he was still carrying a traveling bag over his shoulder. Most likely he hadn't spoken to Dumbledore yet, and he wouldn't be aware of Loki's miraculous return from the dead. It would certainly make this meeting a great deal more complicated.

Loki tried to duck into the nearest corridor. But it was far too late. Severus had already seen her.

"Lily?" Severus's voice was deeper, and rougher than Loki remembered.

Loki turned to face the Potions Master.

"It is you. For a moment I thought I was seeing things, and perhaps I still am. What other explanation can there be for you to be standing here in front of me?" Severus was slowly moving towards Loki as if afraid that she would disappear.

"It's really me, Severus. I'm really here," Loki assured her former friend.

"How? How can you possibly be standing here in front of me?" Severus questioned, still looking utterly lost and disbelieving. He reached a hand out as if to touch Loki, and reassure himself that she was in fact solid and not an illusion.

"I don't know. I don't know how I got here," Loki replied.

His mind was wandering back to the life changing moment on Jotunheim when the Jotun grabbed his arm. He hadn't gotten frostbite like Volstagg had. His arm had simply turned blue. The same exact shade of blue as the Jotun's own skin. Loki had tried to forget what had happened. He should have just forgotten what had happened. But he hadn't been able to. Loki had went looking answers, and oh, what a mistake that had been.

His entire life had been a lie. He wasn't the child of Odin and Frigga. He was the abandoned child of a monster. Not truly wanted by either side. At least he understood now why Odin had always favored Thor over him. It was almost a relief to Loki to have that knowledge. It meant there was a reason for Odin not to like him, and he wasn't just an utter failure. Frigga's dishonesty was what had hurt Loki the most. If there was one person in the universe Loki had always trusted it had been Frigga. He could always go to her with his problems, and trust that she would be there to support and fight for him. Realizing she had kept such a secret from him for so long had been world shattering for Loki.

The pain of betrayal had caused him to act rashly. He admitted that now. He had struck out at those who had caused him pain. The plan had been to get rid of both Odin and Laufey. At the last moment he hadn't been able to go through with it. Loki had gotten the irrational idea that he would be able to prove himself to Odin, and finally earn his love by destroying Asgard's most hated enemy. He'd dispatched Laufey and his guards, and then he'd turned his attention on Jotunheim. He'd wanted to destroy anything that might remind him that he was a Jotun beneath the illusions on his skin. He'd failed, and in the end he'd made the choice to fall into the void rather than continue living the lie his life had become. After all he had sacrificed his own children in the hopes of making Odin proud. Only in the end for it to mean nothing.

In the void his memories as Lily had finally been unlocked, and for the first time since discovering the truth of his origins he had felt hopeful. He had thought that perhaps he could return to his life as Lily and leave Asgard behind for good. Only for that hope to later be crushed when he had been taken in by the Other and his Master. He'd had no choice but to do as he commanded. But Loki was clever, and he was able to find loopholes in those commands. They thought they had complete control over Loki's mind but he had saved a small part of himself. The part that had stored all of his memories of Lily, and his youngest son. It had allowed him to be himself when he was with Harry, and not worry about the Other finding out about their interactions.

Loki was completely free but he still feared retribution for thwarting him. Loki had intentionally attacked the Avengers, and struck them close to home knowing full well that it would create a drive to come together and defeat their common enemy. He had gotten the Avengers to defeat the Other's army, now Loki could focus on finding a way to defeat the Other's Master if he decided to come after Loki.

"This is impossible," Severus repeated, drawing Loki back to the present.

"It is, but it's true. I'm really here," Loki assured him.

"How can you possibly expect me to believe you?" Severus snarled, becoming defensive.

"I suppose you could ask me a question that only you and I would know the answer to," Loki offered.

"The first time we met, what were you doing?" Severus questioned.

"I was swinging. Petunia was berating me about going too high and drawing attention to myself," Loki replied.

"Lily? Is it really you? How could this have happened?" Severus's eyes were wide in amazement.

"I just woke up in Harry's ruined nursery. I went to St Mungos to try and find Harry and James only to learn that twelve years had passed. Only the Minister, Dumbledore, and a couple of healers were aware that I'm back. We don't how but they did a lot of tests to prove my identity. We're going to make my return public once school starts, and I'm able to speak with Harry. He deserves to know the truth before everyone else does. I'm going to be staying here at Hogwarts for at least the year. Remus and I will be sharing the Defense position," Loki smiled.

"Of course, because he is a werewolf," Severus agreed, still dazed.

"It's been a long time, Severus, since we last really spoke with one another. For you it's been even longer," Loki began cautiously.

"Indeed, Lily, I… I need to tell you something. I have always regretted that I was never able to apologize. Now, that I've been given a second chance I do not want to take it for granted," Severus said.

"I know about the prophecy, Severus. I know it was you that told Voldemort," Loki informed him curtly.

Severus reared back, fear flashing across his features.

"And I think it is something we can talk about more later. It is not a conversation we should have in the middle of the corridors," Loki pointed out.

In all honesty Loki couldn't exactly blame the man for what he had done. He certainly hadn't told Voldemort the prophecy with the intent of setting Voldemort on their trail. Unfortunately that's exactly what happened, and if Severus had only turned away from the influence of the Death Eaters then perhaps it would have never happened at all. But it had and Loki decided that they at least needed to have a somewhat cordial relationship with one another if they were going to be seeing each other quite a bit over the next few months.

"Of course, I must speak with the Headmaster," Severus nodded.

"I'll see you later, Severus."

"Yes, I will see you again, Lily," Severus smiled, and for a moment he looked like the lost little boy Loki remembered befriending.

Loki nodded once to Severus, and turned back towards her quarters. She could feel Severus eyes on her until she had left the man's line of sight. Loki sighed her thoughts turning back to Harry. She was disappointed that Harry hadn't been completely honest with her. But she understood that Harry had only known her for a short period of time. Of course he wouldn't want to divulge all of his secrets to her. Loki wouldn't stand for it now. She wanted the entire truth from Harry now. School couldn't start fast enough.

/

Today was the last day he would get to spend with Thor before he had to go back to school. Thor was determined to fit in as much father-son bonding time as they could. Unfortunately for Harry that meant a variety of embarrassing activities. The first being swimming lessons. Thor had learned that Harry didn't know how to swim earlier in the week. Harry never thought that Thor would remember that information or decide that it meant he needed to teach Harry how to swim by dropping him in the ocean. Thankfully Thor didn't just leave him floundering in the water. He quickly dove in after him and helped to support him to keep his head above the surface.

Harry was spluttering, and kicking his feet, trying to learn what worked best to keep him from sinking. Surprisingly, despite the fact that he knew the ocean water had to be freezing it didn't feel cold to Harry at all.

"When you said bonding time, I didn't think you meant this," Harry cried, still more than a little shocked that Thor had done this.

"It is a father's duty to teach their son how to swim. What if the helicarrier had sunk? You would have drowned," Thor informed him seriously.

"So you threw me in the ocean?" Harry questioned, pushing away from Thor. He was confident he could swim on his own now.

"It is how Father taught Loki and I. Although, he did not jump in after us. We would have nearly drowned had it not been for Loki's magic. I did not wish to do the same thing to you," Thor explained, keeping a firm grip on Harry to make sure his head stayed above the surface.

Harry could only laugh in disbelief, and reached out to splash Thor. Thor laughed and splashed back. A bit too enthusiastically because he caused a small tidal wave and had to yank Harry out of the water or else he would have been swept under with his barely developed swimming skills.

Thor tried to teach him how to wrestle next. He wanted to teach Harry how to sword fight to defend himself but since they didn't have any Asgardian blades on hand he settled for teaching him how to use his body. Harry was fairly certain that he was the worst wrestler that had ever existed. He wasn't sure if he was just naturally untalented in that area or if it was simply that he hadn't quite gotten used to the new length of his limbs yet. It was a nice way to measure his new strength, and durability as he rarely got the chance to push his new strength to its limits. But the rest of it turned out to be pretty awful.

"Don't worry, my son. You will have many years to find a weapon you excel at," Thor assured, clapping him on the back.

The two of them had finally stopped practicing, and were now sitting on a bench in the gym, cooling down.

"I think I'd be better with a sword or something. I did okay with the basilisk, and that was the first time I ever held a sword before," Harry explained.

"I had forgotten about the basilisk," Thor frowned.

"You're not upset about it are you?" Harry asked.

"I would like to ensure that you are safe when you return to Hogwarts. After meeting that particular family I am worried such a thing might happen again. I did not realize that this dark wizard who attacked you still held such loyal followers who would seek to attack you."

"Er, right. I do seem to have a knack for attracting trouble," Harry nodded, wondering what Thor was getting at.

"I would like to speak with your headmaster," Thor informed him.

"All right, I'm sure he wouldn't mind," Harry shrugged. "I'll set up an appointment once I get back to school."

"Wonderful," Thor grinned.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing, and reminding Thor that he didn't need to fit in a lifetime worth of activities in just one day. Today wouldn't be the last day they spent together. Harry smiled to think that they would have a lot more time to spend together. He wanted the chance to get to know Thor better. Harry had really enjoyed the time they had already spent together.

September 1st dawned with Harry eagerly running around and making sure he had packed all of his things. He'd spent a couple of weeks on the helicarrier, and he'd really settled in to his space. Jormungandr helpfully reminded him that some of his summer work had slipped behind his bed, and he had to yank the bed out from its bolted down position. Once he had the parchment he carefully put the bed back in place. It wasn't bolted down any more but Director Fury wouldn't find out about it until Harry was safely tucked away in Hogwarts.

Harry dragged his trunk, and Hedwig's cage out of his room. Hedwig had already started the journey towards Hogwarts. Jormungandr was wrapped up securely under his jacket. Harry met up with Thor and the other Avengers on the runway. They would be taking a quin jet, and then a car to the train station instead of Thor flying them. Fury insisted on being less conspicuous. The media had already done a report about catching sight of Thor flying around with a dark haired boy twice now. Everyone agreed it wouldn't be a good idea for the world to find out about Harry's existence.

The other Avengers all thought Harry was going to some prestigious boarding school. Fury was both pleased to get him off his helicarrier, and worried about letting him out of his sight. Something Thor quickly disabused him of. All of the Avengers had soon learned that Thor wouldn't take any jabs against Harry or Loki in his presence. He'd nearly punched Barton when he'd called Loki a crazed lunatic. Steve had quickly stepped between the two of them to stop a fight from breaking out. Thor had only stated that he wouldn't hear Loki spoken ill of especially in Harry's presence.

"Do you have everything you need, Harek?" Thor questioned in concern.

"Yup," Harry nodded.

"Natasha shall fly us to our destination, and Tony shall drive us the rest of the way to the train station," Thor informed him.

Harry nodded, and said goodbye to those who would be left behind. They climbed aboard the jet and took off. The trip was short and soon they were saying their goodbyes to Natasha. Tony had some type of sports car waiting for them. Thor in a sports car was a sight to behold. His broad shouldered, muscular frame was definitely not meant for such a small, fast vehicle. Plus Harry's trunk taking up space the sports car ended up looking more like a clown car.

Tony parked outside of Kings Cross Station, and he stayed in the car while Harry and Thor made their way inside the station.

"See you later, Elsa," Tony waved goodbye from the car.

Harry glared at the billionaire who only grinned back. Tony and the other Avengers had all witnessed at one time or another Harry's difficulty trying to master his ice powers. Tony had taken to giving him nicknames like Frosty or Elsa, who apparently was some sort of queen from a Disney movie with ice abilities. Harry pretended to be annoyed but he actually didn't mind all that much. At least Tony wasn't afraid or suspicious of his powers.

"Goodbye Tony," Harry called, waving back.

Harry showed Thor the way to Platform 9¾. Thor was a little leery about stepping through a seemingly solid wall. But really the worst that would have happened to the Asgardian would have been him breaking the brick wall. On the other side of the barrier everything was chaos as parents said their goodbyes, and students met up with friends they hadn't seen all summer. The magnificent scarlet steam engine billowed white smoke, covering up the ceiling. Harry hadn't gotten a chance to board the Hogwarts Express last year due to Dobby closing the barrier on him and Ron.

Harry was looking around for the Weasleys or the Grangers. Thor was eager to meet his friends, and it shouldn't have been that hard to find a group of red heads. They undoubtedly would stand out in a crowd. Harry soon caught sight of them standing by one of the entrances to the train. The Grangers were with them.

"Harry!" Hermione called happily, running to hug him once she saw him coming towards them.

"Hi, Hermione," Harry smiled, easily catching her but careful not to hug her too tightly now with his added strength. It was something he had been working on with Thor.

"You've gotten even taller, and what did you do with your glasses? Are your eyes a different color?" Hermione questioned rapid fire, observant as ever.

"Give him some breathing room, Hermione," Ron chastised. "Hi, mate."

"Hey, Ron, how was Egypt?" Harry asked pleasantly as they shook hands.

"It was good. We got to see a bunch of warded Egyptian tombs and such. I'll tell you all about it once we get on the train. But that's not the big news I have to tell you," Ron said practically bouncing with excitement.

"I have something I need to tell you too, and the eyes are a part of what I need to tell you," Harry explained.

"But Harry—"

"I want you both to meet my uncle," Harry cut her off.

"Uncle? You have another uncle other than the fat one?" Ron asked, perplexed.

"I found out my mum was adopted, and I met my real uncle this summer. Ron, Hermione this is Thor," Harry waved to Thor. "Thor these are my best friends Ron and Hermione."

"It is a most joyous occasion to meet Harek's friends," Thor boomed causing several wizards and witches to look in their direction.

At least today Thor was wearing jeans and a T-shirt with the SHIELD logo on it. Although, jeans were probably stranger to wizards than Thor's normal attire. He'd also left Mjolnir back on the helicarrier.

"Hullo," Ron greeted Thor with a slightly awed expression as he took in the massive blonde god.

"You're Thor from the news. They were reporting that you were the real God of Thunder," Hermione gaped.

"God of Thunder?" Ron frowned. "Like from Norse legend?"

"Exactly like that," Harry agreed.

"Children what are you doing… Oh who are you?" Molly Weasley questioned of Thor.

The other Weasleys and Hermione's parents all migrated over to see what was keeping the three teenagers. Harry smiled to see all of the Weasleys. He'd had a wonderful time at their house last summer. It had been one of the best summers of his life. But it had been surpassed by this summer after all the excitement of finding out about his parents, and meeting his brother.

Both Arthur and Molly Weasley were there to see their children off, all five of them. It was the oldest, Percy's last year while it was the twin's Fred and George's fifth year. Ron of course was in Harry's year while the youngest and only girl, Ginny would be a second year. There were two more Weasley siblings but they were older and off pursuing their careers. Harry had never met them. He'd always been jealous of Ron's large and rambunctious family but now that he had his own rather large family he was able to look at the Weasleys with affection and without the burning to desire to be a part of their family. He was very happy with his own family even if they were a little dysfunctional.

"I am Harek's uncle, Thor," Thor greeted smiling happily at Mrs. Weasley and the others.

Harry was pleased that he had remembered to introduce himself as such. The two of them had a talk earlier about why Harry had to introduce him as his uncle on the train platform. Thor had understood and agreed that it was a better idea to keep the truth closer to home. Harry assured Thor that he would tell his friends the truth in private but until then they would keep up the ruse.

Mrs. Weasley flushed red and stuttered out, "Oh, nice to meet you. I'm Molly Weasley. I'm Ron's mother. We didn't realize Harry had another uncle."

"Yes, Mrs. Weasley, we just got acquainted over the summer since it was his first time visiting Earth and all," Harry explained.

"It has been wonderful to have this chance to get to know, Harek," Thor nodded, smiling proudly at Harry.

"That's nice, that you've found more family, Harry dear," she smiled at Thor. But she was looking a bit uncertain. Harry could understand her wariness. It was a little suspicious that he had just shown up with a previous unknown relative.

Mrs. Weasley proceeded to introduce the rest of her family members, and the Grangers.

"Forgive me for asking but aren't you the one from that whole big mess in New York?" Hermione's dad questioned.

"I did take part in the battle. It was a difficult fight but in the end my fellows and I prevailed against the Chitauri," Thor agreed good-naturedly.

"Battle? There was a battle in America?" Mr. Weasley questioned.

"Oh, yes, didn't you hear? Aliens tried to invade the planet with some Norse god controlling them. A different Norse god than Thor of course," Hermione's mother nodded.

"Loki, I think his name was," Hermione's father added.

"Yes, Loki is his name," Thor agreed gravely.

"What are a-lee-ins?" Mr. Weasley questioned. Considering the man didn't know what a rubber duck was used for it wasn't surprising that he didn't quite understand the principle behind aliens.

Once Hermione's parents had explained a bit about what had happened all of the Weasleys were in a bit more awe of just what Thor had done.

"You are really the Thor?" Mr. Weasley asked, as wide-eyed as his children.

"I am the only Thor in all of Asgard," Thor nodded, confused.

Harry decided to step in before the two of them got themselves anymore confused. "Mr. Weasley, Thor is the one that all the myths and legends about the Norse God of Thunder are based on. He isn't exactly the same as what the legends say but it's pretty close. The same goes for the rest of Asgard and the other Asgardians."

It was clear that the others wanted to ask more questions about exactly how this all happened but the train whistle went off warning them that they only had a few more minutes to board the train.

"I've got to get on the train," Harry turned to Thor.

"I know, I will miss you," Thor was so honest, and genuine. It was so easy for Harry to see just how much Thor would actual miss him.

"I'll miss you, too," Harry assured him.

"You will tell me of a good time that I can come speak to your headmaster, and the first weekend I can meet you at this Hogsmeade town?" Thor reminded him.

"Of course, I'll send Hedwig with a letter," Harry nodded.

"I want to see this school of yours, and perhaps come and see you participate in this flying broom game of yours," Thor looked eager at the thought.

"All right, I'll let you know as soon as I know the days," Harry agreed.

"Good," Thor smiled, and in a quick move Thor enveloped him in his warm embrace.

"I will see you soon, my son," Thor whispered into his hair, gripping him tightly.

"See you soon," Harry hugged him back.

Eventually Harry was the one who had to break the hug. Harry was fairly certain that Thor wouldn't have let go if Harry hadn't. He climbed onto the train with Hermione and Ron. They found a compartment and Harry instantly went to the window to say his last goodbyes to Thor as the train began to pull away from the station. Thor did the same, waving to him until the train had completely disappeared from view. Harry sighed as he slumped back down in his seat. It was only then that he noticed the other person in their compartment. He wore shaggy robes that had been patched many, many times. Various scars littered his face, and his brown hair seemed to be prematurely turning gray at the temples. He was apparently in a deep sleep.

"Who is he?" Harry frowned.

"Professor R.J. Lupin," Hermione answered promptly.

"How d'you know that?" Ron frowned.

"It's on his case," Hermione pointed to the beaten up old bag.

"He must be our new Defense professor," Harry guessed.

"Most likely. It's the only vacancy," Hermione agreed.

"Huh, I hope he's up to it. He looks like one strong hex would do him in," Ron commented.

"Ronald!" Hermione hissed.

"He does look a little unwell," Harry offered in Ron's defense.

"He's just tired," Hermione argued.

"Oh, who cares? Tell us more about your uncle, Harry. Is he really a god?" Ron asked.

"He seems nice," Hermione offered tentatively.

"He is," Harry nodded answering both questions, smiling in memory of some of his time spent with Thor.

He told Ron and Hermione all Thor and his abilities, and what he knew about Asgard. Ron and Hermione were both amazed and interested to hear everything that Harry knew about Asgardians and the battle. Ron hadn't known about the battle, and was utterly gob-smacked to learn about aliens while Hermione was equally awed to learn more about Asgard. They knew he had more to tell them but he informed them it would have to wait until they were completely alone he didn't want to risk someone walking in on them or have the professor wake up in the middle of his tale. It was different for everyone to think that Lily Potter was half Asgardian, making Harry just a quarter, to everyone finding out that he was in fact not human at all.

"So Ron, you had something you wanted to tell us?" Harry changed the subject.

"You'll never guess what happened. Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban," Ron enthused.

"Who is Sirius Black?" Harry frowned.

"Er, right you wouldn't know. But everyone thought he was the one who told You-Know-Who where your parents were hiding. It turns out he didn't though. It was Peter Pettigrew! They found Pettigrew tied up in the Ministry a week or so ago, and he confessed to everything," Ron cried.

"Wait, what?" Harry frowned, trying to remember if Loki had mentioned anything like that before.

"Your parents were in hiding under the Fidelius Charm," Ron began.

"It's a very powerful charm that keeps a certain location hidden. Only those told the location by the Secret Keeper will know where the place is located," Hermione added, anticipating Harry's question.

"Everyone thought Sirius Black was their Secret Keeper especially after he went mad and chased down Peter Pettigrew. Everyone thought Black blew up the street killing a bunch of muggles and Pettigrew but he didn't. Pettigrew set it all up to make Black look guilty. Black broke out of Azkaban, found Pettigrew, and proved his innocence," Ron continued on enthusiastically.

"It's all quite exciting. No one has ever escaped from Azkaban before. They said it was impossible. Dementors guard it," Hermione explained.

"Dementors?" Harry frowned.

"They are wraith-like beings that feed off the happy memories of other's. If given the chance they will perform the Dementor's Kiss. Such a kiss is always proven fatal for it actually removes your soul. If you don't die immediately you are left in an unresponsive state forever. There is no cure," Hermione murmured for once not looking thrilled by the information she was imparting.

A shiver ran down Harry's spine at the thought of such a creature.

"But anyway that's not even the most exciting part!" Ron cut in.

"What could be more exciting than a prison break, and the discovery of someone wrongly accused was actually innocent?" Harry questioned.

"Where Peter Pettigrew was hiding. It makes me sick just to think about it," Ron turned a little green.

"Where was he?" Harry asked.

"Pettigrew was an unregistered animagus. A rat animagus. He was Scabbers! Can you believe that? He slept in my bed all of those years. A Death Eater living in our dorm room," Ron looked appropriately disgusted.

"An animagus is someone who can transform into an animal right?" Harry wanted to be sure. He wanted to share Ron's shock over discovering this information but found it was difficult. Harry was fairly certain that nothing could ever top the discovery that his parents were really powerful aliens from another world.

"Yes, Professor McGonagall is a cat animagus. You have to register with the Ministry when you become one. There aren't many because it's very difficult transformation to complete," Hermione looked thoughtful, and Harry knew she would be checking out a bunch of books on the animagus transformation from the library once she got to school.

"He was in our dorm room, Harry! And he was the Death Eater that turned your parents in!" Ron repeated, obviously expecting a more extreme reaction from Harry.

"Yeah, that's pretty awful," Harry agreed.

He could admit that he felt a stirring of hate towards Peter Pettigrew. If it wasn't for him he would have grown up with his mother in a loving environment. But then what would have happened to Loki? Would he have eventually remembered who he was? Or would he have lived his entire mortal life never knowing the truth? There really wasn't any way to find out. Harry was just happy to know that Pettigrew had been caught and was finally being punished for his crime. It was hard to work up too much anger over what Pettigrew had done. After all his mother was still alive.

Ron scowled and flopped back down on the seat.

The train ride continued on. The three of them spoke more about what they did this summer, and Harry told them some more about staying with Thor on the helicarrier. They got some candy from the trolley when it passed by. They spent the rest of the time going over homework, at Hermione's insistence, and playing a couple of games at Ron's. Harry was just happy to be doing a somewhat familiar routine again.

They reached Hogwarts by nightfall. For the first time Harry and Ron rode up to the castle in the carriages. Their first year they had gone with all the other first years by boat while second they had taken the unconventional method of flying car. Jormungandr poked his head out of Harry's robes when they got close enough. His brother gave an appreciative hiss at the sight of the large castle lit only by torchlight.

"I'm surprised Malfoy didn't try to ambush us," Ron muttered as they made their way up the steps of the castle.

"You almost sound disappointed, Ron," Harry teased.

"Just strange is all, the sneaky snake never misses the chance to try and start a fight," Ron replied gruffly.

Harry silently agreed. But he figured that Malfoy was still a little bit too frightened of Thor to dare to approach Harry right now. It was a relief not to have to deal with Malfoy for a change. Maybe he would be lucky and he wouldn't have to deal with Malfoy for the rest of the year. Yeah, right. Malfoy would work up the courage to confront him again eventually. He wouldn't be able to stand the embarrassment he had received from Thor's threats.

Harry smiled as he entered the Great Hall. The ceiling was just as beautiful as he remembered. It reflected the night sky with floating lanterns moving gently about to light the hall. Harry, Hermione, and Ron started to move towards the Gryffindor table. However, a hand on his shoulder pulled him back into the hallway. Ron and Hermione hadn't noticed and continued on without him. Harry turned to look at the person who had grabbed him. Harry was stunned by what he saw.

"Mum?" Harry gaped as he looked into the smiling face of Lily Potter nee Evans.

This was the face of the mother he was much more familiar with. This was the face he'd seen in all of the pictures in his photo album. He was utterly shocked, and momentarily any anger he felt towards Loki flew out the window at physically being face to face with his mother.

"It's me, Harry. What better place for me to hide than in plain sight?" a smirk that was all too Loki-like stretched across Lily Potter's features.

It was a surreal experience. It was one thing to be told that Loki was really Lily but to see it was another. It made everything so much more real, and he found himself wanting to embrace Loki because he, or she at the moment, was really Harry's mother.

"How are you here?" Harry gasped.

Loki looped her (his?) arm through Harry's to lead him a down the hallway a little bit and away from the entrance to the great hall. Loki explained just what his plan was, and how he had explained his miraculous resurrection as they walked.

"It will make more sense once the rumor gets around that Thor is my uncle. I'm sure someone will come up with some sort of theory," Harry replied.

"Why would everyone think Thor's your uncle?" Loki frowned.

"He went with me to Diagon Alley," Harry explained.

"Oh, that must have been an eventful trip," Loki sighed.

"We saw the Malfoys. Do you know them?" Harry asked.

"I know them, and I have a better understanding of what happened with Lucius Malfoy last year thanks to Dobby," Loki gave him a reproachful look.

Harry flushed.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the basilisk," Harry muttered.

"You could have died!" Loki cried.

"Someone had to stop it, and there wasn't anyone else around to do it," Harry argued.

"You are so much like Thor, always rushing into danger," Loki sighed, but she wore a slight smile.

"Are you upset?" Harry asked.

"Not with you. I'm just upset that you felt the need to put yourself in that situation. And from now I expect you to come to me with a problem. Or Jor, or even Thor. We are your family now even if Thor and I are at odds. You can still trust both of us to help you. You don't have to do things alone, and it would be preferable that you didn't," Loki insisted.

"I will," Harry promised.

"Good," Loki smiled. "I admit I didn't intend for there to be any connection between Asgard and myself. But we can work with it. My original intention of hiding your heritage was to protect you from Death Eaters but considering you're already a target a connection to Asgard might actually protect you."

"Right, so are you really staying here?" Harry asked.

"Yes, I'm co-teaching with Professor Lupin," Loki explained.

"Wicked," Harry grinned at the thought of getting to spend more time with Loki.

"Yes, indeed," a matching grin spread itself across Loki's face.

Chapter Text

“Wait, its not wicked. I’m still mad at you,” Harry frowned.

Coming face to face with the image of his mother he had held in his head for the last two years had made him forget about just how angry he actually was with Loki.

“I understand you’re upset,” Loki nodded.

“Of course I’m upset. I’d just given you another chance after the whole leading an alien invasion against Earth thing. Then you go escaping without even telling me,” Harry cried.

“You know very well, Harek, that it was to protect you. You’re a terrible liar, and Fury would have known you knew the truth in an instant. He would have tried to imprison you, causing Thor to react negatively. I didn’t want to put you in that kind of position,” Loki argued.

“That would have ended badly,” Harry conceded.

He could only imagine Thor’s reaction. Loki wouldn’t have been the only Asgardian on SHIELD’s radar after that.

“He would have leveled their hellicarrier with very little difficulty,” Loki agreed.

“I would still prefer that you were honest with me from now on,” Harry replied.

“I have never lied to you. Nor will I ever lie to you, Harry,” Loki insisted.

“No, you just withhold information you think will protect me, which is nearly just as bad,” Harry glared.

Loki sighed, “You’re still a child, Harry. I know your experiences have made you grow up quickly. But I don’t want that for you. That’s why I’m here now. You don’t have to carry all of this reasonability on your own anymore.”

“I’d rather be an adult, and be kept in the loop than be an ignorant child,” Harry insisted.
Loki regarded Harry closely.

“I will do my best to tell you about things that directly involve you, better?” Loki finally questioned.

“It’s a little better,” Harry agreed.

“We will get the chance to spend a lot of time together now,” Loki smiled, gently touching Harry’s shoulder.

There was a look of fear in Loki’s eyes. Fear of being rejected by Harry. Everything Loki did was to try and protect Harry. He just wasn’t going about it in the best way.
Jormungandr’s words about Loki’s distressed state of mind replayed themselves in Harry’s mind. He was just going to have to be patient with Loki for now. Hopefully now that Loki was somewhere safe, and somewhere he could heal Loki’s state of mind would improve. Harry wanted to get to know Loki. What better chance could he possibly have than to have Loki right here with him?

Harry allowed an answering smile to spread across his face, and he embraced his mother.

When Loki pulled back the look of utter relief in Loki’s eyes sent a pang through Harry’s heart. It made him realize just how important his acceptance was to Loki.

“Let’s get back to the feast shall we? After all I have to make my grand entrance,” Loki smirked, amusement flashing in her eyes.

Harry nodded and the two of them slipped back into the main hall.

They had just finished up the sorting as Harry settled himself in place beside Ron and Hermione.

“Where’d you go, mate?” Ron questioned.

Hermione leaned closer to hear his answer.

“You’ll find out soon enough,” he smiled, and in that moment he was certain he resembled his mother quite a bit.

“Now, before we begin the feast I have several big announcements to make,” Dumbledore stood.

“We have two new Defense Against the Dark Arts professors this year. They will be sharing the position,” Dumbledore continued.

Murmurs broke out as the students scanned the head table for the two new faces. This was definitely something new for everyone. Hogwarts had never had two professors teaching the same subject before.

“The first of our new professors is Professor Remus Lupin,” Dumbledore waved towards the scarred and tired looking man who Harry, Ron, and Hermione had shared a compartment with on the train.

Professor Lupin stood up and waved to the crowd. There was some respectable applause. Not as much as Lockhart received last year but it was just a relief that Lockhart was gone. Lockhart made Tony Stark look like the most humble man on the planet.

“And now for our second new professor. Some of you may recognize her name, and until recently she was believed to be deceased. I am more than happy to announce that this is not the case. She is very much alive, how she is alive is not a matter to concern yourselves with. Simply know that she is indeed who I say she is, and I ask that you respect her privacy and do not pester her with questions. Treat her as you would any of your professors. I have faith that you are all more than capable of it,” Dumbledore smiled kindly down at them.

More murmurs erupted. Everyone was trying to figure out just who Dumbledore could possibly be talking about.

“May I introduce Professor Lily Potter, our second new Defense Professor for the year,” Dumbledore waved grandly to Loki who stood.
Dumbledore’s pronouncement led to complete silence. People were openly gaping at the red headed woman with the deep emerald eyes.

“I know all of you have questions. But as the headmaster said I won’t be answering those questions anytime soon. I’m here to be your professor and teach you to protect yourselves. After all who better to teach you than me?” Loki smiled.

Of course only Harry really got the inside joke. Everyone else just assumed she was talking about how she had fought against Voldemort but Harry knew Loki was talking about how one of her many titles was the God of Magic in Norse Mythology.

After Loki’s words there was an uproar as students began to mutter. Ron and Hermione instantly whipped around to stare at him to see how he was taking the news.

“You’re very accepting of this, Harry, even if you did find out a few moments ago,” Hermione observed shrewdly.

“I’ll tell you all about it once we’re alone,” Harry assured.

Hermione nodded while Ron looked wide-eyed between Harry and Loki.

The rest of the feast passed with everyone whispering, and creating crazy theories about how Lily Potter could possibly be alive. Everyone kept trying to ask Harry what he knew. But Harry was going to follow his mother’s example. He wasn’t going to answer any questions.

“Yes, I knew, but I’ve been sworn to secrecy,” he finally admitted to the other Gryffindors.

They didn’t look happy about it but they accepted it, and Harry knew that thanks to Lavender and Parvati’s gossip skills that what he said would quickly be spread throughout the castle by tomorrow. He was certain that there were still going to be people asking him questions about it but he felt confident that he could brush them off. Harry just wondered how long it would be before the news that Thor was his uncle got out.

Harry was fairly certain that some of the muggleborns had recognized Thor at the platform. The only thing that he had going for him was that it would take some time before the pureblood wizards readily accepted that Thor and Asgard actually existed. Of course the Malfoys’ words would go a long way to making the news concrete in the wizarding world’s eyes.

After the feast Harry, Ron, and Hermione met up with Loki.

“I want to tell them truth but we need a private space,” Harry explained.

Loki regarded Hermione and Ron under a sharp, assessing gaze.

Finally she sighed. “Very well, you can go to my quarters. I have to have a chat with Remus but I’ll meet the three of you there.”

Loki gave him the location of his private quarters.

“The password is the name of your furriest brother,” Loki informed him.

Hermione and Ron both frowned at the clue.

Hermione seemed to be attempting to piece the clue together as they made their way towards Loki’s chambers.

“Fenris,” Harry murmured to the portrait of the griffon guarding his mother’s rooms.

The password only deepened Hermione’s frown of confusion.

Once the three of them were safely secure in Loki’s private chambers Harry let Jormungandr slide out from beneath his robes.

“Finally, it was getting stuffy in there, little brother,” Jormungandr complained.

Ron yelped in fright at the sight of the large red snake. Hermione took a step back in surprise.

“I know you’re a Parselmouth and everything but I didn’t think you’d want to run out and get a snake as a pet,” Ron frowned.

“A pet?” Jormungandr sniffed, of course Ron and Hermione couldn’t understand him or his outrage.

“Don’t worry, he doesn’t bite. He just likes to complain a lot,” Harry smirked.

“Don’t do that, you look like Father,” Jormungandr slithered along the couch to drape himself over the back of it.

Harry snorted. “And he’s not a pet or a familiar. He’s my brother. His name is Jormungandr.”

“Brother?” Ron stared at him as if he’d gone mental.

Hermione was looking at Jormungandr in a calculating manner.

“Thor’s your mum’s brother?” she murmured.

Harry gave a half shrug, half nod. He had no idea how to refer to his parents’ rather complicated relationship.

“Jormungandr, Fenris. They’re your brothers?” Hermione questioned.

Harry nodded, knowing that Hermione was smart enough to figure everything out he gave her enough clues.

“What are you talking about, Hermione? Harry doesn’t have brothers,” Ron scoffed.

“I thought wizards revered Norse gods? Don’t you recognize those names, Ronald?” Hermione insisted, her eyes alight with the new information.

“Yeah, old pureblood families used to worship them. Some of them still do. Our parents don’t but mum still told us the stories. It’s just been awhile since I’ve heard them,
and I don’t remember every little name,” Ron shrugged.

“They aren’t little. In fact Fenris, and Jormungandr were the largest creatures in Norse Mythology and they were very important especially in the Norse end of the world mythos. Fenris was meant to eat Odin, the king of the gods, and Jormungandr was supposed to swallow or poison Thor. Sometimes the myths can conflict with one another. They were also the sons of Loki,” Hermione explained.

“She’s a clever one,” Jormungandr praised, of course it was probably just because Hermione was currently complimenting him.

“Yeah, I remember. What does that have to do with Harry or his mum being alive?” Ron frowned.

“Because the reason that my mum’s alive is because she’s a god. A Killing Curse can’t kill an immortal,” Harry said.

Hermione gave a gasp, a hand flying to her mouth as she realized her theory was correct.

“Am I the only one not getting this?” Ron sulked.

“Yes,” Jormungandr rolled his eyes.

Harry glared at his brother. “My mum is Loki, the Norse God of Mischief and Magic.”

“What?” Ron looked between Hermione and Harry in confusion.

“Loki is Lily Potter. He just didn’t know at the time who he was. It all started…” Harry went on to explain the entire story.

By the end of it both Hermione and Ron were sitting on the couch looking more than a little bit stunned. Ron definitely had to be stunned to be all right with

Jormungandr’s snakey face so near his own.

“So Thor’s actually your father?” Hermione questioned carefully.

“Yup,” Harry nodded.

“Wow, Harry, that’s absolutely mad. You definitely had a crazier summer than I did,” Ron forced a smile, still looking a little shocked.

“I think they’re taking it well,” Jormungandr remarked.

“Your comments aren’t helpful,” Harry muttered.

“They’re not supposed to be,” he flashed a snakey grin.

“How are you feeling about all of this, Harry?” Hermione worried.

“It’s been a bit…odd—”

“You can say that again,” Ron nodded vigorously.

“And it’s not going to be easy to have a relationship with Thor and Loki, since their relationship is… difficult at the moment,” Harry sighed.

“To say the least,” Jormungandr cut in.

“But… I’m glad they’re my parents. I haven’t met my other siblings but Jor’s awesome when he’s not whining about being shrunk,” Harry grinned at his brother.

“You would too after spending most of your life as the biggest thing on Midgard,” Jormungandr muttered sulkily.

“I wish we could speak to him,” Hermione smiled at Jormungandr.

“That can be arranged.”

The four of them all turned to see Loki, still in her female form, standing in the doorway.

“However, you might regret it afterwards,” Loki smirked at Jormungandr.

“And that’s the thanks I get after breaking you out of the Midgardians’ prison,” Jormungandr glared back.

“Mum, this is Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, my best friends. Ron, Hermione this is my mum, Loki,” Harry introduced. It was easier to refer to Loki as his mum when
she was in her female form.

“Nice to meet you, Professor Potter,” Hermione greeted, ever the professional one.

“Uh huh,” Ron nodded, staring with barely concealed awe at Loki.

“It’s nice to meet the friends who have been by Harry’s side the past two years,” Loki smiled at his friends.

“Now that we’ve dispensed with formalities can you perhaps change me into my other form?” Jormungandr spoke up.

Loki sighed and waved her hand.

Ron and Hermione jumped as the snake behind their heads became his tall, long limbed brother. Jormungandr dropped down on the couch directly between Hermione and
Ron, forcing them to scoot over to accommodate him.

“It’s nice to formally meet both of you,” Jormungandr greeted.

“You too,” Hermione smiled.

Ron squeaked, gaping at Jormungandr.

“And don’t listen to anything Harry said about me. I don’t complain. I politely request,” Jormungandr smirked.

“Of course you do,” Harry rolled his eyes.

Ron started laughing. “Blimey, the two of you are already sniping at each other just like my brothers and I.”

“Well, when you have to spend days hiding in your brother’s sleeves you strike up a certain camaraderie,” Jormungandr chuckled.

Ron laughed again, put at ease by Jormungandr’s good humored pouting.

Loki smiled at all of them.

“Is there anything else you would like to know?” Loki asked.

“Maybe later? There are loads of questions I would love to ask you but curfew is soon and we need to get up to the tower,” Hermione stated.

“Of course,” Loki nodded, smiling at Hermione’s strict observation of the rules.

The three of them said their goodnights. Jormungandr had elected to remain with Loki for the night so that he could spend more time in his two-legged form. He promised to rejoin Harry tomorrow for his first class.

///

Over the next few weeks it was quite easy to fall back into the familiar routine of life at Hogwarts. However, there were some changes.
Malfoy continued to keep his distance, and when they did run into each other Draco was strangely polite. Harry was just waiting for the moment for Malfoy to snap, and go back to being his normal self. He didn’t know exactly why he was suddenly being so polite to him but he could make a couple of guesses. The Malfoys would want to use him and his connection to Asgard so they were going to suck up to him to get into Thor’s good graces. No doubt they would be scrambling even more if they found out about Loki.

Harry got the chance to meet his godfather, Sirius Black, and was re-introduced to Remus Lupin who, along with Sirius, had been good friends with James and Loki. Loki had told Remus the truth the same night that Harry had told Ron and Hermione. The other man seemed to have taken it well. In fact he seemed to be far healthier than when Harry had seen him on the train. Remus had said it was due the fact that he had two of his closest friends returned to him. The man had spent the last few years of his life alone with the guilt of his friends’ deaths.

The best change was the Defense Against the Dark Arts classes. They were the best they had ever been. Remus and Loki worked brilliantly together. Remus focused on dangerous creatures while Loki taught them practical defensive and offensive spells. They even got to practice dueling, and apply their knowledge in facing various creatures. Of course Professor Lupin introduced them to dark creatures in a much better manner than Lockhart had last year, which meant the pixie incident of the year before was not repeated.

Loki was also giving Harry private lessons on Asgardian magic at night. Harry was doing really well with it. Jormungandr was teaching him how to fight without magic. That wasn’t going quite as well. Harry was too clumsy with weapons, and he was worried he wouldn’t ever be a warrior like Thor. Loki and Jormungandr insisted that it wasn’t something he should be worried about. After all both of them relied more on their magic than actual physical ability. It was something he would inevitably need to learn considering Asgardian culture favored the physically strong.

Perhaps the strangest change of all for Harry since coming back to Hogwarts was Snape. His hated potions professor was actually being kind to him. Well, maybe kind was too strong of a word for the complete apathy Snape now showed him. He was being kind compared to the utter loathing and bullying Snape used to treat Harry with in his first two years at Hogwarts.

It had been a little terrifying for Harry on the first day of potions lessons when Snape didn’t have a single snide comment to toss Harry’s way. He’d been certain the greasy professor was just having an off day. But the pattern continued in the following weeks. Harry and Ron had become convinced that someone had messed with Snape’s mind to get him to leave him alone, and Harry had known just the person capable of it.

Harry had decided to ask the people who knew his mum best before he accused his mum of tampering with Snape’s mind.

“Oh, you’re mother messed with old Snivellus’s mind all right. But not in the way you think,” Sirius explained with a smirk.

Harry was having lunch with his godfather, and Remus in the defense professor’s quarters. Sirius came to Hogwarts at least once a week to see his friends and godson, and today the three of them were having lunch together while Loki was busy grading papers.

“What do you mean?” Harry frowned.

“Sirius, it’s not really our place—” Remus tried to butt in.

“Snape’s had the biggest crush on your mother for years. Never left her alone during our years at Hogwarts. It’s why he hated James so much,” Sirius completely ignored Remus.

“It wasn’t like he followed her around, stalking her. They were actually friends before they even came to Hogwarts. They even lived near one another growing up,” Remus cut in, glaring at Sirius.

“Yeah, but there was this incident in our fifth year. He called her something he really shouldn’t have, and they stopped being friends. Of course before that it was obvious he was going down the path to being a real slimy snake, hanging out with the likes of Malfoy and Mulciber. Now that Lily’s turned out to be alive he’s been tripping over himself to get back in her good graces,” Sirius continued.

“Which means being nice to me. Or well not rude, I suppose,” Harry nodded in understanding.

It was a revelation to Harry to learn that Snape had liked his mum. It made so much sense now. He hated Harry and James because he’d seen them as the reasons why he hadn’t gotten the woman he loved.

“What do you think he’d do if he found out my mum was actually Loki?” Harry pondered out loud.

“Loki is something of an idle to most pureblood families. After all Loki is the Norse God of Magic. Dark purebloods worshipped even more. My mother used to have a little shrine set up for Loki in our house,” Sirius shrugged.

“Do you think Loki knows what an arse Snape’s been to me?” Harry asked.

“I don’t think so, if your mother knew she’d have ripped into Snape, and the whole castle would have been able to hear her cursing him,” Sirius answered.

Harry wondered if he should tell Loki. He was going to hear the truth sooner or later anyway. Honestly, Harry wouldn’t mind seeing Loki curse Snape either. The Potions Professor had made his life a living hell ever since he’d started Hogwarts, and Harry hadn’t even done anything except exist. That first day he’d even been looking forward to the class, and had been prepared to take notes until Snape had taunted him. It hadn’t been right that Snape had taken his frustration in losing Lily out on Harry.
It was strange to think that Snape was in love with Loki. But Harry decided he wouldn’t run to his mum just to tattle on Snape. It was just felt too childish, and Harry was trying to prove himself to be mature to Loki. He couldn’t just go running to his mummy for something so simple as a few mean words. If Loki happened to find out then she found out, and Harry would gladly let her mete out any punishment she wanted to. Harry would just let the chips fall where they may.

He had sent Thor a couple of letters since coming back to Hogwarts. Thor wanted to know when he could come and visit Hogwarts. But Harry had been putting it off. One look was all it would take for Thor to recognize Loki as Lily. Harry didn’t want that to happen. He didn’t want Loki to be locked up. However, he didn’t exactly want to lie to Thor either so he just kept putting things off. But he knew he would eventually have to talk to Loki about the possibility of Thor visiting.

The first Hogsmeade visit was coming up, not to mention Quidditch would be starting soon. Their first match was in just a week. Harry wanted Thor to attend the match.

He wanted to show off a bit of his prowess in the air. It was something that Harry thought Thor would appreciate since Thor enjoyed flying himself.

In order for Thor to come to his matches he was going to have to approach Loki first. Together the two of them could come up with a plan that would let Thor come to the match without the God of Thunder finding out about Loki.

///

“Fudge is an incompetent idiot,” Loki sneered by way of a greeting.

Harry had just arrived to spend an afternoon with Loki, and Jormungandr. Today he was going to try and broach the subject about meeting Thor in Hogsmeade and how to get Thor to attend one of his Quidditch matches.

In the safety of his own room, Loki had returned to his male form, and Jormungandr was in his human one.

“What did he do?” Jormungandr asked curiously from where he was reading an ancient wizarding text from the forbidden section of the library.

His brother was actually enjoying himself at Hogwarts, and the chance to read and study magic to his heart’s content. There weren’t exactly that many books at the bottom of the ocean, or anything regarding entertainment really.

“The wizarding world has finally found out about the events that took place in New York,” Loki started pacing.

“I know, its all anyone can talk about even though it happened ages ago,” Harry sighed as he flopped down beside his brother on the couch.

“It only took them four and half months,” Jormungandr snorted.

Harry swung his feet into Jor’s lap only for his brother to immediately shove his feet off him. There was a brief scuffle over whether or not Harry’s feet would end up in Jor’s lap. Eventually Harry was victorious and settled down to stretch out more fully onto the couch.

Harry had enough of listening to his classmates talk about it. He’d heard enough about the battle the first time around with all of the news stations playing it none stop. Plus he’d also had to hear about while he’d been living on the helicarrier. He didn’t like the reminders of the horrible thing his mother had done. Even if he hadn’t exactly been in control of himself at the time.

But to the wizards it was all new even if it had happened nearly five months ago. They had only just accepted the fact that there was intelligent life out there in the galaxy, and that muggles weren’t as helpless as they thought they were. The muggles had powerful defenders, and their name was the Avengers.

Wizards were also now reminded of their old traditions of their worship of the Norse gods. The proof that these gods were real was earth shattering for some while others only felt vindication that their beliefs turned out to be true. Of course they didn’t realize that the Asgardians weren’t exactly the same as their legends stated but they didn’t care. Proof of their existence was all they needed to stir up a frenzy.

Luckily for Harry no one had realized his connection to Thor yet. Harry’s paranoia that people had recognized him on the train platform was unfounded, and so far the Malfoys hadn’t broken their silence about Harry being Thor’s nephew. But all of that was going to change if Thor came to Hogsmeade and Hogwarts. Everyone knew about Thor now, had seen pictures of him, and spending an afternoon in Hogsmeade would definitely give everyone enough time to get a good look at his face.

“Fudge has gotten it in his head that he needs to protect the youth of the wizarding world from such muggle abominations. And how does he plan to protect them you ask? By sending dementors, the most loathsome creatures to have ever existed, to protect a school full a children from a threat that has already been vanquished,” Loki spat.

“Not to mention the person that led the threats to Earth is already inside Hogwarts teaching their children,” Jormungandr remarked.

“Not the point I was trying to make,” Loki glared at his older son.

“Anyway Fudge does sound like a complete idiot,” Jormungandr agreed.

“Who would ever think to put dementors around children? They’re more of a danger to them than anything else. They can’t be controlled, only the promise of feeding off misery keeps them in check. It’s a foregone conclusion that they will eventually try to attack a student. At the very least it well vastly affect the dispositions of the children here,” Loki continued to rant.

“This is probably a bad time to bring up the fact that Thor wants to come visit?” Harry flashed a sardonic smile.

“Of course he does,” Loki rubbed his temples.

“Maybe I can just meet him in Hogsmeade? Somewhere private where no one else will see us,” Harry suggested. “I know he wants to meet Dumbledore but I think he’d be happy enough to meet me in Hogsmeade.”

It might mean giving up his secret but he couldn’t hide forever, and Harry felt guilty about putting Thor off for so long. Thor was his father, and his father wanted to spend time with him. Harry should have been thrilled with the opportunity, and he was to a point. It was just that everything had to be so complicated. There were so many other things to consider in meeting Thor in public. Harry wished his life could just be normal for a change, and he didn’t have to worry about the entire world trying to nose its way into his private business.

But he didn’t have a normal life, and ignoring Thor’s request to spend time with him wasn’t fair. It was only denying the meeting that both of them wanted.

“That would be a good compromise for now. Thor, however, won’t give up if he wants a meeting with the headmaster. He’s pig-headed that way. Once he’s set his path, he won’t give it up until he smashes his way through it. Most of the time the smashing is literal and involves Mjolnir,” Loki sighed.

“I did want him to come to my first Quidditch match. He could speak to Dumbledore then,” Harry suggested.

“Someone is bound to mention Father to Thor,” Jormungandr pointed out.

“And I wanted to attend your Quidditch match. It’s against Slytherin, is it not?” Loki questioned.
Harry nodded.

“I wanted a chance to speak to Lucius Malfoy, and just what he was thinking when he gave a magical object created by a dark lord to a eleven year old girl,” Loki growled darkly.

“Thor already threatened him,” Harry revealed.

“A second time certainly couldn’t hurt dear Lucius,” Loki smirked.
Jormungandr chortled.

“So then I shouldn’t invite Thor to the match,” Harry couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.

Loki’s brow creased, and mouth turned down in a frown.

“If you wish to invite Thor then do so,” Loki insisted.

“I can’t have you both there,” Harry sighed.

“The first Hogsmeade weekend is this weekend, correct?” Loki asked.

“Yeah, why?” Harry frowned.

“Invite Thor,” Loki commanded.

“Are you sure?” Harry questioned.

“Yes, I’ll to speak Thor. I’m sure I can find some way to persuade him to let me stay,” Loki assured.

“If you say so,” Harry sighed.

He couldn’t help but wonder what he was getting himself into.

Chapter Text

Loki had no idea what he was getting himself into.

The last thing he wanted was to meet with Thor but here he was preparing for a face-to-face confrontation with the blonde buffoon. He just had to keep reminding himself he was doing this for Harry.

Loki's youngest son had looked so disappointed when agreeing not to invite Thor to his Quidditch game. It hurt Loki to see Harek unhappy.

In a moment all of his plans had crumbled. His mind began whirling with different paths he could take. Paths that would allow Harry the chance to spend more time with his father, and wouldn't end with his own imprisonment. The only path that seemed to be the most reasonable was to put his trust in Thor. His golden brother had sworn to speak on his behalf to the All-Father. Loki could only hope he would keep his word.

The concept was terrifying.

Once Thor had been his closest confidant, however, they had drifted apart over the years. Their drifting apart culminated in their spectacularly awful falling out, which ended in the destruction of the Bifrost. Loki had no idea if he could trust Thor or even if he wanted to. Despite his misgivings Loki was going to attempt it, for Harry. His youngest son deserved the chance to get to know his father, and Loki would provide him with the opportunity as long as Thor didn't attempt to take his son away from him. If he did Loki wouldn't hesitate to take Harek so far that Thor would never find either of them again.

Prior to this Loki had decided to get speaking to Dumbledore out of the way. They spoke about the events of the past two years, and his concerns over Harek's involvement in some of the more dangerous events. Dumbledore apologized for what had occurred, and cited that his other positions often kept him from Hogwarts. Now that Dumbledore had discovered Voldemort was truly alive he assured Loki that he would be putting more of his focus on finding the dark wizard.

Loki had enjoyed dressing the headmaster down for leaving Harry with Petunia and her loathsome husband. The old wizard had once more apologized. He had believed Petunia would take care of Harry based on the fact that Petunia had once wanted to go to Hogwarts. Dumbledore hadn't believed she would treat him as she had. It was negligence on the headmaster's part, and it was not something that Loki was going to easily forgive the wizard for.

The headmaster was just lucky he was being honest with Loki. If he had known or purposely placed Harek in dangerous situations Loki wouldn't have hesitated to destroy his old headmaster. The venerated wizard, like the majority of the wizarding world, were not aware of who Loki truly was.

Loki was pleased that Dumbledore was looking into Voldemort. Loki was planning on ending the dark wizard who had dared to murder James and attempt to murder his son. Unfortunately, Loki had more immediate threats to take care at the moment. Voldemort was not an immediate threat without a body, and even with a body Loki was confident that he would be capable of dispatching the mortal wizard. Loki even had an idea about how Voldemort had managed to survive the destruction of his body. The diary Harry had told him about was an incredibly useful piece of evidence.

Loki took a deep breath in preparation for his upcoming confrontation with Thor. Harry and his friends had left the castle a few moments earlier, which was Loki's cue to prepare. There was no telling how Thor would respond. His brother had been known to surprise him especially when it came to Harek.

Loki was just grateful for the few months he'd gotten with Harek here at Hogwarts.

/

Harry had sent off an owl to Thor inviting him to Hogsmeade like Loki had asked him to.

Thor sent him a very enthusiastic response back. Harry was glad that he had asked Thor to meet him. They had been sending a lot of letters back and forth but they hadn't actually seen one another in several months. If they were going to really try building a father-son relationship they would have to do more than just send letters to one another.

But it didn't stop him from feeling nervous about the upcoming meeting. Loki was still planning to talk to Thor, and convince him to let Loki remain at Hogwarts.

Loki still hadn't revealed exactly how she was going to accomplish such a task. Honestly, Harry didn't think she even knew exactly how she was going to do it.

"So your d—, er, Thor is going to be in Hogsmeade today?" Ron fumbled.

Harry could relate with the confusion. It had taken him a long time to process the fact that Thor was his father, and actually wanted to be his father. It had been surprisingly easy for them to form a relationship. But again there was only so much they could build a relationship through paper when they hadn't really established a strong bond before Harry had returned to Hogwarts. Then to add on to their already complicated relationship, Harry had to worry about Thor's reaction to Loki being at Hogwarts and the entire wizarding world finding out Thor was his father.

"Yeah, and my mum is supposed to meet us there in a little bit," Harry murmured.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were on their way to the small wizarding village. Before leaving the castle they had to pass by the dementors. Despite Loki and Dumbledore's vehement disapproval Minister Fudge had still sent the awful creatures to guard Hogwarts.

The black-cloaked figures that fed off people's happiness made Harry highly uneasy. The dementors made the hair on the back of his neck stand up, and sometimes he thought he could almost hear a faint screaming when he got close enough. He hadn't told Loki about how much they seemed to affect him. He figured everyone felt something similar the way they would go pale and shiver around the dementors. Harry was thankful that the only time he really had to be close to them was when at the perimeter of the castle wards. He'd made it a point not to get too close to them.

"Is that a good idea? I saw the footage of their fight on the news," Hermione worried.

"Probably not, but I don't think there's really much of a choice. Thor will find out eventually, and then he'll be even angrier. Besides, I really don't like lying to him," Harry and Thor's relationship was still too new for them to survive a lie this big.

"Do you think they'll get into a fight?" Ron's expression was somewhere between eager and horrified. "They could destroy the entire village."

"I really hope not," Harry muttered under his breath. Louder he said, "I think they'll be able to sort things out. I think they'll try to be amicable to one another as long I'm there."

"I'm sure they will. Professor Potter has been an excellent professor so far," Hermione patted him on the shoulder reassuringly.

Harry quickly changed the subject of conversation. Instead they talked about their lessons, which was something that would always be capable of distracting Hermione. Lately Harry had become more focused on his schoolwork. Now, that Loki was a professor here Harry couldn't get away with slacking off. His mother knew exactly what assignments he had, and was keeping a close eye on his marks. The God of Magic was holding him to a higher standard than any other adult had ever held him to before.

It was sort of nice to have an adult who cared, and believed that he was capable of achieving more. At the same time it was a bit annoying to have some checking in on him all the time to make sure he was completing all of his homework assignments, and paying attention in class. Loki didn't let anything slide, and if Harry did poorly she would set up study sessions where the two of them went over the material together. Often times she could explain things in a way that made a lot more sense to Harry than even his other professors could. His mother compared his study habits to Thor's. They both had a lot of potential and intellect but just didn't always apply it.

The two of them had also had a very long talk about the incidents that had taken place during his first two years at Hogwarts. Loki had gotten the full stories from the various staff members about what had occurred, and then insisted on getting Harry's side of things.

Harry had reluctantly told his mother about everything. Loki had made Harry promise that if he was ever confronted with another dangerous situation Harry should go to Loki for help. Loki promised to believe him, and do what he could to help him. Harry surprised himself with the fact that he actually trusted his mother's words, and was planning on doing what he could to keep his promise to Loki.

The village of Hogsmeade came into view all too quickly. Harry's heart beat faster at the thought of the upcoming confrontation. He was excited to see Thor but not about having to witness Thor and Loki's inevitable argument.

Harry had told Thor to meet him by the Shrieking Shack at Loki's suggestion. His mother had informed him that the house wasn't really haunted like the students of Hogwarts believed it to be. But the rumors would keep people away so that they could meet privately. In the letter Harry had sent to his biological father he'd provided directions to the Shrieking Shack but he had no idea if Thor would actually find his way there.

Ron and Hermione went off to the bookstore. Hermione was dragging their red haired friend along, and Ron was complaining about having to go to the bookstore instead of Honeydukes. The three of them agreed that they would meet back up at the castle since Harry had no idea how long this meeting was going to take. Harry had no intention of leaving his parents on their own.

Thor was waiting for him beside the entrance to the Shrieking Shack when Harry arrived. The God of Thunder was wearing much more casual clothing he had ever seen him in. He had finally mastered Midgardian attire with his jeans and sweatshirt, and his golden hair pulled back in a ponytail.

"Harek," Thor's grin was huge and the large man instantly wrapped Harry in a tight hug.

"Hi, Thor," Harry returned the hug.

"It's so good to see you. How are you, my son?" Thor released him from the hug but kept his hands on his shoulders.

"It's nice to see you too, and I've been good. What about you?"

"I have been well. Learning a great deal about Midgard. You must tell me all about the last couple of months. How has your schooling been progressing?" Thor wrapped an arm around his shoulders, and the two of them walked inside the Shrieking Shack to sit down on one of the old and clawed up pieces of furniture in the living room.

"It's really good," Harry proceeded to tell him about some of the things he had been learning in class that he hadn't been able to fit into his letters.

It was certainly a lot nicer to actually hold a conversation with Thor than having to write letters that would take at least a day to get a response back.

"It seems your magical education is going quite well. I'm glad to hear it. I cannot wait to see you participate in your broom sport," Thor rubbed his hair affectionately.

Harry had forgotten just how touch oriented Thor was, and Harry was surprised to find out how much he had missed it.

"Yeah, it should be a good game. It's against Slytherin, and those are always the hardest games," Harry shifted awkwardly.

He had no idea when Loki would arrive, and the anticipation was making Harry anxious. He wasn't able to fully focus on his and Thor's conversation.

"We still haven't been able to locate your mother. I've said it before but it is very likely Loki has left Midgard entirely. My friends and I will search another month or so before I must return the Tesseract to Asgard. Once the Bifrost is rebuilt travel between the realms will be made simple once more," Thor imparted, patting him reassuringly.

The comforting gesture had Harry's guilt soaring.

"Oh, right, that's great…" Harry's fingers clenched, digging into the couch beneath him. Wooden pieces of the couch instantly broke away from the strength of his grip.

The move didn't escape Thor, and the golden haired Asgardian turned to face him fully. His bright blue eyes locking with Harry's own. "Is there something you wish to tell me?"

"Um, well, you see, er… I know where Loki is," Harry blurted out.

Thor froze and his eyes widened.

"She's actually here at Hogwarts. I wanted to tell you but I didn't really know how to tell you without it seeming like I was picking sides. Also I was afraid about what would happen. I don't want Loki to go to Asgardian prison. I just got my mum back. I don't want to lose her again. I'm sorry I didn't say anything earlier," Harry rambled.

"It's all right, Harek," Thor laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "I do not blame you for wanting to protect your mother. It is very admirable of you."

"Ok, but are you sure you're not upset with me?"

"Of course not. It is not fair that we have put you in the position you are in. I will do all that I can to make this situation easier for you. However, I am glad that you've told me the truth. I know how hard it must have been to do so," Thor gently squeezed his shoulder.

"Thank you, and I think Mum wants the same thing. To figure everything out so I'm not in the middle of this, that is. It's why she's supposed to come to speak to you today," Harry admitted, glancing up into his father's face.

"Well, I suppose I now have a difficult decision to make," Thor stroked a hand over his beard.

"She probably has a plan or something."

"I'm sure Loki does," Thor muttered.

"I'm not sure when she's going to be here. She's been in her Lily Potter form since returning to the wizarding world."

"I thought the wizards thought she was dead," Thor frowned.

"They did until she convinced them that she somehow came back to life," Harry explained.

Thor chuckled, "Loki is very convincing."

"Why thank you, brother."

Thor and Harry turned to see Loki standing in the doorway to the Shrieking Shack. Loki had returned to his male form but was wearing stylish and expensive looking wizarding robes.

"Loki," Thor's eyes hardened slightly.

"Thor," his mother nodded. "Harek, why don't you go ahead and return to your friends? You should get a chance to enjoy and explore. It is you first time in Hogsmeade."

"They'll be other weekends. I want to stay," Harry insisted, looking from one parent to the other.

He caught eyes with his mother, and stared defiantly at him. Harry wasn't going anywhere unless he was physically or magically forced to move.

Loki sighed, recognizing his stubborn streak. "Very well."

"Now that we have that settled, why don't you tell me what you plan to do?" Thor requested, folding his arms across his chest.

"I simply wish to be close to Harek, and keep him safe in the process. I have no grand plan to attack Midgard. I just want to protect my son. The wizarding world has been a bit lax in its duties in that regard," Loki huffed.

"In this we can agree," Thor nodded.

Loki tilted his head his brow furrowing.

"I may have told him about the basilisk and Voldemort," Harry answered his mother's unasked question.

"I see, one less thing I need to explain then," Loki finally settled himself in an armchair across from the couch Harry and Thor sat on. He gracefully relaxed into the claw marked old chair as if he were seating himself on a throne.

Thor rolled his eyes at the gesture. But it made Harry smile. His mum enjoyed putting on a show.

"I wished to speak to the Headmaster of Hogwarts about my concerns with this dark wizard who is after Harek. I'm sure you would be much more capable of this, Loki, with your past with this Dumbledore," Thor commented.

"Yes, and I have already aired my concerns to Albus. We had quite a lengthy discussion about the events that have taken place. Apparently he has been searching for Voldemort since confirming he was alive. He also puts the other various occurrences that have happened as instances beyond his control. I believe he was being sincere nevertheless it doesn't excuse his actions," Loki disdainfully brushed away some dust that had gotten on his robes.

"Wait, you talked to the Headmaster about the stuff with the Philosopher's Stone and the basilisk? Why?" Harry's eyes widened.

"Of course I talked to him just as I spoke to you about them. As your headmaster he is charged with the protection of the students of Hogwarts. He was in charge of keeping you safe. You and your friends should have never had to be involved in the situations you found yourselves in. So I was rightfully concerned about how he had let such a thing happen on his watch," Loki's fingers tapped against the arms of his chair, a scowl forming on his face.

"But they did happen and everything worked out just fine so I don't know why we're talking about it right now. We've already talked about it and I promised to come to you if anything dangerous happens again," Harry crossed his arms over his chest.

He was feeling a little defensive. He thought his parents were here to talk to one another not gang up on him for things that had already happened.

"The only reason I have let this go is because no harm was done to you, and because I know just how incompetent the current Minister and his officials are. Albus has his work cut out for him getting Fudge to see any sort of reason. The man is purposely ignorant, and simply wants to bury his head in the sand."

"I'm sure Loki and I got ourselves into situations much deadlier than your own adventures. Like the time we got lost on Vanaheim, and we had to slay that lake beast. Do you remember that, Loki? It ended up catching you in one its tentacles, and smashing your face into the sand. I had to free you using only a nearby boat oar. Ahh that was a good fight," Thor chuckled nostalgically.

"Practicing caution never hurt anyone," Loki spat out while shooting Thor a glare. "I will not be so lenient to Dumbledore now that he is aware of my feelings towards how he has handled things in the past. I of course will be keeping a close eye on things, and will try to look into Voldemort's whereabouts if I'm allowed to remain on Midgard that is."

"You know you must return to Asgard, Loki, at least for a time. I have already told you that I will stand in your corner. You were not wholly responsible for the events that took place on Midgard. Father and Mother could aid you in breaking the spell binding your words, and finding the perpetrator who committed the crimes against you," Thor looked enraged at the mere mention of whoever had dared to harm Loki.

"I may not be entirely responsible for the events on Midgard with the Chitauri but I don't have the same excuse for what occurred in Asgard before my fall from the Bifrost. I was in control of my own actions during that time," Loki quirked a challenging eyebrow at Thor.

"That is true, however, there were extenuating circumstances," Thor insisted.

"Making excuses for me now, Thor?" Loki smirked.

"I'm trying to help you, brother. For your own sake and Harek's," Thor growled.

"I don't need your help to protect my son," Loki spat.

"Ourson," Thor snarled back.

"I think you both need to take a step back and a deep breath," Harry cautioned, eyes darting back and forth between his parents.

At least he now knew where he got his quick temper. He'd gotten it from both of his parents. Loki's was a more simmering rage like fire while Thor's was swift and explosive like a bolt of lightning.

Loki's jaw clenched but he could visibly see his mother's attempts to pull back his rising anger.

"Thank you for the reminder, Harek," Thor took a deep breath, and clapped Harry on the shoulder. Thor was much more successful in letting his anger go than Loki and when he spoke again his tone was much gentler. "You must return to Asgard, Loki, or would prefer to spend the rest of your life in hiding? Do you wish to face your benefactors on your own? Or would you rather have the full force of Asgard at your side? The one who did this to you does not seem like someone you are capable of facing by yourself or who will easily admit defeat. What if they come after Harek as recompense for your failure or do even worse when they find out it was an intentional loss?"

Loki's jaw clenched but there was no immediate response from his mother. It was a sure sign that Loki could see the logic behind Thor's words but really didn't like it. If he wouldn't speak up then Harry would.

"Maybe Thor's right. Maybe we should go to Asgard. What if those people come back sooner rather than later, and they want to hurt you for not following through with their plans? I don't want them to hurt you again," Harry worried.

"Thor can go to Asgard. He can tell the All-Father about everything. Thor can get his reassurances that nothing will befall myself or you," Loki waved a hand at Harry. "Then we can join Thor in Asgard."

"You and I both know that it may take months for the Bifrost to be rebuilt even with the Tesseract's power. That will be months I will not be able to contact you and you won't be able to contact me," Thor glared.

"All the better," Loki grinned.

"I would not be able to come to your aid if you were in danger."

"I can protect Harek," Loki assured.

Harry glanced between his arguing parents. He wasn't sure if he should try to step in again or not. Their tones weren't quite as aggressive as they had been before. Their tempers were flaring a bit.

"You simply don't wish for me to be a part of Harek's life," Thor shifted forward, his blue eyes drilling into Loki.

"No, I do not."

"I knew—"

"Let me finish," Loki cut Thor's snarl off. "I don't want you to be a part of Harek's life because I know eventually, just like everyone else, he will come to prefer you over me."

Loki dropped his eyes into his lap. Harry could see just how it pained his mother to admit such a vulnerability out loud.

Harry stood and approached his mother. He laid a careful hand on Loki's shoulder. "Mum, I promise that's not going to happen. I've wanted parents all my life, and having you both here now is a dream come true for me. You're my mum, and no one can take your place in my heart. But Thor's my dad and no one can take his place either. I can love both of you equally."

Loki's surprisingly misty green eyes darted up to his blue. "I love you too, Harry. You'll have to forgive my insecurities. I should not have—"

"You should have. I want to know what you're feeling, Loki. How else can I help you?" Thor pleaded. The God of Thunder was standing but he had yet to move closer to them despite obviously wanting to.

"I think I've shared enough for today," Loki's suddenly flippant tone was at odds with the tight grip he had on Harry's hand.

Harry wished he could help Loki, and make him see how much he cared and how much Thor cared. But Harry and Loki were very alike when it came to their deeper emotions. Loki would only believe his words if Harry followed through with actions.

He could kind of relate to his mother. Harry had rather suddenly discovered that his parents were not actually his parents. But at least he found out before he was over a thousand years old, and no one had intentionally kept the truth from him. Harry was also lucky that both of his biological parents cared about him and wanted a relationship with him.

Loki's relationship with Odin was a lot more complicated. Not to mention the fact that his mother's biological father was an enemy king to the place he'd grown up in, and who had abandoned Loki in the snow to die.

Harry couldn't imagine what his mother was going through. There was so much that had happened to the God of Mischief in a rather short amount of time. On top of finding out that he was adopted he'd also recovered memories of an entire other life he'd lived and being tortured and controlled by some unknown evil being.

"So what are we going to do?" Harry asked, glancing at Thor.

His father was deep in thought.

"I suppose my fate lies in your hands, brother," Loki sighed and stood up.

"I made a promise to you, Loki, on the helicarrier, and I intend to keep it. I will not let Father imprison you, and I will do my best to see your other children freed. We will face Father together, and if we have to we will escape together in a truly glorious fashion. Not that I believe it will be necessary to escape from Asgard," Thor approached Loki as cautiously as Hagrid had made them approach the hippogriffs.

"So when do we leave?" Loki asked.

"I do not think we have to leave right this moment. I believe we can stretch things out a little while longer. I have a game I'd like to see," Thor grinned at Harry.

"So we're going to leave after my Quidditch game? What about Hogwarts?" Harry questioned.

He had made his decision that he was going to go with his parents to Asgard months ago back on the helicarrier. Harry wasn't going to change his mind now.

"I will keep you up to date with your studies, and going to Asgard doesn't mean we're never coming back. We're just visiting until we get everything sorted, and the Bifrost is restored. You'll most likely miss the rest of your third year but hopefully we should return for your fourth year," Loki nodded resolutely.

"It's fine. I would rather be with you both," Harry smiled as he looked between his parents.

This was the closest the three of them had been since the helicarrier. It was the first time that they had been together without Loki being shackled and muzzled. It was actually nice because for a moment he could believe that everything was all right, and his parents didn't hate each other. It wasn't like he wanted them to actually be together or anything. He would just like it if they could be in the same room together without trying to kill each other or things turning into an argument.

"As would I," Thor surprised Loki and Harry by throwing an arm around both of them. The large blonde pulled them in close for a fierce hug. Harry returned the hug, and wrapped an arm around both his parents. Loki, however, remained utterly stiff. At least he didn't pull away immediately either.

"Yes, well, now that's enough of that," Loki extracted himself from Harry and Thor's arms after allowing the embrace for several moments. He went about meticulously straightening his robes, and avoiding eye contact with Thor and Harry.

Thor chuckled, keeping an arm across Harry's shoulders. "I am pleased we have reached an agreement."

"Yes, well, I do hope it doesn't backfire on me," Loki heaved a put upon sigh.

"No need to worry, brother, I won't let anything happen," Thor assured.

"I must return to the castle. Make sure you're back on time," Loki warned Harry.

"I will," Harry agreed.

Loki smiled warmly at Harry before turning a more neutral gaze to Thor. "Thor."

"Loki," Thor tilted his head.

His mother returned the gesture and swept from the Shrieking Shack.

"So what should we do now?" Thor grinned at him.

"Well, Jor's in the castle too, and he's been trying to teach me some fighting skills but I'm still not very good. Maybe you could help?" Harry offered.

"I would be thrilled to do so. When we get to Asgard we can find a weapon that suits you," Thor enthused.

"Like Mjolnir?" Harry couldn't imagine wielding a weapon like that.

"Yes, perhaps we shall pay a visit to Nidavellir, the home of the dwarves where they forge the mightiest of weapons inside the heart of a dying star. It was where Mjolnir was forged," Thor's eyes were shining at the thought.

Harry imagined his own were shining too. "Wicked."

"Now come, my son, we will spar."

Thor and he sparred for about an hour in the clearing by the Shrieking Shack. His father insisted that Harry had gotten a lot better but Harry just didn't see it. The rest of their time together was spent with Harry eagerly asking more stories about Thor and Loki's childhood. Thor's mention about the lake monster with tentacles had Harry keenly interested to hear more.

But eventually Harry had to return to the castle.

"I will see you soon, my son," Thor affectionately ruffled his black curls.

"Bye, dad," Harry immediately froze as soon as the words slipped out. Harry's heart beat quickly. He hadn't meant to call Thor dad. But if he was being honest he'd been thinking of him as such for a while now. Harry just hadn't been brave enough to actually call him that.

Before Thor could respond to his slip up Harry decided to beat a hasty retreat.

All the way back to the castle he berated himself for calling Thor dad. It wasn't that he didn't think of Thor as his dad. He had for a while now. It was just that Harry wasn't sure if Thor was comfortable with Harry calling him that. Thor had said he wanted to be his father, and so far Thor hadn't done anything to make Harry think otherwise.

"Did everything go all right?" Hermione asked later that night when the three of them were alone.

"Yeah, it went a lot better than I thought it was going to go actually. They didn't even get into an actual fight so that's good I suppose. Thor is going to come to my Quidditch game this weekend. I just don't know if I should tell them the truth about our relationship or not," Harry admitted.

He was really considering telling everyone the truth about Thor being his father. After all what difference did it really make? Everyone was going to know he was related to Thor in some way. It would make him a target no matter what story he told people. At least they would be on Asgard after the rumors spread, and then hopefully everything would have died down by the time they returned.

"Someone's bound to find out. I mean you and Thor look a lot alike," Ron commented.

"I suppose I'll check with my mum just to be safe," Harry shrugged.

His mother would have a better understanding of the consequences of revealing such a secret.

"What did your parents decide to do?" Hermione changed the subject.

"Well…" Harry wasn't quite sure how to tell his friends that he was going to be leaving for a little while.

"What is it?" Ron's brow furrowed in confusion.

"We're going to Asgard," Harry fiddled with a string that had frayed on his shirt.

"Wicked, when are you going?" Ron questioned.

"After the Quidditch game," Harry confessed.

"That soon?" Hermione's eyes were wide.

"The sooner the better so that we can clear my mum's name."

"When are you going to be back?" Ron asked.

Harry told them about how the Bifrost was broken so it was probably going to take several months, and he would probably be gone for the rest of the year. Hermione was worried about his studies, and Ron was worried about who they were going to get to replace him as Seeker.

He assured his friends that he would be back for fourth year. Or at least he really hoped he would.

Chapter Text

The day of Harek’s first Quidditch match finally came. Thor had told his Midgardian friends that he had gotten a lead on Loki that he needed to investigate on his own. The other Avengers had attempted to protest but he did not give them a chance to follow him. He flew off directly after telling them he was leaving.

Thor was overjoyed to get the chance to watch his son participate in a sport Harek clearly loved and excelled at. He also had to admit to himself that he was just as excited to finally bring Harek to Asgard. Thor couldn’t wait to introduce his son to his family and friends, and share with Harek all the parts of Asgard there was to see.

Thor was also optimistic about repairing his relationship with Loki. He could see now that there were times he took his brother for granted. He had been too wrapped up in his own exploits to notice how withdrawn and unhappy Loki had become over the years especially after the loss of his other children. It was obvious to him now that he had taken the time to look back on his memories.

Of course, the decay of their relationship was not a one-way street. Loki would have to shoulder some of the blame as well. However, Thor would not hold his breath. The only reason Loki was even willing to speak to him was because of Harek. If the boy did not exist, Thor couldn’t imagine where his wayward brother would be now. Loki certainly wouldn’t have agreed to speak to him or be willing to return with him to Asgard.

Thor landed in the small wizarding village by the ramshackle house he had met Harek in a few days earlier.

Now that Thor knew the signs he was capable of easily seeing through the wizarding wards that kept their magical towns and buildings secret even from the likes of Stark’s technology. How much longer the wizards would be able to hide was the question. Stark was making huge advancements. Advancements that Thor had not believed were even possible for a Midgardian to make until now.

He wore the simple Midgardian clothing that Stark had equipped him with. Thor and the other Avengers had been living in the Man of Iron’s tower whilst searching for Loki. They had all built quite the camaraderie between them in a very short amount of time. Defeating an alien army together and living with one another did help to speed things along.

Thor made his way up the path towards the castle he had only caught glimpses of previously. He was arriving a little early to meet Harek before the game started. They had made their arrangements through their letters so that his son could show him around the school he so adored, and that Loki seemed to be equally enamored with.

The closer Thor drew to Hogwarts, the more he could understand his son and Loki’s admiration. The castle was indeed a spectacle to behold. It was utterly massive with great towers reaching towards the clouds. Hogwarts could not hope to compete with the palace of Asgard in size but it was very impressive for a mortal made building. Thor could sense the magic emanating from the dark stonewalls. Its sheer power was breathtaking.

“Thor!”

The god turned his head to see his son loping towards him. The boy was growing taller. When Thor had seen him at the shack he had been amazed over how much his son had changed in the months since he had dropped him off at the train station. It would not be long before his only child reached adulthood, and Thor deeply regretted having missed the majority of his childhood.

Thor smiled as his son approached him but he could not help but feel a pang as well. Harek had called him dad for the first time during their meeting in the small clearing. In fact Harek had referred to him as his father twice throughout their short reunion. Now, he was back to being Thor. Thor did realize his son could not refer to him as such without fear of reprisal amongst the wizards. He could only hope that he would be back to dad when they left for Asgard.

“Harek,” Thor pulled his son into a strong embrace.

It was nice to be around someone he didn’t have to worry about breaking. The mortals were so very tiny and fragile. His son did not share their vulnerabilities even if he had not quite reached the full power of an Aesir.

“Are you ready to see Hogwarts?” Harry grinned up at him.

“Indeed,” Thor wrapped an arm across his son’s shoulders as they strolled up to the castle’s entrance.

Harek’s two friends greeted them just before entering the castle.

“Hello, Mr. Odinson,” the curly haired girl greeted formally.

The red haired boy gave a little wave his blue eyes staring at Thor with a reverence he had come to expect from mortals.

“It is good to see Harek’s friends once more,” Thor smiled at the adolescent wizards.

“We’ve got some work to do so we’ll let you and Harry go on your tour. But we’ll see you again after the game,” Hermione informed him. 

“Certainly, your schoolwork is important,” Thor agreed.

For some reason this caused the young witch to beam, and the red haired wizard to groan.

His son chuckled, and whispered to him about how Hermione very much enjoyed her schoolwork while Ron did not.

The young Midgardian magic users said their goodbyes, and headed back into the castle. Harry pointed out the greenhouses where he and his classmates worked with magical plants. Thor told his son about his mother’s gardens back on Asgard.

The two of them then made their way inside the magical castle. Hogwarts was even more impressive inside. Thor found the enchanted paintings utterly entertaining, and the moving staircases were quite a thrill. They traipsed all throughout the castle. They occasionally passed students but it seemed they didn’t immediately recognize him in his current Midgardian attire.

Eventually Harek had to leave to go get ready for the game. His son gave him directions to the pitch but Thor had requested directions to Loki’s quarters. Harek provided directions and the password to get by the portrait guarding the entrance to Loki’s rooms. He wanted to speak to his brother before the game.

Thor stepped into his Loki’s rooms, and one glance around the room was all it took for him to confirm that Loki lived here. His brother’s expensive and highbrow taste was written over the room’s décor.

The God of Mischief was nowhere to be seen in this particular living area. Then a female voice trickled from a nearby archway along with another, deeper male voice.

Thor carefully approached the archway to listen, and ascertain who his brother was entertaining at the moment before he barged in.

“—know the truth will you do this for me, Severus?” a soft female voice questioned.

Thor recognized the female voice. It belonged to Lily, which meant the voice belonged to Loki.

“I will,” the deep baritone responded.

“I don’t forgive you for the way you treated Harek the first two years or for begging for my life in exchange for that of my husband’s and child’s. Nevertheless, your decision to—”

“You did what!?” Thor roared as he stormed into the room.

It was a small kitchen. Loki in the form of Lily was sitting at a small wooden table with a thin, sallow faced man with lank black hair. Thor was momentarily distracted from his rage from seeing Loki as Lily for the first time. It was the first time he had been face to face with Lily’s image in nearly fourteen years.

“Thor! What are you doing here?” Loki demanded jumping to her feet.

The black haired wizard did the same, pulling out his wand to point it threateningly at Thor.

“I came to speak to you before Harek’s game. I did not expect to hear such a confession. What did you mean this mortal tried to exchange Harek’s life for your own?” Thor demanded glaring fiercely at the hook nosed mortal.

“If you would only calm yourself, brother, I will explain everything,” Loki hissed.

“Brother?” the greasy haired wizard raised one dark eyebrow. His black eyes pierced into Thor.

“Yes, Severus, meet my brother, Thor Odinson, God of Thunder and Patron of Idiots.”

“Loki,” Thor narrowed his eyes at his sister.

“Thor, meet Severus my former childhood friend when I was Lily Evans,” Loki continued blithely as if Thor hadn’t even spoken. “Now let’s all take a seat.”

Thor moved stiffly towards one of the vacant chairs.

“I suppose you deserve to know the full story. It all started when a mortal seer made a prophecy…” Loki began.

Thor listened intently as Loki outlined the events that had led to her mortal death. He had heard bits and pieces. Having the entire picture was much better.

When Loki got to the mortal wizard, Severus’s part Thor had to restrain himself from leaping up to strangle the bastard. Not only had he been a servant of the dark wizard who harmed his son, he had also been the one to tell him of the prophecy and tried to spare Loki in exchange for James and Harek’s lives. If that was not enough Severus, who was Harek’s potion professor, had been horribly cruel to his son his first two years at the magical school.

“You’re not giving me any reasons not to kill him, Loki,” Thor growled, glaring at Severus.

To his surprise the wizard didn’t quail beneath his fierce stare. Severus simply met his eyes with his own black gaze.

“Severus has renounced his old master, and has sworn an Unbreakable Oath to protect my son. Now, he has sworn an Oath to me, to be my eyes and ears in the wizarding world while we are in Asgard, and to keep all my secrets. Severus is very familiar with those who would return to Voldemort’s side, and he will keep an eye on them. He will work for me and only me,” Loki purred, beaming winningly at Severus while her emerald eyes sparkled.

The sallow faced wizard’s face flushed, and Thor instantly recognized the besotted look on the poor fool’s face. Thor almost felt bad for the wizard now. Loki had enamored many. His sister could be quite charming when she chose to be no matter what form she happened to be in.

Thor folded his arms across his chest. “You will not treat our son in such a manner again, Severus, or I will acquaint you with Mjolnir.”

“Your son?” Severus’s black eyes had widened comically.

“Did I forget to mention that?” Loki’s tone was glib. “Thor is Harry’s father not James.”

“Potter is not…” Severus appeared to be in shock, and was that a touch of delight in his eyes? “You mentioned the two of you were related…”

“Oh, yes, we were raised together but I was adopted, and we had no idea who the other was at the time due to Odin’s punishment. It’s been quite the unexpected surprise. We are learning to adjust,” Loki explained.

“Of course, well, Lil—Loki. I will leave you so that you may speak to your brother privately,” the dark haired wizard.

“Thank you, Severus. I’ll see you at the game,” Loki smiled.

Severus nodded and swept from the room, his black robes flapping behind him. Thor and Loki waited until they heard the door to Loki’s rooms shut.

In a shimmer of green Loki’s form as Lily shifted to become his male form.

“Do you truly forgive that man for all his has done?” Thor narrowed his eyes.

“No, of course not, but he will be useful in protecting Harry. He is an excellent spy, and now he will spy only for me. Once he has served his purpose than I will exact my revenge,” Loki replied.

“I will differ to your judgment,” Thor wasn’t sure if he agreed completely but he would let it slide for the moment.

“What did you want to talk about, Thor?” Loki’s eyes narrowed on Thor.

“I was going to make sure that you were ready to leave after the game. It looks like I needn’t have worried that you were going to betray me. You are actually preparing to leave,” Thor leaned back in the small wooden chair causing the chair to creak ominously.

“I told you I was,” Loki glared.

“Forgive me if I find it difficult to trust your word these days, Loki.”

“I’ve come to realize that going to Asgard is what’s best for Harry. As long as you claim him and Odin accepts him, Asgard will be the safest place for him,” Loki admitted his eyes locked on Thor’s, and conveying his sincerity.

“And if an unfortunate accident were to befall Father and then myself, the throne falls to Harek with you as regent until he reaches adulthood,” Thor teased, a broad grin stretching across his face.

“The thought has crossed my mind,” Loki smirked.

Thor chuckled. “I’m certain it has.”

“Harry has asked me about the possibility of revealing you are his father. I told him it wasn’t the right time,” Loki took a sip of his tea.

“He wants to tell people I’m his father?” Thor was surprised.

“Of course he does, he loves you, Thor, and he sees how much it hurts you when he denies you,” Loki stated simply.

“I love him, and if you think hiding the truth will better protect him from this dark wizard then we shall keep the secret as long as necessary,” Thor swore.

Loki regarded him shrewdly.

“You are a good father, Thor,” Loki whispered.

The words were so quiet Thor nearly didn’t catch them. Thor felt a rush of relief sweep through him. He had no idea if he was being a good father. Thor had honestly felt like he was fumbling through his relationship with Harek, and he had no idea what he was doing half the time. Loki on the other hand appeared to be completely at ease with parenting.

“You are the one willing to barter with your freedom for the safety of our son. You’re a wonderful parent, Loki,” Thor held his brother’s gaze.

Loki looked away. His brother was not fast enough to keep Thor from seeing the moisture that had formed in his eyes.

“If the two of you are done with this sentimental crap, the game is about to start.”

Thor and Loki both startled, and twisted around. Jormungandr, in his human form, was leaning against the entryway to the small kitchen eating an apple.

“How long have you been standing there?” Loki demanded.

“Long enough,” Jormungandr took another bite of his apple.

A motion of Loki’s hands had Jormungandr turning into a large red viper.

“Hey! I wasn’t done eating that apple, and it won’t taste as good now that I’m a snake,” Jormungandr groused.

“You said we were going to be late to the game,” Loki smirked and scooped Jormungandr up.

The red viper curled himself around Loki’s throat. Thor wished he could have spent longer speaking to his brother especially when it appeared that Loki was opening up to him. For a moment it felt like they had been reconnecting. However, he didn’t want to miss Harry’s game.

Loki returned to his form as red haired Lily Potter, and together the two of them made their way out to the Quidditch pitch.

On their way out of the castle they were met by two of Loki’s mortal friends. Thor was surprised to discover Loki had friends here on Midgard. Loki didn’t have friends on Asgard, and Thor was pleased that there were people here who his brother could rely on.

Sirius Black and Remus Lupin seemed like decent and trustworthy men who genuinely cared about Loki. The two wizards were the only others who were aware of Loki’s true identity, and Thor’s exact relationship to Harry. Thor rather enjoyed their bickering banter. It reminded him a bit of Stark and Dr. Banner’s conversations if the two men of science were wizards and had known one another since childhood. 

The Quidditch Pitch impressed Thor. It was much grander than he had been expecting. The stands were several hundred feet above the ground, and covered in the banners of the Hogwarts houses. Harek had told him about the Hogwarts houses while they toured the school, and that he been sorted in to Gryffindor House by some sort of singing magical hat.

The four of them, and Jormungandr in his snake form made their way to the stand designated for parents and guests. They settled onto one of the rows of wooden benches.

“The Malfoys are here,” Sirius muttered under his breath. His gray eyes were locked off to the side.

Thor glanced in the direction Sirius was looking. Indeed, the blonde couple Thor had met in the wizarding market place was sitting in front and to the left of them.

“Shouldn’t you say hello to Narcissa? She’s your cousin after all, and you’ve been sending all of those letters to one another,” Remus commented mildly.

“I’ll say hello if she does. I don’t want to have to talk to Malfoy,” Sirius pouted. 

Remus sighed in exasperation.

“I want to talk to Malfoy,” Loki muttered under her breath.

“Oh, please turn him into a duck or even better a weasel,” Sirius pleaded his voice rising slightly.

“Sirius? I thought that was your voice,” the Lady Malfoy turned to look up at them.

Her husband had likewise turned towards them.

“Narcissa, so nice to see you,” Sirius’s voice was surprisingly pleasant for someone who moments before had been complaining about the couple.

“You as well, cousin. You remember my husband, Lucius,” she waved a gloved hand towards the man beside her.

“Couldn’t forget dear Lucius,” Sirius bared his teeth at the other wizard in a facsimile of a smile. 

“Sirius, I see you know Mr. Odinson,” Lucius gave Thor a respectful head tilt.

“He is Lily’s brother,” Sirius waved a hand towards Loki who was watching the proceedings with cool green eyes.

“I have come to see Harek play your wizarding sport,” Thor informed the pale haired wizard and witch.

“Our son Draco plays as well, and we enjoy attending the games when we can,” Narcissa smiled demurely, pride in her eyes.

“How wonderful, this is my first time getting to watch Harek play but I’ve heard he’s quite good,” Loki spoke up, still closely observing the Malfoy couple.

“He’s great!” Sirius enthused.

“Sirius, you’ve never seen him play either,” Remus cut in.

“I’ve heard about it,” Sirius mumbled, slouching a bit.

“Mrs. Potter, I was wondering if perhaps we might have lunch one afternoon?” Narcissa turned her attention to Loki.

“I will have to check my schedule,” Loki answered coolly.

“Certainly, send me an owl when you get a chance,” Narcissa nodded, not pushing the request due to Loki’s curt response.

“Mr. Odinson,” Lucius called, diverting Thor’s attention back to the pale haired wizard. “I would love to hear more about Asgard. If you would feel so inclined.”

Thor could see the wizard’s desire to pry. “Ah, well…”

“I’m afraid that’s privileged information, Lucius,” Loki cut in, her sharp emerald eyes cutting into the wizard despite the warm smile on her face.

They were saved from further conversation when a loud cheering started up. Thor was grateful for the chance to turn his attention to the pitch.

The players from both teams were making their way out and onto the pitch. Thor easily picked out Harek among the red and gold players. As if sensing Thor’s gaze his son turned, and locked eyes with him. Thor sent Harry an enthusiastic wave. A large grin stretched its way across Harek’s face, and he returned the wave. His gaze looked to Thor’s right where Loki sat. Brief surprise flickered over his features before his smile grew even larger.

“He’s thrilled to see us sitting together,” Thor whispered to Loki.

“Yes,” Loki agreed without pulling her gaze from Harek.

The referee quickly reviewed the rules of the game, and then called for the players to mount their brooms. She pushed herself into the air, and then blew the whistle while tossing a red ball into the air. The players of both teams shot into the air.

They quickly rose to the altitude of the stands and beyond. The players began zooming around the pitch at impressive speeds. Some of the players tossed the red ball about to try and get them through the hoops at the opposite sides. The players with the bats swatted the bludgers about trying to slam into the players from the opposite team.

Thor had not been expecting to find the sport as captivating as he did. Witnessing the game made Thor realize the skill involved, and just how deadly this sport could be especially for mortals.

He was quickly enraptured, and Thor cheered right alongside Sirius as Harry’s team, Gryffindor, scored and booed when the Slytherin team did so. Thor never let his eyes wander from his son for too long. Harek was busy scanning the pitch for the golden snitch, and occasionally faked a sighting to trick the Malfoy boy.

The game had been going on for an hour when Harek suddenly darted skyward. A flash of gold told Thor that his son had caught sight of the small, golden winged ball. The weather had worsened as the game progressed so when Harek went higher he disappeared into dark and gloomy clouds.

Draco Malfoy raced to follow Harek into the clouds but before he could Harek was reemerging from the clouds. It was just not in a way Thor had been expecting. His son was falling. Harek was no longer astride his broom, and the thin piece of wood was also freefalling through the open sky.

The most terrifying part was that Thor’s son appeared to be unconscious. Harek was completely motionless from what he could see. Thor’s heart thundered in his chest, and he found himself completely frozen.

“It can’t be,” Sirius gasped.

Black wraiths followed Harek out of the clouds. Skeletal hands were reaching from beneath tattered black robes towards Harry’s plummeting form.

“Dementors,” Remus hissed.

“Thor, do something,” Loki smacked his arm.

The hit was enough to jar him from his state of shock and fear. Thor hefted Mjolnir and called on his power. A bolt of lightning struck him, and in the next instance he was in full battle armor spinning Mjolnir. He leapt into the sky, and caught Harek in his arms. Clutching his unconscious child close to his chest he turned his attention towards the wraiths.

A strange, prickling fear coiled in the back of his skull as the creatures approached. Brief images of his father banishing him, and Loki falling from the Bifrost flickered through his mind. Thor shook his head. The black-cloaked creatures, dementors, had to be the cause. He could not let them addle his thoughts. Thor had to protect his son.

Lightning cracked through the sky, and tore through the dementors. The creatures exploded into a flurry of black tattered cloth destroying more than half of their number. Seeing their fellows annihilated the few remaining swiftly turned tail and fled back into the sky. Thor would have given chase if he was not worried about his son’s condition. His son had yet to stir in all of the commotion.

With the immediate threat vanquished, Thor turned his attention to his injured child. Thor returned to the stands he had just left. Loki was anxiously awaiting him.

“Put him down here,” Loki commanded.

Thor gently settled Harek onto the bench Loki indicated. Harry’s face was paler than normal, and his lips even looked a little blue. Thor hated how still he appeared. His son, like himself, was rarely ever still.

Loki hovered over Harek casting a soft green spell with a deep look of concentration on her face.

“He’s fine,” Loki heaved a relieved sigh and sat back. “Just a bad reaction to the dementors. They didn’t get his soul.”

“What were those creatures?” Thor demanded, feeling equally relieved.

“Dementors, they are creatures that feed off a person’s happiness, and leave you nothing but your misery and the worst of your memories,” Sirius whispered, looking strangely broken.

“I have some chocolate for when he wakes,” Remus held up a bar of the sweet treat.

“Thank you, Remus, he should wake soon,” Loki accepted the bar of chocolate.

Thor glanced around them. Wizards and witches were swiftly evacuating the stands. Sirius, Remus, Loki, and he were the only ones left in this particular stand. Thor could feel the eyes of many of the wizards on him, and he knew the chances of him going undetected had been dashed.

Thor could only hope he hadn’t put his son in a more dangerous position than the one he had just saved him from.

“Mum,” a mumbled whisper had Thor’s attention quickly returning to his son.

Harek’s eyes slowly open, and frantically looked around himself in search of Loki.

“I’m here, Harry,” Loki was instantly there, cradling Harek’s face, and comforting him with a direct view of her face.

“Are you all right?” Harek grasped desperately for Loki’s arm.

“Of course I am, you’re the one we’re a little more worried about at the moment.”

“I thought I heard you screaming,” Harek frowned. “What happened? Did I fall?”

“The dementors decided to storm the pitch. They concealed themselves within the storm clouds. Thor saved you and destroyed those despicable creatures,” Loki stroked Harry’s rain soaked curls.

“Dementors, right, I remember now. It was awful. I had just caught the snitch and then suddenly they were everywhere,” Harry shuddered.

Loki firmly rubbed his shoulders in comfort.  

“They’re gone now, and you’re all right. Here, have a piece of chocolate courtesy of Remus,” Loki handed over the chocolate bar.

“Thanks, professor,” Harek mumbled around his bite of the sweet.

“Of course, Harry,” the scarred man inclined his head. “We’re just pleased you’re all right.”

“I even held on to the snitch,” a grin stretched across Harek’s features and he lifted the golden ball for them to see.

“Yes, because that’s what matters at the moment,” Loki rolled her eyes.

“Of course it matters that means Gryffindor is victorious over those slimey snakes. It does look like you crushed the poor thing though,” Sirius commented.

“Oops,” Harry opened his palm to reveal that the small golden ball was indeed slightly warped with indents from his fingers.

“We should get going before the masses descend on us. I see Albus making his way towards us now. I’ll speak with him, tell him we’re leaving,” Loki stood.

“We’re leaving right now?” Harek shot up.

Thor laid a hand on his shoulder to steady the boy.

“I think it would be best. There are too many questions that I don’t particularly wish to provide answers to at the moment,” Loki explained.

“We will not immediately leave for Asgard. We first must return to my friends. They created a device that will allow us to harness the Tesseract’s power, and return us to Asgard,” Thor added.

“What about my things? I haven’t said goodbye to Hermione and Ron,” Harry looked heartbroken.

“I will have Dobby collect your things and mine. He will deliver them to us and let Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley know how to find you to say your goodbyes,” Loki soothed. “Now, I will go and tell Albus that we are leaving. We will reconvene at the Shrieking Shack.”

Sirius and Remus went with Loki after saying their goodbyes to Harek and Thor.

“Shall we fly there, Harek?” Thor questioned his son.

The thought of flying managed to bring a small smile to Harek’s face.

“Flying it is,” Thor wrapped an arm around Harek.

He spun Mjolnir, and the two of them were off into the sky. They flew swiftly over the grounds of Hogwarts until they reached the Shrieking Shack.

“Are you sure you are all right, Harek?” Thor questioned once the two of them had settled onto the steps of the old house.

“I guess I just thought I’d have more time. It’s all a lot realer now,” Harek murmured.

“It will be all right. You will see your friends again,” Thor clasped his shoulder.

They sat in silence until his son’s two closest friends appeared. Thor allowed them their privacy, and simply watched from the porch. The curly haired witch enveloped his son in a tight hug. He shook hands with the red haired wizard. They spoke for several moments before another round of hugs. A few tears slipped from all three children’s eyes, and Thor felt guilty that his son had to say his goodbyes, however temporary, to his close friends.

The children left and Harek returned to his side. Thor instantly wrapped an arm around his son to comfort him. Harry surprised him by leaning in to his side, and letting his head come to rest on his shoulder. Thor did not offer any more verbal comforts he didn’t think Harek would want them at the moment.

The two of them stayed that way until a small pop, and the appearance of an odd little creature.

“Harry Potter,” the tiny creature chirped.

Its large, bulbous eyes were shining with admiration as he gazed at his son, and his tone was worshipful.

“Dobby,” Harek greeted warmly.

“Dobby has collected all of Harry Potter’s things and put them in his trunk just as Harry Potter’s mother has asked Dobby,” the small being, Dobby, announced proudly. Its large pointed ears quivered happily as it pointed at the large black trunk it had teleported alongside itself.

“Thank you, Dobby, I appreciate it,” Harek smiled kindly at Dobby despite his earlier sorrow.

“Harry Potter is too kind to Dobby,” Dobby twisted his hands in the cloth that covered his small form.

“Dobby this is my dad, Thor,” Harek introduced.

Thor felt elated to hear Harek call him such again.

“It is a huge honor to meet Harry Potter’s father, sir.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you as well,” Thor held out his hand to the helpful little fellow.

The little being enthusiastically shook Thor’s hand. “It is a pleasure to meet Dobby he says. I can see where Harry Potter gets his great kindness from.”

“Thank you,” Thor smiled.

Dobby departed shortly after to return to the castle. Harek explained how Dobby was a house elf who had been in service to the Malfoys and had been treated poorly by them. His son had freed the house elf, and Dobby had been extremely grateful to him ever since.

“I was grateful you introduced me as your father,” Thor broached the subject hesitantly.

“Yeah?” Harek shifted uncomfortably.

“Yes, you may call me father or dad if you wish. I would be proud to hold the title if you wish to bestow it upon me,” Thor offered sincerely.

“You would?”

“Of course,” Thor beamed.

“Thanks, dad,” Harek glanced up at him, a small smile forming on his lips.

Thor thumped him affectionately on the back.

Loki joined them shortly after. He was once more in his male form with Jormungandr coiled around his neck.

“Are you both ready?” Loki approached them.

“Harek?” Thor turned his attention to his son.

“Hedwig is going to stay here?” concern was written in his son’s blue eyes.

“Yes, Remus and Sirius have promised to take care of her,” Loki assured him as he went about shrinking Harek’s trunk with his belongings, and then placing the small object into his pocket.

“All right then, I guess I’m ready,” Harek stood.

“We will have to drop Jormungandr off at the sea before heading to New York, and then onward to Asgard,” Loki explained.

“Then let us depart,” Thor got to his feet.

“I will apparate us to the coast, and I have created a port key to take us to New York,” Loki informed them.

“Apparation is a magical form of teleportation. It is possible for a powerful person to apparate more than one person at a time but it requires physical contact. A port key is an enchanted object that can teleport those in contact with it even further,” Loki held out his hand to Harek.

“Right,” Harek grabbed hold of Loki’s hand.

Loki offered a much more reluctant hand to Thor. The God of Thunder clasped his brother’s hand. There was a squishing sensation as if he was being shoved through a tube. In the next instance Thor’s feet were coming to rest on sand. A cool sea breeze blew through his long golden locks.

Thor was barely able to keep his feet. Harek would have tumbled onto the sand if Loki did not catch and steady him.

“That was awful,” Harek groused.

Thor heartily agreed.

“Wait until we use the port key,” Loki smirked.

“Wizarding travel,” Harek cursed, and mumbled something about a night bus.

Loki chuckled and released his Jormungandr. A wave of Loki’s hand had his older son returning to his human form.

“I will miss you all, and I wish you luck in Asgard,” Jormungandr smiled at them.

“I won’t miss all of your complaining,” Harek teased.

“See all the thanks I get for whispering test answers to you,” Jormungandr sniffed.

Harek gasped and snapped around to face a scowling Loki. “He didn’t tell me the answers. I didn’t cheat, I swear.”

Jormungandr burst into loud guffaws. “I will miss you, little brother.”

Jormungandr pulled Thor’s son into an affectionate embrace.

“Me too,” Harek returned the hug.

“Say hello to Sleipnir for me.”

“I will,” Harek agreed as they parted.

“Till we meet again, Jormungandr,” Thor shook his nephew’s hand.

“It was nice seeing you, Uncle Thor,” Jormungandr clasped his hand.

Loki followed Jormungandr down to the waterfront. Thor and Harek remained behind in order to let father and son have a measure of privacy for their goodbyes.

The two shared a few whispered words, and a handclasp before Jormungandr returned to the sea. The last thing they saw of Loki’s giant sea serpent son was a flash of a spiked red tail disappearing beneath the blue-green waves.

“Shall we go visit your Avengers?” Loki pulled a stick from his pocket.

“That’s the port key?” Harek frowned.

“Anything can be a port key. Now grab hold, both of you,” Loki commanded.

Harek and Thor both did as he instructed.

“New York,” Loki whispered.

Thor felt as if something had hooked beneath his navel, and yanked him off his feet. There were several dizzying minutes of intense spinning. Thor’s feet eventually slammed into solid ground once more.

The sounds of the busy Midgardian city were jarring compared to the gentle sounds of the beach they had left behind. Loki once more had to steady Harek before he could fall, and Thor only kept his feet due to a thousand years of battle practice.

“Now, let’s be off,” Loki began striding purposefully forward.

Harek and Thor followed in his wake. Thor could only hope he could stall his new friends long enough to explain the situation, and keep them from attacking Loki. Convincing the Avengers and SHIELD would be the easy task. Facing his father and keeping Loki out of Asgard’s dungeons was going to be the real challenge.

Chapter Text

Loki’s magical transportation had dropped them off not far from Tony Stark’s tower. It was far enough that the three of them still had to walk a couple of blocks in order to reach their destination.

Harry was a bit overwhelmed by the entire situation. The day definitely wasn’t going the way Harry expected it to go. It had started out great. He had loved the chance to share Hogwarts with Thor and the chance to show off a bit in Quidditch for Thor.

The Quidditch game had also started out great. He’d been thrilled to have both of his parents there to watch the game. Gryffindor had been destroying Slytherin. Then he had caught sight of the snitch. He had wanted to win so badly while both of his parents had been there to watch him. Harry had ignored the telltale signs of dementors. The dark creatures had swarmed him, and Harry had passed out to the sounds of a woman screaming and pleading for Harry’s life. Harry was fairly certain the screams had belonged to his mum from the night that Voldemort had attacked them.

The dementor attack had pushed up their departure, and they had to rush their goodbyes. Harry knew he wouldn’t be leaving forever but it was still surprisingly difficult to leave Hogwarts behind. It was his first home, and the first place he found people who liked him.

Harry couldn’t deny that he was eager to actually go to another world. From Thor’s stories Asgard and the rest of the Nine Realms sounded incredible.

The three of them made their way to Avengers Tower without incident. They were easily able to get inside the building, and into the lifts with the access that Thor had been granted as an Avenger.

“Mr. Odinson, it is good to see you have returned, and that your trip was a successful one,” a disembodied voice commented.

The three of them were in the lift, and heading up to the top level of the building where the Avengers were staying. 

“Who’s that?” Harry frowned, glancing upwards.

“That is Stark’s servant, Jarvis. He is a program of some sort according to Stark, and is in charge of running the building and his suits,” Thor explained.

“Hello, Jarvis,” Harry greeted hesitantly, still not fully understanding exactly what Jarvis was.

“Hello, Harek, it is nice to meet you,” Jarvis replied. “I have notified Mr. Stark and the other Avengers of your additional guests, Mr. Odinson.”

“Please let them know that Loki is coming peacefully,” Thor glanced at Loki as if to confirm for himself that was indeed Loki’s intention.  

“Certainly, Mr. Odinson,” Jarvis agreed.

“I doubt they will believe it,” Loki folded his arms across his chest.

“Just try not to antagonize them, brother,” the long-suffering look on Thor’s face didn’t look like he held out much hope for such a thing even happening.

“I will if they will,” Loki shrugged.

Harry heaved a sigh. His mother definitely deserved his title as God of Mischief.

“Loki,” Thor growled.

Before their conversation could continue the lift came to stop, and the doors slid open. On the other side stood the Avengers. Iron Man was in a full suit of his armor. Captain America held his shield but wasn’t wearing his red, white, and blue suit. Black Widow and Hawkeye were each holding their respective weapons even though the clothing they wore was casual wear. Dr. Banner stood behind them all in his casual clothing shifting nervously.

“My friends, it is all right. Loki is turning himself in,” Thor raised his hands in a placating gesture.

“That’s what Jarvis said. Still not believing Reindeer Games’s intentions are noble,” Tony’s mechanized voice spat.

“Intelligent of you, Stark,” Loki took a bold step off the lift and strode casually towards the Avengers.

Thor and Harry followed in his wake. Thor looked ready to jump on the other god at a moments notice. Whether that was to protect his friends or his brother was anyone’s guess.

“Not another move, Loki,” Captain Rogers commanded.

“I never did get that drink, Stark,” Loki smirked, disregarding Captain Rogers command and sauntering further into the room towards the bar.

It was almost like a switch had flipped, and Harry was witnessing his mother putting on a performance. He wouldn’t know it was a performance if Harry hadn’t spent the last several months getting to know the other side of his mum.

“He truly does mean no harm,” Thor carefully inched his way between his friends and his brother.

“Sure he doesn’t,” Clint tossed them an unimpressed look.

“Relax, Barton, have a drink,” Loki helped himself to Stark’s bottles of scotch.

“Should you really be drinking before we go?” Harry tried to keep his tone light and teasing despite the rising tension in the room.

“Kid’s got a point,” Stark’s helmet popped open and he flashed a smirk.

“Your weak Midgardian alcohol can’t affect me,” Loki took a sip of his drink.

“Really, well you haven’t had—” Natasha cut Tony off.

“This isn’t the time for jokes. Loki you are under arrest,” Natasha pulled out a set of formidable looking handcuffs.

“Please there’s no need for that. We will leave for Asgard as soon as possible. As it was agreed by Fury, Loki will face Asgardian justice,” Thor stepped in.

“I’ll go grab the device?” Bruce offered questioningly.

“That would probably be for the best,” Captain Rogers nodded, never taking his eyes off Loki.

Bruce quickly left the room. Everyone else was left in a tense silence. Well, mostly everyone. Harry’s mum looked fairly relaxed as he sipped his drink while leaning up against the bar. Tony likewise wore an expression of nonchalance.

“So kid, you got taller,” Tony commented.

“Yeah,” Harry smiled uncertainly at the billionaire.

“You’re also starting to look more like Thor,” Tony continued.

Thor puffed up in pride.

“Which is definitely a good thing considering your other options,” Tony threw Loki a smirk.

Clint snorted.

Harry’s mother glared daggers but didn’t rise to the bait.

“Are you going to tell us where you’ve been the last couple of months?” Natasha looked pointedly at Loki.

Harry’s mother just smirked in reply, and took another sip of his drink.

“I thought so,” Natasha glanced at Thor.

The golden haired god shifted uncomfortably but didn’t say anything either. The Black Widow spared only a brief, suspicious glance at Harry before returning to glare at Loki.

The Avengers never relaxed their stances as the minutes ticked by. They were still ready for a fight even when Bruce returned with the Tesseract and the device that would send them to Asgard, and all of them headed up to the roof.

Harry was captivated by the view of New York City from the roof while Tony and Bruce explained the function of the cylindrical device to Thor and Loki. It was strange to think this would be his last look of Earth for a little while.

“Before we depart I believe a wardrobe change is required,” Loki approached him.

The explanations were through and Thor was now saying his goodbyes to the other Avengers.

A green shimmer had Loki’s own dark slacks and shirt becoming his Asgardian black, green, and gold armor. Then to Harry’s surprise his mother laid a hand on his shoulder. A tingle swept over him as his red and gold Quidditch robes were replaced with black, silver, and blue Asgardian armor. A flickering in the corner of his eye had him twisting to see a flowing blue cape trailing behind him.

Harry ran his fingers over the transfigured material.

“We will get you proper armor when we’re in Asgard. This will serve for now,” Loki smiled.

“It looks very distinguished,” Thor commented as he joined them.

“Is everything ready?” Loki turned to Thor.

“Yes, and we will return for the staff once the Bifrost is restored. The powers of the staff and Tesseract are not compatible for this untested method of travel,” Thor answered.

“Then we should leave,” Loki turned his back on the city and strolled towards where the Avengers were waiting.

Thor and Harry followed him.

Tony handed the cylindrical device to Thor. There were two handles on either side. Within the clear glass cylinder was the glowing blue cube, the Tesseract. Harry could feel the power emanating from the cube. It made his skin tingle unpleasantly.

“Harek, you will stand with Thor,” Loki maneuvered Harry and Thor.

They ended up with Harry’s back to Thor’s chest with one of his father’s arms wrapped tightly around his middle while the other gripped one of the handles of the transportation device.

“Put your hand over Thor’s and hold on tightly. We don’t want to risk the chance of losing you in the cosmos,” Loki stated.

“Lose me in the cosmos?” Harry demanded, clutching tighter to Thor.

“One never knows especially when mediocre Midgardian technology comes in to play,” Loki shot the Avengers a glare.

“My technology is not mediocre, and I’m confident there won’t be any problems,” Tony countered.

“I will not let go of you, my son,” Thor assured.

“Right,” Harry gripped the handle of the device tighter.

Loki held the other side. Thor gave a nod, and together they twisted. There was a flash of blinding blue followed quickly by the sensation of flying. Harry swore he could planets and stars racing past him. It was still far better than using the port key or even the Knight Bus. At least this didn’t feel like he was being squished or spun like a top.

The entire thing ended abruptly with them landing on a shimmering, nearly translucent surface. Harry’s gaze was quickly torn from the half finished and opalescent bridge to the city it was connected to. Asgard was breathtaking. The golden spires of the castle at the center of the glittering city reached into a star filled sky. There was almost too much for Harry’s brain to process, and Harry felt distinctly overwhelmed by its otherworldly magnificence. It seemed to be floating in the middle of space. The water looked like it was flowing right off the edge of the world into a vast expanse of nothingness.

“At least that wasn’t as bad as apparating or the port key. Or even the Knight Bus,” Harry muttered.

“Indeed,” Loki murmured.

“My princes, welcome home.”

Harry reluctantly turned from the sight of Asgard to see a tall man in full glimmering gold armor. An impressively large sword was sheathed at his side. His golden eyes regarded them calmly. He made no move to attack Loki.

“Heimdall,” Thor greeted warmly.

Loki just glared warily at the man.

“Prince Thor, Prince Loki welcome home,” the man, Heimdall, nodded to each of Harry’s parents. “And Harek, it is good to finally meet you.”

“Hello,” Harry gave Heimdall an awkward little wave.

“The king and queen are expecting all of you in the throne room. I have informed them of your arrival and they are aware of your current situation,” Heimdall informed them.

“You’ve been spying on us I see,” Loki spat and clarified at Harry’s confused gaze. “Heimdall has the gift of all-seeing. He can see anything, anywhere.”

“Not anything, young prince, there are ways to hide even from my gaze as I am sure you are aware. However, I did see enough of the three of you to know your connection in order to share the information with the king and queen,” Heimdall explained.

“Yes, well, we will be off. Thank you, Heimdall,” Thor clasped Heimdall’s shoulder.

“Of course, my Prince,” Heimdall turned and moved to stand at the very edge of the rainbow bridge where the pieces were jagged and broken from Harry’s parents previous fight.

The three of them quickly made their way into the city. The streets of Asgard were lively and fantastical. It was like being introduced to Diagon Alley all over again yet everything was even more alien. Unfamiliar and unrecognizable food, animals, and objects were everywhere. People were dressed in flowing, ornate outfits of gold and silver with vibrant colored fabrics. Asgard was an equal mixture of medieval design and cutting edge technology. Harry’s head was on a constant swivel as he attempted to take everything during their swift journey towards the palace. 

The Asgardians who caught sight of the three of them stared openly as they walked by. Harry was just thankful that all they did was stare, and didn’t try to approach them. Thor and Loki hardly seemed to notice the stares they were receiving. Each of them were simply lost in their own thoughts. Growing up as royalty had most likely accustomed them to being the center of attention.

“I will escort you around Asgard another time, my son,” Thor patted his shoulder when he noticed Harry’s wide-eyed staring.

Harry just nodded and continued to look around the city.

Once they reached the palace they were quickly escorted through the grand and golden hallways by the guards. Out of the corner of his eyes, Harry could see his mother growing tenser the deeper they got into the palace. Thor likewise seemed to be holding himself up straighter, and looked ready for a fight.

The palace guards led them to a grand throne room. The hall was long with large golden pillars lining the sides. On the ceiling was a beautifully painted fresco. Harry recognized his parents in several of the scenes.

At the end of the room was a massive golden throne. In the throne was an older, silver haired man with a small gold eye patch covering one eye. He wore intricate gold armor and held an impressive looking golden spear. The fierce looking man had to be none other than Harry’s grandfather, Odin the All-Father and King of Asgard. Beside the throne stood a lovely woman with honey gold curls wearing an elaborate green and gold dress. She had to be Frigga, Harry’s grandmother.

Frigga smiled warmly at the three of them, her eyes lingered a moment longer on Harry. Odin on the other hand kept a stern look on his face as they approached. His remaining bright blue eye was focused solely on Loki.

“My sons, I am so pleased to see you safely home, all of you,” Frigga greeted warmly. She met Harry’s eyes with her own.

“It is good to be home, Mother. Heimdall has of course told both of you about our son, Harek. I would like to formally introduce you. Harek these are your grandparents, Odin and Frigga, King and Queen of Asgard. Mother, Father this is mine and Loki’s son, Harek,” Thor introduced proudly.

“I am so very pleased to finally make your acquaintance, Harek,” Frigga crossed the distance between them to gently cup Harry’s face.

“It’s nice to meet you too,” Harry smiled at his grandmother. It was impossible not to when she was so genuinely so pleased to see him.

“Frigga,” Odin called. “This is not the time. We can address this matter later. We have more important complications to discuss.”

“This is not something that needs addressing, my love, this is our grandson, and we should greet him gladly,” Frigga shot back.

“And the conception of that grandson must be addressed, nevertheless, I am more concerned with the actions that Loki has taken on Midgard,” Odin glared at Loki.

“Loki’s actions were not entirely his fault,” Thor swiftly cut in.

“What do you mean, Thor?” Frigga frowned, concerning flickering across her features.

Thor was quick to describe what he knew of Loki being bound.

“This is simply another lie to avoid taking responsibility for his actions,” Odin waved away once Thor had completed his tale.

Frigga ignored Odin’s proclamation and stepped up to Loki. She moved her hands in a complicated pattern. Shimmering gold light left her hands to envelope Loki. Green light, the same color as Loki’s magic, rose from his skin. There was a streak of red through the green of Loki’s magic twining itself tightly around the glowing green.

“He speaks the truth in this, my husband,” Frigga probed the red only for Loki to hiss and yank back. The green of his magic retracted into his skin once more. “A powerful spell does indeed bind him. I also detect the lingering effects of a powerful mind manipulation. It will take some time before even I capable of removing the spell. In addition the damage left behind in his mind from the manipulation must also be healed. These lingering traces are confirmation that Thor speaks the truth, and Loki was indeed under another’s control.”

“You see, Father. Loki is not responsible for the actions on Midgard. This is proof!” Thor announced eagerly.

Odin’s brows furrowed, and for several long moments he sat in silence before announcing his decision.

“The presence of a spell and such damage is concerning. However, it does not fully absolve him. Loki will be kept in the dungeons until a more thorough exam can be conducted to confirm your words. The spell binding him will be removed, and then Loki will provide us with the complete story. Once we have all the pertinent information Loki will be sentenced,” Odin decided.

“The dungeons aren’t necessary, Father. Loki isn’t going to try and escape with our son here,” Thor argued.

“Loki may or may not be entirely responsible for the attack against Midgard. However, until we know for certain he can still answer for his other crimes whilst I was in the Odinsleep,” Odin replied.

“I think we can all agree there were some extenuating circumstances. We should have told Loki the truth of his origins sooner. It was a terrible way for him to learn the truth,” Frigga glared at Odin before turning to stare directly at Loki. Her eyes were beseeching. “We should have told you the truth sooner, and I apologize for not doing so. You will always be my son, Loki.”

Harry’s mother looked simultaneously angry and touched by Frigga’s statements.

“Loki will be confined to his rooms for the time being. Until we can get the mess of spellwork removed, and thus gain answers,” Odin allowed.

Harry glanced at his parents. They both seemed to find the compromise acceptable and a bit suprising.

“Good, now I mean to claim Harek as my son and heir,” Thor rested a hand on Harry’s shoulder.

“As you should,” Odin nodded easily.

Loki looked stunned. “You have no complaints about this? Moments before you were claiming Harek was a matter that needed to be addressed.”

“Of course, Harek’s birth needs to be addressed. Harek is a bridge between Asgard and Jotunheim. He is Thor’s firstborn and should rightfully inherit the throne,” Odin answered calmly.

Loki narrowed his eyes on the All-Father, and didn’t look entirely convinced of Odin’s easy acceptance. Harry was also a bit confused. From what he had heard of his grandfather and seen of him so far, his easy acceptance seemed a bit out of character.

“Thank you, Father,” Thor grinned.

“You may speak the words now, Thor. I will formally accept him here and now, and we can begin settling Harek into his proper life on Asgard,” Odin’s gaze settled on Harry for the first time.

Having his grandfather’s undivided attention for the first time was more than a little intimidating. The man’s remaining eye seemed to convey just how ancient the man truly was, and it felt like he was peering into Harry’s very soul. Despite not being the man’s biggest fan he still hoped that the man didn’t find him lacking, and Harry found himself unconsciously holding himself up a little straighter.

“Before you, All-Father, I Thor, Son of Odin, Prince of Asgard do claim this boy as my son and heir. He is of my blood and flesh. Forevermore he will be known as Harek, Son of Thor, Prince of Asgard. So I have said so shall it be,” Thor intoned while keeping a firm grip on Harry’s shoulders.

“I Odin, Son of Bor, All-Father, King of Asgard have heard your words Thor, Son of Odin, Prince of Asgard and do recognize and welcome this boy as your son and heir. May he forevermore be known as Harek, Son of Thor, Prince of Asgard. So mote it be,” Odin uttered, and Frigga and Loki echoed him. 

Harry felt a wash of power surge through the room, and for a moment Harry felt like he was going to explode as that power flowed through him. Just as quickly as the power came it left him. Harry swayed as he was suddenly left feeling lightheaded.

Loki quickly moved to support him, and whispered in his ear. “It is the power of Asgard you feel running through your veins now. Asgard has recognized you as one of its princes and its future ruler. Now that you are connected to Asgard you can learn to draw your power from it just like all Asgardian royalty have in the past. It is why the royal family are more powerful than other Aesir. Why we alone can lead and rule them.”

Harry swallowed, feeling more than a little overwhelmed at the implications of his mother’s words. It was hitting him now just what Thor claiming him meant. One day, hopefully many, many years in the future, Harry would be the King of Asgard. He would sit where Odin was now, and be in charge of protecting the entire Nine Realms. It was more than a little daunting.

“Welcome home, grandson,” Odin smiled at Harry, his blue eye surprisingly warm.

Without the stern cast it was easy for Harry to see that Odin’s eye was the same blue as Thor’s, which meant it was the same shade of blue as Harry’s.

“Thank you, grandfather,” Harry managed to get out.

“Come, let’s get you settled. We will get you a room close to Loki’s own,” Frigga moved to wrap an arm across Harry’s shoulders.

Frigga guided them to the upper levels of the palace. Loki was escorted into his room, and was promptly sealed in behind a glittering gold barrier by the palace.

“You can enter and exit whenever you please but Loki will not be able to leave until the All-Father lifts the confinement,” Frigga explained. “You can, however, have the room directly across from his.”

“My room is right beside Loki’s so I will be close by as well,” Thor informed him cheerfully.

“We can decorate the room however you please,” Frigga assured him as she led Harry into his new room with Thor trailing behind them.

Harry glanced around the impressive room. It was even larger than the entirety of Gryffindor Tower. The room was more like a suite with several different rooms. He had a sitting room, bedroom, a bathroom, and even a small library/office combo. The bedroom had a huge window that stretched all the way to the vaulted ceiling, and provided an incredible view of the city of Asgard.

“This is nice,” Harry glanced around at all of the ornate furniture.

“We’ll have to get you to the tailor to commission a wardrobe befitting a Prince of Asgard,” Frigga stated.

“And armor and a weapon to call your own,” Thor enthused.

“Armor yes, a weapon can wait a few years, I should think,” Frigga sent a stern look towards Thor.

Harry’s dad drooped a little, and it made Harry grin to see his father getting mildly scolded by his own mother.

“Mum has my trunk with all of my things in it,” Harry remembered.

“We can go and grab it. I will see about getting one of your father’s old outfits for you to wear to dinner tonight. I believe you are around the same size Thor was when he was your age,” Frigga stroked one of his black curls. “I’m glad to have you here, Harek.”

“I’m happy to be here,” Harry smiled at the kind woman.

“Thor,” Frigga nodded.

“Mother,” Thor smiled back.

“I will see you both at dinner. I’ll have your outfit delivered to your room,” Frigga left Harry and Thor in Harry’s new room.

“What do you think so far?” Thor questioned with wide grin.

“Asgard is pretty amazing, and everything seemed to go really well between Odin and mum,” Harry offered.

“It did, much better than I had been expecting, and infinitely better than Loki was expecting,” Thor enthused. “I am confident that once my father sees the truth he will not punish Loki, and once that is settled we can press Father to free your brothers.”

“Mum would like that,” Harry smiled.

“Everything will be just fine, you’ll see,” Thor patted him on the back.

“Can we check on him?” Harry requested.

“Of course, Harek!”

The two of them headed out of his room, and passed through the golden barrier to get inside Loki’s room. Harry’s mother was looking out the window in his own room.

Harry quietly joined him, and leaned into his side. Loki smiled down at him, and wrapped an arm across his shoulders.

“How are you doing? It has been quite the eventful day,” Loki whispered into his hair.

“It’s been eventful for you too,” Harry mumbled back. “I’m fine, what about you?”

“Wonderful, the All-Father was much more lenient than expected. However, I am concerned with how easily he accepted Thor’s claim of you.”

“I do not think Father has ulterior motives, Loki. Harek is his grandson it is as simple as that,” Thor moved to stand beside Harry.

“Perhaps, or perhaps Harry is exactly what he was hoping for when he took me from Jotunheim,” Loki argued.

“What do you mean?” Harry frowned.

“Odin only took me to bridge the gap between Asgard and Jotunheim after he nearly annihilated them,” Loki groused.

“Oh,” Harry wasn’t quite sure how else to respond.

“Father loves you, Loki. He simply doesn’t always show it,” Thor attempted to cajole.

“We’ll simply have to agree to disagree, Thor,” Loki huffed, squeezing Harry tighter.

“I suppose we will,” Thor crossed his arms.

“So what do we do now?” Harry broke up the awkward tension.

Loki answered. “We wait for Moth—Frigga to remove the binding upon me so that I may fully speak for my own defense. While we wait you will be tutored in all the areas you need to know of the Nine Realms. There’s an entire history and culture you must learn of. In addition to the advances in math and science not available on Midgard.”

“Does that have to start right away?” Harry was more than a little intimidated at the thought of the sheer amount of information there must be for him to learn.

Hermione would be chomping at the bit to get her hands on the new wealth of information. But he wasn’t Hermione, and while he would like to learn about his new home the amount of knowledge he needed to learn made him a bit leery.  

“You will have a couple of days to settle in,” Thor assured.

“But not too long. You must also be instructed in the responsibilities you now hold as prince and future king,” Loki insisted.

“Right,” Harry sighed feeling even more uncomfortable at reminder he would be a king someday.

Harry was a prince now, and he was fairly certain that came with way more responsibilities than being the Boy-Who-Lived. He clutched his mother a little tighter.

“You’ll do fine,” Loki whispered into his hair.

The three of them continued to look out across the city of Asgard.

Eventually they turned away from the view. His mum gave him his trunk back, and Harry unpacked his things in his new room.

Frigga had sent him one of his dad’s old outfits. It was a blue tunic and pant set with intricate silver runes sewn into the fabric. Harry hadn’t taken Ancient Runes as one of his electives at Hogwarts but Loki had promised to teach him. The runes witches and wizards used had been taken directly from the Asgardians. His mum told him some of the runes had been lost or distorted over the years but it was similar enough.

Thor came to escort him down to dinner. Harry felt bad about leaving Loki to eat alone but his mum insisted that he go.

“It will be a small gathering. Only my mother, father, and my four closest friends will be attending the meal,” Thor assured him, clapping him on the shoulder.

“Are your friends the ones you’ve told me about? The Warriors Three and Lady Sif?” Harry questioned.

“Yes, they are,” Thor grinned.

Their dinner was in a large banquet hall. Fire lit candelabras lined the walls of the large dining room and along with the large chandelier provided light to the room. A massive wooden table, nearly the size of one of the Hogwarts house tables sat in the middle.

The other guests had already arrived to dinner. Odin and Frigga sat at the head of the table. The four others were seated close by. It was easy enough for Harry to identify them based on the descriptions and stories his dad had told him.

“My friends I would like to introduce you to my son, Harek,” Thor boomed as they entered.

“Hello,” Harry gave a little wave and an uncertain smile. He wasn’t sure if there was a proper Asgardian response he should give.

His greeting seemed to be enough because his dad’s Asgardian friends shot him loud and enthusiastic greetings in return.

“This is Fandral,” Thor introduced waving towards the golden haired man with the goatee.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Harek. You look a great deal like Thor,” Fandral grinned.

Harry smiled back.

“Except he has Loki’s dark and curly hair,” the large red haired man pointed out good-naturedly, and playfully ruffled Harry’s hair.

“And this is Volstagg,” Thor pointed to the red haired man.

Volstagg smiled jovially at Harry, and Harry nodded.

“Then there’s Hogun.”

The solemn, dark haired man gave a regal nod, and Harry waved back.

“And finally there is the Lady Sif,” Thor waved grandly to the dark haired woman.

“Hello, Harek,” Sif smiled at him.

“Hello,” Harry replied.

Harry had to admit that this was a much warmer reception than he had expected. They seemed completely at ease with Harry’s existence, and how Harry actually came to exist. Of course Asgardians lived a lot longer, and had probably experienced a bunch of things that left them a bit more equipped to handle something like this.

Harry thoroughly enjoyed his dinner with them. They asked him questions about Midgard, and told him embarrassing stories about Thor and Loki when they were younger. It was obvious that his mother wasn’t their favorite person but they didn’t seem to hold the same level of hate towards him that the people of Earth did. Of course humans had only seen one side of his mother. They hadn’t gotten to see the side that Harry and the other Asgardians did.  

Perhaps things wouldn’t be too difficult to adjust to Asgard after all.

Chapter Text

Loki watched from the window as Harry and Thor sparred, and smiled as Thor allowed Harry to disarm him. Without their son actually realizing Thor had allowed Harry to disarm him. Harry didn't quite have Thor's natural gift for battle related skills, and had been getting a bit discouraged over his lack of progress. Thor had been surprisingly sneaky in creating opportunities to boost Harry's confidence in his abilities, and it was working. Harry was slowly improving with Thor's tactics. Harry was naturally swift and had excellent reflexes. He just needed to work on applying them.

Harry wore his newly crafted Asgardian armor. The color scheme of blue, silver, and black remained the same as the conjured ones Loki had crafted but the armor itself was more intricate. The armor was of course much stronger as it was real. It would project Harry from powerful blows, and even some magics. Loki's youngest son had yet to find a weapon that suited him, and it would most likely take some time before finding something he felt comfortable with.

Thor and Loki had taken the time to teach Harry how to call his armor, and then store it away when it was no longer needed. It was a skill the Asgardian royal family alone possessed.

Thor had also been thoughtful enough to choose a space for their sword practice where Loki could watch them. The God of Thunder had continuously surprised Loki these last several months that they had returned to Asgard. Thor had truly changed from the spoiled and arrogant prince he had once been. Loki could admit that to himself even if he was not yet ready to admit it aloud.

The golden haired prince had stood up for Loki. Thor had been his greatest advocate these last months while others cried out for him to be punished. He had already gone to Odin several times requesting a review of the banishments of Loki's older children.

Thor was also proving to be an excellent father. He spent the majority of his time with Harry. Thor hadn't been able to stand his own lessons as a child, nevertheless, Thor attended as many of Harry's lessons as he could. Thor took their son on trips throughout Asgard, and was training Harry in the art of battle and how to be a firm but fair ruler. Thor himself had become a leader to be proud of.

The once brash god had even halted the relationship that had budding between he and the Midgardian woman, Jane Foster.

Loki certainly hadn't seen that coming. In fact, Loki thought the entire mess with the Dark Elves would have drawn them closer together.

Jane Foster had somehow found herself the vessel of the Aether. Thor had gone to her rescue. He had brought her to Asgard to be evaluated in hopes of removing the Aether from her. It had only succeeded in bringing the Dark Elves to Asgard's doorstep.

Malekith, the Dark Elves' leader, had attacked in a desperate attempt to acquire the Aether. At the time of the attack Loki had been with Frigga in the medical wing. The two of them had been spending a majority of their time there since Thor, Loki, and Harry's arrival to Asgard. Odin's good will would only last for so long and he had been growing impatient to have the spell binding Loki removed.

Loki had been terrified about Harry's safety in the attack. In the emergency Frigga had been able to momentarily halt Loki's confinement and allow him to freely move about the castle. He and Frigga had quickly made their way through the palace to find Harry. His son had been attending his Asgardian lessons, and the two of them had arrived just in time to stop a Kursed Dark Elf from killing his son.

Together Frigga and Loki had driven back the Kursed Dark Elf and saved Harry. However, they hadn't been able to end the creature that had nearly killed Loki's youngest son. Afterwards Loki had assisted Thor in a madcap adventure to save Jane Foster. Loki had joined them to end the creature who had nearly taken Loki's son from him.

Together they had destroyed the Dark Elves, and halted Malekith's plans to bring never-ending darkness to the universe. Shockingly, Loki had not been punished for leaving Asgard. In fact, the All-Father had seemed almost proud that Loki had joined Thor in slaying the Dark Elves.

The Aether was removed from Jane Foster, and tucked away into a safe corner of the universe. Once the Midgardian's safety was assured Thor surprised them all by requesting to simply be friends with the scientist. The Midgardian woman had accepted the request with grace and understanding. She only insisted that Thor stopped by to visit when he was on Midgard.

Loki's respect for the woman had risen even more than it had when she had fearlessly slapped him during the Dark Elf crisis. She had also been very kind to Harry, which had earned her several more points with Loki.

Thor breaking off his brief relationship with the Midgardian woman still confounded Loki. The blonde prince had yet to explain his actions despite Loki's attempts at wheedling it out of him.

Since the Dark Elf attack things had calmed down. The Bifrost was now fully repaired. The Nine Realms had fallen into relative peace with the Bifrost's restoration. Harry was making huge gains in his Asgardian studies. Loki's youngest son had quickly picked up on history, and the two of them spent a lot of time together in reviewing the politics.

However, Loki could not yet let himself relax. Not when he knew what was lingering at the edges of the cosmos waiting to strike. There had been damage to the medical wing in the attack by the Dark Elves. It had delayed their removal of Loki's bindings.

The medical wing was newly repaired, and he and Frigga could now resume their removal.

"He is such a wonderful child," Frigga spoke up.

Loki turned to face the Queen of Asgard.

"He is," Loki felt a well of pride surge through him.

"He will be a great king for Asgard and the Nine Realms."

"I know," Loki was certain Harry would do better than all of his forefathers.

"He will be a great king because he carries within him the greatest traits from you and Thor," Frigga eyes shined warmly at him.

Loki looked away. Frigga had been trying for months to reestablish the close relationship they had once shared. The relationship between them had been shattered after discovering she had kept such a huge lie from him his entire life. He had once thought her his closest confidant in Asgard.

When it became evident that Loki was not as physically gifted as Thor she had taken him aside and shown him how to use his magic. The two of them had spent long hours together reading, practicing, and debating different magic. It was to Frigga he would go to when Thor had once more outshined him in Odin's eyes.

Frigga had apologized multiple times in the long hours they spent together trying to unwind the spell woven around Loki. Their battle against the Kursed Dark Elf had gone a long way in improving their relationship. However, they still had along way to go, and Loki was still deciding if he wanted to repair their relationship.

"Are you ready to continue?" Frigga inquired.

"Yes, we are nearly there. I can feel it," Loki murmured.

They had discovered that the one who bound him had woven the binding through Loki's own magic. The very spell, which kept him caged was fueled by his own magic. It was clever and Loki loathed it. With the binding woven through his own source of power made removing it infinitely more difficult. Frigga had to be very careful to separate the binding from Loki's own magic or risk irrevocably damaging it. This required a lot of power and time. Hence why it was months later and the binding was still not yet removed.

Now they were so close. Today might just be the day it was finally removed. Loki had felt it nearly loosen in their last session. Finally Loki would no longer be enslaved to the will of another. He could share his knowledge with Odin, and hope that the All-Father would use Asgard's considerable might to protect Harry.

"Then let us continue," Frigga smiled.

Together the two of them made their way to the medical wing. Loki settled down on the rune carved medical table, and Frigga once more began her work.

Loki breathed deeply and relaxed his body. The removal wasn't painful but it wasn't comfortable either. At the end of every session Frigga and he were always exhausted. This time was no different. What did make it different was that they could both sense they were nearly finished. They pushed themselves to see it finished.

Loki would have liked to have the final removal end a little more dramatically. The final piece of the binding unwound silently, and Loki almost didn't notice.

"Loki?" Frigga inquired, she was slightly short of breath.

"Thanos," Loki spoke the name he hadn't even been allowed to think before now.

Frigga's eyes widened with fearful recognition. A small gasp escaped past her lips. "We must speak to the All-Father immediately."

Asgard had heard the whispers of the Mad Titan whose goal was to halve the populations of planets in some misguided attempt to save the universe. He had acquired a Black Guard of powerful and loyal followers, and vast armies compromised of various alien factions who worshipped him with an obsessive fervor. Thanos's armies and power might even rival Asgard's especially if he achieved the goal he had set for himself in acquiring and wielding all of the Infinity Stones.

Thanos had always kept far away from the Nine Realms, Asgard's domain, until he getting his hands on Loki. Thanos sending an army to attack Midgard had very negative implications for the galaxy, and that was without getting into Thanos's fixation on the Infinity Stones. It meant the titan felt confident enough in his power to attack a planet that was under Asgard's dominion. It meant he felt strong enough to challenge Asgard.

Loki and Frigga sent a guard ahead to collect Odin and Thor. They made their way to the throne room. They didn't have to wait long before Thor and Odin joined them.

"Why have you summoned us?" Odin asked.

"The binding has been removed," Frigga announced.

"This is wonderful news, Mother! Loki you must be pleased," Thor cheered, clapping Loki on the shoulder.

"Yes, I believe that means explanations are in order," Odin sent Loki a pointed look. "Loki, you will swear to speak no lies."

"I, Loki of Jotunheim, do swear the words I utter are only the truth," Loki called forth his magic to lend credence to his words, and the added Jotunheim was a dig towards Odin that he couldn't help but send at the All-Father. It would be a long time before Loki trusted the All-Father again if ever.

Odin banged Gungnir against the stone floor to add to Loki's own magic. It was now doubly assured that Loki would be unable to tell a lie during his retelling.

"I fell through the Void after… tumbling from the Bifrost. I was found by the Other. The Other is a servant of Thanos, the Mad Titan," Loki let the name hang in the air.

"Thanos?" Thor scowled.

Odin's brows were likewise drawn down, and a hard look entered his remaining blue eye.

"It was Thanos who held me. It was his one of his Black Order, the Ebony Maw they call him, who bound me to keep me from spilling the secrets I learned whilst in their care. Thanos also had the Mind Stone to further strengthen the spell woven upon me. Thanos used it to force me to tell him all I knew of the Nine Realms and Asgard especially. Once I had told him all I knew he compelled me to lead an army of Chitauri against Midgard. There was something there that he wanted me to retrieve for him," Loki paused.

Odin's expression had grown more thunderous the longer Loki spoke. Loki knew they were going to have to work quickly to fortify the secret passageways Loki had told Thanos of. But at least Loki had managed to keep Harek's existence from Thanos and the Maw.

"The Mind Stone?" Odin growled.

"Yes, I don't know where he acquired. It was in the staff he provided me with. It powered the additional spells Ebony Maw placed on my mind to keep me focused on the task Thanos had set for me. He wanted the Tesseract. It was only when the Hulk smashed me into the floor on Stark's tower that the connection was broken. It couldn't fully remove the binding keeping me from speaking what I knew of Thanos and his plans. Thankfully it did break the compulsions Thanos had cast on me. I no longer had the overwhelming need to takeover Midgard."

"Thanos seeks the Infinity Stones?" Odin demanded.

"He does. He wants to wield them together so that he may wipe out the life of half of the universe in a much faster and more efficient manner than he has in the past."

"Surely, such a thing is impossible," Frigga looked to Odin, worry clearly written on every inch of her face.

"There is a way to wield all of them. A gauntlet, the dwarves developed plans for such a thing years ago," Odin stroked his beard.

"The power someone would be capable of wielding… It would be terrible. They would be capable of rewriting reality," Frigga worried.

"What should we do, Father?" Thor looked Odin.

"If Thanos is truly determined to have all of the Infinity Stones he will come to Asgard to get his hands on the Tesseract. We must prepare for war. He cannot be allowed to wield the power of all six stones," Odin growled.

"He will stop at nothing. Thanos acquires more power and followers all the time," Loki reminded.

"Did he have any of the other stones?" Frigga questioned.

Loki paused thoughtfully. "Not that I'm aware of.

"Good, then Thanos no longer has any of the Infinity Stones, and we mustn't allow him to acquire anymore. We must locate all of them and ferry them to safe locations before he finds them," Frigga pointed out.

"The Reality Stone is with the Collector on Knowhere," Thor noted.

"We will have to retrieve it and place it in a more secure location," Odin murmured.

"The Space Stone is in the vault. Thanos will have to muster a force strong enough and that can travel far enough to reach Asgard to get to it," Thor clenched his fists looking ready for a fight.

"The Mind Stone is still on Midgard since SHIELD refused to part with the staff," Loki pointed out.

"Good, we know the locations of three of the six stones. Thor, you must retrieve the staff from the Midgardians immediately," Odin ordered. "We must move the Mind Stone to a more secure location than Midgard."

Thor nodded determinedly.

"Was my information sufficient? What will my punishment be?" Loki questioned.

"Loki, you have proven not to be responsible for the crimes against Midgard. For the crimes committed in Asgard I think a continued probation would be appropriate. You have proved yourself in the fight against the Dark Elves. I am proud of you, my son," Odin smiled at him.

Loki felt his heartbeat quicken, and his eyes darted away. He shouldn't allow himself to feel so affected by Odin's words. Hadn't he just told himself it would be a long, long time before he trusted the All-Father again? However, it was difficult when he had spent the better part of millennia seeking the old Aesir's approval.

"Am I no longer confined to my rooms then?" Loki clarified.

"No, you are no longer confined to your rooms. Instead you are confined to Asgard for the time being. Pending continued good behavior that confinement will also be removed," Odin declared.

The proclamation was far more lenient than he had ever believed Odin capable of being. Loki had thought for certain he'd be tossed away without the key. Unless, Odin wanted to remain on Harry's good side. Odin was quite taken with Loki and Thor's son. The All-Father saw in Harry the unification between Jotunheim and Asgard. He saw Harry as a way to reintegrate Jotunheim into the Nine Realms. The Jotun were powerful beings. Their physical strength was on par, often greater, than an Asgardian's. They also produced powerful magic users of which Loki was the perfect example.

Harry would be powerful one day. Loki could see that, and he was certain Odin saw the same. The King of Asgard no doubt wanted to project a positive image of himself for Harry. He wanted to guide his grandson into being the ruler he wanted him to be. The All-Father couldn't do that if he locked up Harek's mother.

Or at least that's what Loki tried to convince himself of. It would be much more painful if he allowed himself the hope that Odin might actually care about him only to learn it was all a ploy to get at Harry.

"In addition, I believe it is time to reconsider my actions against your other children," Odin announced.

The statement was followed by complete silence.

Loki was stunned. Never in his wildest dreams had he believed Odin would even entertain the notion of freeing his other sons let alone bring up the subject without a lot pleading on Loki's part.

He was under no illusions that Odin had finally seen their imprisonments as wrongful. Asgard's King had simply realized there was a much greater threat he must counter. Jormungandr and Fenris were powerful beings. Freeing them now would create two more powerful soldiers to protect Asgard from Thanos and his armies.

"You will free them?" Loki dared to press.

Odin needed Fenris and Jormungandr after all.

"I will reverse their banishments," Odin nodded.

Loki felt as if a weight had lifted from his shoulders. His children would no longer be imprisoned for crimes they had never committed. He knew he should care that they were only being released to become warriors for Asgard. At the moment Loki was only relieved his sons would no locked away like beasts. They would be free for the first time since they were but children.

"Will you allow me to go to free them?" Loki requested.

"Thor will see Jormungandr free since he will be going to Midgard to retrieve the Mind Stone. I will allow you to deliver the good news to Fenris, and give you the authority to free him," Odin allowed.

It had been a long time since Loki had seen his wolfish son. He was also the last brother that Harry had yet to meet. Harry had been able to spend quite a lot of time on Midgard with Jormungandr, and in the last several months Harry had been able to meet and spend some time with Sleipnir in between his Asgardian studies.

"When can we leave?" Loki wanted to know. He would leave this very moment if possible.

"You will both leave tomorrow morning. Thor to Midgard to retrieve the Mind Stone and free Jormungandr. Loki to free Fenris. Thor you are to bring both the stone and Jormungandr back to Asgard. Loki will bring Fenris back to Asgard. I will set Heimdall to search for Thanos and his Black Order," Odin answered.

"Thanos has been able to hide from Heimdall's gaze in the past, has he not?" Loki questioned.

"He has indeed," Frigga nodded.

"I will send out our spies to gather more information, and begin to seal off any secret pathways into Asgard. We can discuss further actions once Loki and Thor have returned," Odin purposed.

Odin and Frigga remained behind in the throne room. Loki and Thor left.

"Where is Harry?" Loki questioned, intending to go to his son and explain all that had happened. He had learned his lesson. Loki would not hide information from his son any longer.

"At his history lesson," Thor answered easily, staring intently at Loki.

"What are you staring at?" Loki stopped midstride to turn and face Thor.

Thor paused and turned towards him. "You relayed your tale rather swiftly and without emotion."

"And?" Loki frowned.

"I believe there is more to the tale than Thanos simply finding you, and then enspelling you with the Mind Stone. What happened in between, Loki?" Thor's blue eyes shown with concern.

A flash of remembered pain and hopelessness flickered through Loki's mind. "Nothing happened, Thor, just a little time spent in Thanos's rather unpleasant company."

"You are lying to me," disappointment was clear to see on Thor's features.

"Yes," Loki admitted.

"If you ever wish to speak of what truly did happen to you, know that I will be a willing ear," Thor clasped him on the shoulder.

The God of Thunder continued walking. Loki took a moment to gather himself and quickly caught up with the taller god. Together the two of them collected their son. They sat Harek down explained the events that had happened, and what would be happening next.

"So this Thanos was the one who hurt you?" Harry's brows furrowed.

"His minions mostly," Loki replied, remembering the Other and Ebony Maw.

"And he's going to come back for those stones?"

"He will," Loki nodded.

"And we will be ready for them," Thor insisted.

"Well, at least this means we can finally free Fenris and Jormungandr," Harry forced a small smile.

"Yes, that will be nice, and you can come with me to see Fenris free," Loki offered.

"I can?" Harry's eyes bright blue eyes lit up and a large smile stretched across his features. The smile made him look so much like Thor.

"You can," Loki nodded.

Harry bounced with excitement at the thought of finally getting to meet his third brother.

"It's great that you aren't going to be imprisoned or punished or anything either, mum," Harry enthused.

"Yes, just relegated to Asgard. No wayward wandering for me for a little while," Loki heaved a put upon sigh. However, Loki was relieved too.

Harry grinned. "That's okay, I don't mind staying in Asgard. Dad's taken me on a couple trips. But when Odin finally let's you out then we can all go exploring together."

Loki's heart warmed at the thought. He knew Harry had become highly interested in exploring the other realms since he began his tutoring, and Thor had taken him on a couple of trips. For him to offer to wait until Loki was capable of traveling was a large concession for the boy.

"Thank you, Harry. We should be able to do a bit of exploring tomorrow. Fenris is imprisoned on an island in Alfheim. It will be another realm you will have the chance of seeing," Loki offered.

"Alfheim is the home of the Light Elves, right? Dad hasn't taken me there yet."

"It is," Thor answered Harry's question.

"Are they anything like the Dark Elves?" Harry muttered.

"No, not at all. They are generally a good natured people who have always gotten along with Asgard," Thor explained.

"They are a bit pompous and can be quite terrifying when in a temper," Loki added.

"Yes, they are that too," Thor nodded vigorously, no doubt remembering one of their misadventures with a haughty Light Elf while lost in one of Alfheim's forests. To be fair they had accidentally burned down his cabin when Thor struck it with lightning in an attempt to try and start a fire.

Thor caught Loki's eye, and the two of them burst into laughter.

"I'm sensing a story," Harry prodded, looking curiously between the two of them.

"Well, if you insist," Loki began.

"I will tell the story," Thor cut in.

"You are a terrible teller of tales, Thor," Loki argued good-naturedly. He was in a remarkably good mood now that the lingering effects from the spell were gone and his older sons would soon be free.

"I'm terrible? You always embellish certain parts to make me look like a fool," Thor argued back, a grin lighting his features.

"That is true, like the time you said Dad dressed up as a girl to marry a giant," Harry butted in.

"That is a true story. The giant Thrym had stolen Mjolnir, and he would only give it back if he could marry Freya, a princess of Vanaheim," Loki explained.

"Freya wouldn't play along with our scheme so Loki convinced me to dress up as Freya," Thor added.

"He put on a wedding gown and everything," Loki reminisced. It was one of his fonder memories.

"I looked incredible in that dress," Thor sniffed. "And you dressed up as my maid."

"Someone had to keep you in line."

Harry burst into laughter at the bantering. Loki knew it always delighted Harry to see he and Thor getting along. It was why Loki had been making more of an effort to get along with Thor.

"I would have been perfectly fine on my own," Thor argued.

"You ate an entire ox and eight salmon at the wedding feast. If I hadn't distracted Thrym you would have given yourself away within the first few minutes," Loki raised an eyebrow.

Thor crossed his arms across his chest, pouting slightly. "We got Mjolnir back."

"I wish I could have seen it," Harry murmured looking wistful.

"We will have many more adventures, all of us, together," Thor assured.

"Yes, we will," Loki agreed.

Harry grinned happily at the two of them.

The next morning Asgard's royal family said their goodbyes to Thor. Harry hugged his father as they all stood in the golden dome of the restored entryway to the Bifrost. Thor hugged Harry back just as fiercely, ruffling Harry's black curls. Frigga smiled as she watched them, and Odin and Heimdall were speaking quietly together off to the side. Loki couldn't quite catch their words, which he believed was probably intentional on Odin's part.

"I will return before you know it," Thor assured. "Have fun retrieving Fenris."

"I will and be safe. Tell the other Avengers I said hello," Harry replied.

"I shall," Thor said his last goodbyes before Heimdall opened the Bifrost and stepped into the colorful beam of light.

Loki and Harry then said their own goodbyes to Frigga and Odin. The All-Father provided him with a special pair of sheers that would cut Fenris free. The sheers were made of the same material as Gleipnir, the chain that bound Fenris to his rock, and they would be the only thing that would be capable of cutting through the chain.

Heimdall opened the Bifrost for the second time that day.

"Remember to hold on tightly to me," Loki wrapped his own arms firmly around his youngest child.

Harry did as he was told, and together they stepped into the Bifrost. Heimdall had set them down directly beside the lake where Fenris's island resided.

"Whoa!" Harry exclaimed.

Loki tore his eyes from the island off in the distance, and turned his attention to a wide-eyed Harry.

His youngest son was looking around at the massive trees and blue lake, and beyond to the towering misty mountains. Alfheim certainly was a beautiful place.

"Wait until you see the cities the Light Elves build. Perhaps we can stop by one after we free your brother," Loki offered, smiling widely at his son.

He was still feeling uncommonly happy knowing that Thor was freeing Jormungandr and that he would be freeing Fenris himself in just a short amount of time.

"That would be nice but we your right we should really unchain Fenris. He's waited long enough," Harry's gaze landed on the small boat at the edge of the lake.

Of course the boat was there as someone had been feeding Fenris all these long years.

"Let's not keep him waiting any longer, shall we?" Loki waved Harry towards the boat.

The two of them quickly made their way towards the boat, and set out across the lake to finally free Fenris.

Chapter Text

Harry sat excitedly in the front of the boat. The cool air of Alfheim was flowing through his curls.

He glanced back to his mum. Loki flashed him a wide smile. The black haired god was so happy, and it made Harry happy to see him so. His mum had been rather morose in the months they had spent in Asgard. He tried to hide it from Harry but Harry could still see it. Loki didn’t like being back in Asgard. Harry hoped they would be able to go back to visit Midgard sooner rather than later.

Harry missed his friends. He missed Hogwarts. But he was thankful for getting the chance to come to Asgard. Harry had seen things he never would have imagined. He’d been to different planets, something he hadn’t even thought was possible a year ago.

His eyes darted about the beautiful landscape all around him. It was too pristine and otherworldly for it to be a place on Earth.

Their small boat rapidly approached the tree-covered island set in the middle of the massive lake.

“What’s Fenris like?” Harry thought he remembered Jormungandr referring to him as ‘grumpy’.

“He is strong and fierce. Protective and caring. He is very cunning,” Loki smiled fondly. “It has been many years since I’ve been able to visit him. I used to do it all the time. I didn’t want him to be lonely. However, Fenris eventually asked me to stop coming so frequently. He claimed it was too painful everytime I had to leave.”

“Now when we leave, he’s coming with us,” Harry smiled at his mum.

“Yes, he is,” Loki smiled back.

They docked the boat on the rocky shore of the island, and clambered out.

“This way,” Loki took the lead.

Harry followed along behind him. The thick leafy canopy from the trees kept them in mostly darkness. The two of them had only walked a few meters when the landscape around them altered. The towering trees they passed were covered in claw and teeth marks. Some massive beast ripped into the large trees, and Harry feared he knew exactly what massive beast had done it. The paw prints in the sod were nearly as long as Harry was tall. 

“Exactly how large is Fenris,” Harry couldn’t help but be a bit worried.

His brother was essentially being kept in solitary confinement here on this island, and that wasn’t good for the mind even an immortal one.

“Larger than most Midgardian dragons,” Loki answered.

Harry gulped.

“Don’t worry, Harry, your brother will not harm us.”

No sooner had his mother spoken the words than a menacing growl rippled through the trees. Harry froze and instinctively moved closer to his mum.

“Fenris! Do not worry my son. It is only your father, and your brother,” Loki called.

“I do not have a blue eyed brother,” a deep growling voice answered.

Harry’s head twisted around to the source of the voice. In the darkness Harry could see large golden eyes the size of dinner plates hovering between the trees.

“Once you did not. However, now you do. Take in his scent you will recognize him as your kin,” Loki had also turned to face the golden eyes.

“Hmm, so he is,” the deep voice rumbled. “What is your name, little brother?”

“Harek Thorson,” Harry answered.

“Thorson?” Fenris questioned, surprise clearly evident in his tone.

“Come out from the shadows, and I will explain everything. I have some very good news to share,” Loki’s green eyes shown brightly.

After a moment the golden eyes shifted, moving closer to where Loki and Harry stood. Much like it had with Jormungandr, Harry’s mouth dropped open at the sight of Fenris.

Harry’s wolfish brother was utterly massive. He was even bigger than Hagrid’s three-headed dog, Fluffy. His head was larger than SUV, and his body was taller Number 4 Privet Drive. Fenris had sharp, curved black claws on each of his paws, and his long, sharp white teeth were longer than Harry’s arms. He had thick black fur that helped him blend in seamlessly with the darkness. Only his glowing gold eyes and white teeth gave him away.

Hagrid would have loved Fenris.

With a surprising gentleness Fenris lowered himself to the ground, and bumped his snout into Loki in greeting.

“Hello, Father.”

“Hello, my son,” Loki stroked Fenris’s black muzzle.

Fenris turned his golden eyes to Harry. They flickered over him in an assessing manner. Unconsciously Harry stood up straighter.

A deep chuckle rumbled from Fenris’s massive chest. “Well met, littlebrother.”

“Nice to meet you, Fenris,” Harry gave a little wave, daring to move out from behind his mum.

“Now about that explanation. It has been quite a long time since our last visit, and I sense quite a lot has happened since then,” Fenris tilted his head.

It was such a dog like movement that it made Harry smile.

Loki quickly launched into the story of Harry’s conception, Loki’s fall from the Bifrost, Thanos, and eventually Fenris and Jormungandr’s freedom.

Fenris was still and silent for several long moments after Loki finished his tale. “I am to be freed?”

“You are,” Loki smiled.

All at once, Fenris exploded onto his feet. He howled in rage, the sound ringing with terrible force throughout the trees. Fenris swiped a gigantic paw at a nearby tree felling it with ease. Loki swiftly moved in front of Harry.

“Fenris! Calm yourself!” Loki shouted.

“All of these years! Odin has kept me imprisoned all of these years! Now when he has need of me, he deigns to release me to be his guard dog!” Fenris growled.

The massive black wolf stopped knocking over trees but he kept pacing and growling. The sound was like thunder and his steps caused the ground to tremble. 

“I know you are angry. You have every right to be. You never should have been locked away. However, at the moment it will do you no good to attack the All-Father. He will just send you right back here. I am sorry for not fighting harder to have released before now. For not stopping him from imprisoning you in the first place,” Loki lowered his head in shame.

Harry wanted to say something to comfort his mum and brother but at the same time he felt like he would be intruding if he did. So he just continued to watch from the sidelines.

Fenris halted his pacing. “Do not blame yourself for Odin’s failings. I do not blame you.”

“I don’t know how you couldn’t.”

“Because I know you tried despite the fact that you didn’t have any power to stop it from happening,” Fenris continued.

“Let me finally free you,” Loki begged.

Fenris’s sides heaved and slowly he returned to Loki’s side. He folded himself back down to the ground, and twisted his large head. For the first time Harry caught sight of the thin silver chain that was wrapped around Fenris’s huge neck.

The chain looked too fragile to keep a being as powerful as Fenris restrained.

Loki pulled the scissors Odin had given him. Harry’s mother confidently strode forward, and with one quick snip cut the chain around Fenris’s neck. Harry’s brother instantly stood, and shook himself all over.

“I don’t know if I can even return to an Aesir form,” Fenris murmured. “It’s been so long.”

“I will help you if you get stuck,” Loki assured.

Fenris nodded his massive head. The large wolf closed his eyes, and his body slowly began shrinking in on itself. The black fur shed itself from Fenris’s body, and soon a more humanoid form took shape.

Fenris in his human was as tall and broad as Harry’s father was. He had thick wildly curly black hair just like Harry’s but his eyes remained a wolfish gold. Fenris was also completely naked.

Loki quickly transfigured some nearby branches into some pants and a shirt.

“I was so close,” Fenris complained.

His wolfish brother’s voice had the same deep rumble when he was wolf only slightly quieter.

“I can’t even shift into an animal yet,” Harry sighed.

“I have told you it takes a lot of practice, and at the moment you don’t have the time for such a thing,” his mum ran a hand through his black curls.

“Don’t listen to him it came natural to Jor and I,” Fenris winked at Harry.

“And look where transforming into giant monsters got the two of you?” Loki glared.

“Wait, so can I transform?” Harry’s eyes shot wide.

“Not yet, not without me there to assist you,” Loki commanded.

“I’d definitely prefer practicing transforming than going to all my lessons,” Harry groused.

His magical education had been put on hold for the last several months as he had a million other Asgardian things he needed to catch up on before he could refocus on magic.

“You’re not getting out of your lessons,” his mum eyed him.

“I figured,” Harry sighed.

“We’ll get back into magic eventually,” Loki promised with a gentle smile.

“I know,” Harry smiled back.

Fenris snorted. “I’m ready to get off this island.”

Loki grinned. “Let’s be off then.”

The three of them walked back towards the small boat. The addition of Fenris made the space in the small boat rather squished. But none of them minded. Fenris’s eyes were practically glowing as they sped across the clear blue lake.

When they reached the lakeshore Loki called for the Bifrost, and the three of them were instantly pulled up through the multi-colored beam of light. They landed in the golden dome. Heimdall greeted them in his typical stoic manner.

“Has Thor freed Jormungandr?” Loki questioned.

“He has,” Heimdall nodded.

“And the Mind Stone?”

“Unfortunately, he has been met with some complications on that front,” Heimdall answered.

“What sort of complications?” Loki demanded.

“It will be better if I explain it to everyone. I was simply awaiting your return,” Heimdall answered.

The four of them made their way back into Asgard and were admitted to the throne room. Harry’s grandmother greeted them all warmly while Fenris and Odin glared at one another. Fenris was even growling under his breath. Luckily, they didn’t start fighting. The information about what was happening with Harry’s dad and the Mind Stone was far too important.

“You have news of Thor and his mission?” Odin questioned.

“The Midgardians have misplaced the Mind Stone,” Heimdall answered.

“Misplaced?” Loki’s eyes widened in shock.

“Yes, there seems to have been an internal struggle within the Midgardian organization known as SHIELD. They were over taken from the inside by a force known as Hydra,” Heimdall explained.

“Hydra? We learned about them in primary school. They were the rogue Nazi science division. But they were all destroyed after World War II when the Red Skull was defeated by Captain America,” Harry spoke up.

Heimdall nodded. “Apparently they were not completely destroyed. They merely went underground. Growing within SHIELD until they saw their moment to retake control. They were once more stopped from total control by Captain America but not before destroying the majority of SHIELD and taking off with the scepter containing the Mind Stone. Thor has rallied the Avengers to help him search for the staff, and explained the direness of discovering the scepter.”

“Can you locate the stone?” Odin questioned.

“As I have discovered even my eyes have a hard time looking upon the stones. I cannot stare at them directly, and unfortunately because of this I have not been able to locate the other stones,” Heimdall stated regretfully.

“Hopefully, Thor and his Avengers will be able to locate the Mind Stone sooner rather than later,” Loki murmured.

“Yes,” Odin agreed. “We will give Thor and his Midgardians a chance to collect the stone. If they fail I will send Asgardian warriors to retrieve it. Until then we must prepare. Loki you will choose members to a form a committee to prepare for Thanos’s inevitable arrival. You will be in charge of this committee.”

Harry’s mum looked stunned by this command. It was obviously a pretty big deal for Odin to ask Loki to do this.

“I will do my best,” Loki nodded.

Frigga smiled widely. “I am sure you will do an admirable job.”

Over the next couple of weeks Loki gathered Asgardians to form the committee Odin requested. Together the group created plans and strategies to fortify Asgard. Or well fortify more. Asgard existed at the edge of space. It was very difficult to reach without access to the Bifrost or the Tesseract aka the Space Stone. However, Thanos had been able to connect to the Space Stone before with the help of another Infinity Stone. There was a fear that it might happen again if Thanos managed to get his hands on one of the three still missing Infinity Stones.

Odin’s vault was heavily warded from outside influence. But no one was quite sure if that would pertain to Infinity Stones. There wasn’t a lot of information known about them since they were so rare.

Sif and Volstagg had moved the Aether or the Reality Stone to Alfheim. In fact it was now locked in a securely guarded vault on the island Fenris once inhabited. Alfheim was another planet that could only be accessed by the Bifrost. But only a select few knew of where the Reality Stone had been placed.

Harry continued with his lessons. He missed his dad. Thor made his lessons more entertaining, and his mum was really busy trying to protect Asgard. It was nice that all of his brothers were now in Asgard. Heimdall had brought Jormungandr to Asgard when it became apparent it was going to take Thor and the Avengers a lot longer to retrieve the Mind Stone.

It had been great to see how happy his mum was to see all four of his sons altogether for the first time. Jormungandr and Fenris’s reunion was also great. The two of them were the only one who were full siblings, and they had grown up together before Odin had imprisoned them.

Jormungandr liked to show off by transforming and swimming about in the water that surrounded Asgard. He also may have liked scaring the unsuspecting Asgadians.

Fenris spent all of his time in the training yard. His wolfish brother tried to pick up where Thor had left off with Harry’s training. But Fenris didn’t have Thor’s patience, and he tended to treat Harry roughly without meaning to. Sleipnir had stepped in.

Harry’s horsey brother had been spending more time in his human form now that he was officially released from being Odin’s royal steed. Before that Harry hadn’t really spent a lot of time with him.

Sleipnir was the calmest and most patient of Harry’s brothers.

“Well done, Harry,” Sleipnir praised.

Harry turned to grin at the tall, lean man.

Sleipnir had black curls like Harry, Fenris, and Loki. But his eyes were a pale gray. In his horse form he had charcoal gray coat, and a black mane and tail. Then of course he also possessed eight powerful legs. Sleipnir was also a bit larger than a normal horse.

“I like the staff,” Harry twirled the long wooden staff Sleipnir had suggested he use.

“I thought you might,” Sleipnir looked smug, making him look more like their mother.

“Will you teach me how to transform myself? Fenris said it came naturally to him and Jor,” Harry had been thinking about since they freed Fenris.

He figured having a giant animal form to turn into would be a huge help if Asgard ended up being attacked by this Mad Titan, and it sounded really awesome. 

“Aren’t you supposed to wait for Mother? I didn’t think he wanted you transforming just yet. Something about not alienating the Asgardians when they’re still getting used to the idea of you,” Sleipnir quirked an eyebrow at him.

“No?”

Sleipnir sent him an unconvinced look.

Harry sent him his best winning smile.

“All right, just don’t tell Mother. We’ll fit in some practice during our weapons training. It will be our secret,” Sleipnir smiled conspiratorially at him. “Besides I’m sure you’ll catch on quickly.”

Harry grinned back. He was thrilled that Sleipnir had agreed to help him.

The next several weeks Sleipnir trained Harry on how to shape shift. So far Harry had only been able to sprout a few feathers. But it pleased him to no end.

Thor eventually returned from Earth after two months. But he returned without the Mind Stone, and a story about how Tony Stark somehow created an army of robots. Harry honestly didn’t know what to make of it.

It was clear Odin didn’t know what to make of it either. Well, he clearly wasn’t pleased with the information that the Mind Stone was now attached to an artificial life form and would be remaining on Earth.

“How can you be certain the Midgardian will be capable of protecting it?” Odin ground out.

All of the members of the royal family were in attendance at the moment. Harry was happy that all of his brothers were included in that group. His mum was also very pleased by the situation.

“With the Bifrost restored Midgard is only a short trip away, and the Avengers are formidable warriors. They repelled the Chitauri attack,” Thor argued.

“They are impressive for mortals,” Loki admitted.

“And I have told them of Thanos. They are going to prepare themselves as well,” Thor added.

“Very well, nevertheless, we will closely monitor the situation,” Odin still didn’t look pleased but there wasn’t exactly anything else he could do. Sending Asgardian warriors to retrieve the Vision would only put them at odds with Earth. It would turn allies into enemies. His classes on politics and battle strategy with his mum had taught him that much.

Time passed quickly. Harry’s fourteenth birthday came and went. He had a party with all of his family but he couldn’t help but miss his friends and Hogwarts. Harry had been in Asgard for over half a year now. The realization had stunned Harry. Time felt like it passed more slowly in Asgard. Asgardians didn’t rush about as much as humans did. Harry supposed it was because they simply had more time.

Asgard continued to fortify itself, and gather information about Thanos. Loki started having more free time to spend with Harry, and quickly caught him up on his magic lessons. Thor spent sporadic time in Asgard. He, Sif, and the Warriors Three were traveling through the galaxy in search of the other Infinity Stones.

But his dad always made sure to spend a lot of time with him when he was in Asgard.

It was around the time when it would be September on Earth that Harry was feeling especially nostalgic.

“Do you think we could take a visit to Hogwarts sometime soon?” Harry asked his mum.

They were working on some fire spells together.

“I think that would be a wonderful idea. I could use a break from all of this planning, and it would be nice to check in our wizarding friends,” Loki smiled. “Give me a week to take care of some things, and we’ll take a trip down for a little while.”

“Brilliant,” Harry was thrilled by the news.