The Rebirth Of The Deceptive Deity

The walk to the train compartments is surprisingly slow. It should be fast, but it isn't because of what?

His heart stung, his thoughts were in chaos.What has happened to me? I'm supposed to be a god. Has this human boy taken over my soul now? I thought he was dead. I'm not supposed to get so emotional... no matter who I can't see for a couple of days... and I won't see him.

Loki would be fine, ofcourse. But who knows what the young mortal boy will cause him to feel? Loki needs no man, especially a human, who can have a clear shot at betraying his trust... stabbing him in the back. Like they all have done. Like I did it to everyone around me.

It is pointless... because eventually he'll stand alone, isolated from others.

Upon clearing his mind of useless thoughts, which would bring only shame to him, he sat in an uninhabited train compartment and closed his eyes for a moment of relaxation.

Now...infiltrating Hogwarts school of witchcrafts and wizardry. Well, he wouldn't call it infiltration, he'd step foot on those grounds legally since the ruler of this school permitted him to. 

A minute of peace, the feeling of amusement whenever Beauty thrashed in his pocket, asking for food, while having been fed before Harry entered this new space. He put his hand in the pocket and felt it being licked, he chuckled and started patting the small serpent. Then he whispered, "you sly little snake." He didn't mean that harmfully, so he pat her.

"That's a good girl." Loki wanted to let his friend move around freely, without it being feared, but that just couldn't happen, could it?

Naturally the mood was disturbed.

Agitating his senses of hearing with her high pitched voice was a young lady. Her hair cascaded down in abundant, voluminous waves, resembling an expanse of thick, fluffy clouds. It appears as though her pillow was enchanted, and its contents exploded into a luxurious sea of soft, billowy strands.

He welcomed her first. "Greetings young lady, what may I help you with, if you wish to share with me?"

A touch of surprise flickered in her gaze as she observed him. Straightening her back, she walked in and said, "have you seen a toad? A boy named Neville lost it, he's having trouble finding it."

 Assessing the situation, he decided with a friendly tone, "I haven't seen one." She sighed, thanking him for telling her. But when she was about to leave, he continued, "I can track it down for him if you want." And she immediately brightened up. "Really? That's so kind of you... um"–"Harry Potter. You can just call me Harry."

And he couldn't have been more direct with asking for more ear disturbances. She gave it a thought, then her eyes widened and she immediately looked up to his forehead, searching for the lighting scar. Loki just shook it off, not letting his mask of politeness crack because of some childish curiousity.

He smiled patiently, waiting for her to introduce herself back. She couldn't understand why he was suddenly smiling like an idiot, Loki almost rolled his eyes, his smile twitched, "and might you be so generous as to state your name?" Her cheeks lit up, she was clearly ashamed for her stupidity. She cleared her throat, "my name is Hermione Granger. Nice meeting you, Harry." She smiled, an awkward smile, but plausible nonetheless. 

"Right. Now I'll call your friends pet to us, so that he feels better." She gave Harry a confirming nod and watched curiously as he took out his wand, as if he'd use it like a normal wizard would. Instead, he wouldn't even need the wand, it was just for show. He used his own magic: the only weapon he has had after his intellect and silver-tongue.

Channeling it through the wand, he flicked it. In the eyes of miss Granger, nothing really happened. Harry didn't use a spell, he didn't say an incantation, so he must've been bluffing–is what she's probably thinking. And her thoughts drifted.

However, five seconds later, the toad appeared put of nowhere, sitting on miss Grangers shoulder. That made the fluffy-haired girl yelp, but then she just looked back to Harry and stared. "How... did you do that?" Harry smirks, bringing his index finger to his lips–"shh. A trickster must never reveal reveal his secrets, am I right?"

That brought some surprise to her face, then she chuckled, "you? A trickster? I highly doubt that." Then she looked at him with a crazy gleam of interest, "you're very cool, Harry. Will you reveal your trickster secrets to me at Hogwarts?" Okay, Loki felt uncomfortable.

Harry smirked, "I thank you for your gracious words bestowed upon me." He sighed. "And if I tell you about confidential information, only time will tell." The girl sighed, "so that's a no."

The door opened. A short, shy-looking boy looked in warily. When he saw miss Granger holding the toad, he sighed out I'm relief. Walking up to her and smiling, he told her, "thank you for finding Trevor. At first I thought you were just joking when you offered me help, like the Slytherins."

Harry just stayed sat there, looking at him. He wanted to get more information about the Slytherin situation, but he knew crossing that line was going to end up bad for him.

Hermione Granger shook her head. "No. It wasn't me who found it, I asked Harry for help, and he used magic to summon your toad." Neville looked at Harry before gasping–"you're Harry Potter, as in the chosen one? And you found Trevor for me?" He was still processing the newly acquired information, when he finally calmed down, "thank you, mister Potter..." 

Loki wanted to get out of this train compartment, it was getting too crowded in here. 

The boy got nervous, fidgetty, as if he wanted to tell Harry something, so Harry beat him to it–"yes, you may address me with my first name."–"Harry, I am Neville Longbottom, thank you again for finding my toad for me.

An eternity of Harry and Hermione talking about all the books they've read thorought the summer, Hermiones gave away her avidity. Loki could tell she had a nagging question and his easy guess was probably true. She was interested in why the boy who lived only read those books now.

Wasn't he supposed to be a golden goose? A silver-spooned child of privilege. Why couldn't the bookworm Harry read books about magic?

Yet she had another topic in mind. "Guys what house do you think you'll be sorted into?" Neville was first to speak. "My granny wants me to be a Gryffindor, but I think that Hufflepuff would suit me more." Harry had a look with Hermione, who also had the same troubled face as Neville did.

Oh dear. I'm gonna have to step in and give them a motivational speech, aren't I? He sighed. Here goes nothing.

"Mates, look. I'm probably not the one who's meant to give anyone an advice at all. I haven't exactly been in the Wizarding world for long. Nevertheless I can tell you this... you can be whatever you want to be, no one can force you to be what you don't want to be."

"Personally, I think that I'll be put with Slytherins." Nevilles eyes went wide, he glanced at Hermione, looking for any doubt in her eyes, which he didn't find. 

She only smiled and said, "it's to be expected." Raising an eyebrow, Harry senced a glimmer of delight. "Oh? Is that so? Did the genius figure me out?"

He continued with dramatic gestures, "and here I thought I had you both fooled." Neville looked slightly more relaxed now. They all sat in the room, talking about subjects now. Then Harry thought that he had to do this before those two chose something they'd regret later. 

He looked at Neville. "The house you're distributed into doesn't characterize you, me or Hermione. You are still..." 

He cut off his sentence before deciding, "...my first friends."

Norns, that felt bad... so bad. He felt seen, vulnerable, weak.

Hermione and Neville both looked touched. They even hugged Harry. It was warm, a moment like this cracked Lokis cold heart. 

They carried on the conversation about houses. In the end, they didn't find out which house each of them would end up in, but Loki was sure that those two could choose their own paths. Hermione seemed troubled about this too.

Neville moticed it, so he said, "it's okay Hermione, we'll be friends no matter what house we end up in... right Harry?" Harry looked at Neville with a pure smile and nods, "ofcourse." 

Then Harry started changing the topic. "-and then Thor chased me, he never found me though, because I was already turned into a Snake." They were quiet, their eyes looked spellbound. "Wow. You're so cool, Harry."–"yeah I couldn't agree more with Neville." Harry didn't even notice when the two snuck up to him and took the places to the left and right.

He felt trapped. Oh dear.

Harry smiled pridefully, "I know, my dear friends. You may worship me now." He said aiming for a joke. Feeling anxious about their reactions, he looked out the window. What if I went too far? Will the midgardians finally stop this facade of a "friendship"?

Instead of that, Hermione initiated a laughing reaction out of Neville and later even Harry joined in, who... as a matter of fact used to be the God of lies. 

"I've thought about this before." Hermione said and Harry raised an eyebrow. "Thought about what?" Hermione smiled and looked down, "that if i were to be sorted Into Gryffindor, the house that has people who are brave and loyal, then I'd make friends. But it looks like I was wrong." She looked at the both of them before continuing, "I don't need to be a Gryffindor to have friends. Besides, now that I have no seconds thoughts about being sorted into Ravenclaw, I'll have you two and focus on my studies. This is great."

Neville supported her idea. He also admitted that he could take his granny's wrath when she finds out he's disobeyed her and chosen Hufflepuff if he had his friends there to stand by his side while he follows his heart.

Loki watched the children in front of him think more sensibly. He felt proud, so he brought his hand to his eye to wipe away the tear, which didn't really exist, "just look at you two, taking your first baby steps." 

Hermione almost laughed, but realizing that this accusation also involved her, she looked at him with a shocked look, "how dare you speak like that when you tell us fake stories about the amazing pranks you pulled off on a stupid boy named Thor?" Neville looked uncomfortable staying near their newly started mini-war. Harry snorted. Thor, stupid... if only she knew who she was talking about. But he couldn't disagree about the "stupid" part.

He then put on a very offended look, "unbelievable. You think I'd lie about my great mischief making days?" Neville looked conflicted in whose side he should take, but he stuck by Harry's side, "I think Harry was telling the truth ." 

Neville felt a hand fall on his back, "yeah, you enlighten her, Neville." The boys face immediately turned red from the attention being turned to him and Harry just calling him out like this. "No comment, huh? So you doubt my abilities too?" 

Neville shook his head, looking very brave despite being... you know, himself. 

The group debated a lot and laughed a lot. In the end Hermione agreed that she'd believe Harry once he showed her when he actually uses magic for the "cool mischief" he causes.

And they blabbered on. For what felt like only few minutes, they got tired from the talking pretty quickly and fell in a comfortable silence, Harry even drifted off to sleep.

Harry was woken up by Hermione and Neville standing over his head, waking him up. He immediately jumped up and looked outside feeling so thrilled. Finally, there he was, a river away from setting foot in Hogwarts.

They were about to step out the train when they heard an accent of a man speaking, "Right then. First years, this way, please!" They didn't get out at first. Then the man repeated himself, "come on now, first years, don't be shy. Come one now, hurry up." Getting off the train, they stepped in front of a giant man with long, messy hair and long beard.

"Hello there. I am Rudeus Hagrid, the keeper of keys and grounds at Hogwarts." Hagrid was certainly searching for someone, but he seemed disappointed, pronably didn't find what he was looking for. "Right, then. This way to the boats. Come on, now, follow me." Without any questions they followed the man, got in said boats, 4 people a boat and they set off. The lamps on the boats were guiding them in the cold water of the dark lake.

A bunch of gasps were heard all around them, they were all fascinated by the giant castle-like building. Loki was prone to finding out the secrets or this school. Hagrid dropped them off and left. They entered the gates of Hogwarts. Harry looked up, searching through the windows for a familliar figure, being unsuccessful.

He felt Beauty crawl up his sleeve, hiding in his long hair and hissing, "Someone is watching us, Harry." Harry looked around, as if because of enchantment towards the place around him. He didn't see anyone suspicious, so he blushed it off as a bunch of students recognizing Harry Potter... as weird as that sounded.

They were all greeted by a tall, elderly woman with a scroll in her hand. A professor, Loki assumed. "Form a line." The professor told the first years. "And follow me." Feeling oddly as though his legs had turned to lead, Harry got into line with Neville and Hermione behind him. Neville whispered to Hermione and Harry, "she's Minerva McGonagall, the head of the Gryffindor house." They noticed a pair of double.

The first years were lead to the hall, all eyes on them as they finally stopped. Hermione looked up to the ceiling that looked like the sky and said, "it's not real." She said and turned her head to Neville, "the ceiling. It's just bewitched to look like the night sky." She told him.

They walked closer to the teachers tables.

She added, "I read about it in Hogwarts: A history." Miss McGonagall stopped them in their tracks. "All right. Will you wait along here, please?" She said while raising the scroll and opening it. "Now, before we begin. Professor Dumbledore would like to say a few words."

The white-bearded, weirdly dressed man in the middle got up. "I have a few start-of-term notices I wish to announce." He paused and looked at them. "The first years, please note... that the dark forest is strictly forbidden to all students." Loki listened with amusement. This man definitely wants us to go there, doesn't he?

Dumbledore continued–"also, our caretaker, Mr. Flich, has asked me to remind you that the third floor corridor on the right hand side is out or bounds to everyone who doesn't wish to die a most painful death." Okay, now Loki felt even more interested, he'd go check what that was all about...

He looked over to Neville, who had this very terrified face. He'd never go close to that floor. Now Hermione was smart... most likely a rule follower, she was off the hook. So Harry Potter would have to go alone... later.

The headmaster, as Loki figured, sat back down and miss McGonagall, who was standing next to a chair that had a loving hat on it said–"when I called your name, you'll come forth. I shall place the sorting hat on your head and you'll be sorted into your houses."

Loki just wanted to roll his eyes. Seriously? A hat?  This is the serious part of the process? Leaving the whole future of a child to this thing?

"Hermione Granger." For a moment there Hermione just froze and looked around. She started going up to the chair and sat down on it, gaining more confidence once she layed eyes on her friends. McGonagall placed the frowning hat on her head.

"Hhm. I see... I see. You're clever, eh?  You wish to gather more information by reading books whenever you have free time. I know exactly where to put you... Ravenclaw." The Ravenclaws table started cheering and welcoming a new Raven.

Once they calmed down, professor two other students were named. One was a girl named Susan Bones, who got sorted into Hufflepuff. There was another student by the name of Ronald... he seemed very ginger. Loki didn't have a good feeling about this boy, he should stay away.

That one was sorted into Gryffindor, no wonder I dislike him. He thought to himself and his thoughts drifted to his future potions professor.

"Neville Longbottom." Harry looked at the boy standing next to him and gave him a tap on the shoulder, "come on, mate. You can do this. I believe in you." Despite Nevilles inner conflict, he walked up to the chair and settled down. "Ha, a Longbottom. Your parents were both Gryffindors, do you want to be sorted in there too?" Neville shook his head with a determined gaze. "I want a fair sorting... I know where I belong."–"Okay then, better be... Hufflepuff."

Before Harry could tell Neville about it being the obvious choice, his name was called. He sighed and decided to get it over with once and for all. Around him students started whispering, teachers looked at him, judging him, he felt as if he was the lying god... an unwanted son again.

He held his head high, walking up to the stage like a model and sitting down gracefully. Loki didn't like showing his cards early, so exactly when the hat got held close to his head, he made his thoughts be known to the piece cloth. Making the ragged old thing feel threatened.

Don't you dare say anything. Someone had to give it to the enchanted object, it could stand its ground, because it didn't react to Lokis threats, choosing wisely. 

If you understand, shut up and act like you're choosing my "house". 

It understood the assignment. The poor old hat debated between Ravenclaw and Slytherin. 20 minutes went by.

In the final judgement, the sorting hat chose the obvious house for him. "...Slytherin." and by the peoples reactions he wanted to fall again, to never set foot on Midgard ever again.

Everyone was shocked, the whispers got so much more intense, the teachers all looked disappointed. He saw Dumbledore... he looked like he wanted to lock Harry up for being sorted into the house of snakes. The professors were all disappointed except for Snape. Wait, Snape?

Harry felt as if his heart started beating all over again, because he watched Snape sitting against the large teachers table, he wanted to wave, to smile and greet him, let everyone know that they were sort of friends.

When Harry waved at him, Snapes lips twitched up a little, imperceptible for others, but seen only by those who looked. Harry smiled at him once and then decided looking around the table.

Harry was lead to the Slytherin table. They seemed like some uptight aristocratic bunch who reminded Loki of himself. He greeted them with manner and got welcomed. They were pretty good to get along with, actually.

When sat at the Slytherin table, his attention was caught by a man sitting next to Snape. Hm... interesting. This man has two souls living in one body. Loki could sense it. His gaze lingered on the man with the turban, then he felt some discomfort in the scar of his forehead. Maybe he has had a sort of soul splitting curse cast on him?

Then he remembered that the man had nothing to do with him, why bother with this? It doesn't even concern me.

So Harry forced himself to look away, ignoring the feeling of fury creeping up on him.The headmaster... Loki thought to himself, despising the man, but noticing the way Albus looked at him as if he was a fool. Harry gritted his teeth.

That man reminded him of Odin... the way he looked at him as if he committed something bad.

Later on, Draco Malfoy presented himself to Harry. This boy had a very pale complexion and even paler hair. His personality sort of reminded Loki of Thor back when he was a spoilt bratty prince who took no orders from anyone... except for his dad, even that barely.

But he could feel this boys want to prove himself worthy, just like he always had wanted. "Greetings, mister Malfoy. I'm Harry Potter, a great pleasure to make acquaintances." The blond seemed impressed by his formal introduction. "I feel the same way, mister Potter." So they could be called acquaintances now.

Someone on the Slytherin table right next to Draco cleared his throat and said, "I don't think there's any need for formality between us, we're in the same house, we're equal." Harry smiled at the dark-skinned boy while also remembering the prejudice against the frost giants... he wondered if there was a grudge like that going around on Midgard.

Blaise Zabini was his name. Loki really liked the boy, he was sly. He had a lot to learn about it, but he was alright for an 11 year old. "So... do you remember how you killed Voldemort?"

That was an unusual question. He wanted to slap himself on the forehead. "Mister Zabini, I believe a toddler that was only a few months old when that happened couldn't have remembered that even if he strained his mind real hard." He said sarcastically. "But I think that it's pretty obvious his death had nothing to do with me." He finished and the whole Slytherin table looked at him like he was crazy.

He smiled at them all and finished eating the food conjured out of thin air. He left earlier than the others and used his magic to guide him to the slytherin rooms. He finally made it to the door, but there was a living person inside a portrait telling him to give her a code. He didn't know the code, so he did the only thing he could do. Threaten the lady to give the code nicely... to open the door. She put up a little fight at first, then he broke her and she let him in.

The living room was nice, there was a chimney, very expensive one. He looked into the bedrooms and wow... if he hadn't stayed at Snapes, he would be quite dazzled.

He didn't forget to let out Beauty. He loved the little one. She was like a daughter to him. He fed her and took her out into the forbidden forest where they both looked around. They came back easily, without a scratch. Loki didn't know why that scheming old man bothered warning the kids. The Slytherins were smart and calculated, they wouldn't go there knowing darn well that Albus Dumbledore was just plotting something.

After he and Beauty were gone for long enough, he looked around if anyone saw him. Ensuring no one was around, he teleported himself, ending up in the Slytherin common rooms. This time everyone saw him. They all looked at him with shock. "Potter, you can apparate?" He heard from a certain blond.

Harry looked at Draco and shrugged, "I've always been able to do that. Oh, and keep it a secret, no one knows..." then he looked around, sensing all the eyes on him, "knew."

Then he was surrounded by the enthusiastic Slytherins, who really wanted to know more about what kind of other magic spells he could perform. Well, this couldn't have gotten any worse. After an hour of interrogation, he was finally released. It was bedtime for them all, so Loki made sure they were all in bed. "you there. Go to bed. Don't make me repeat myself. Kids need to sleep." Someone in the crowd called him a mom.

Draco and Blaise were his roommates. They spent some time making fun of him for being so overprotective. Not being fazed, he told them to close their eyes and sleep. They did after a couple of arguments. Then he let Beauty out of the pocket. After dressing in his night gown, he fell asleep in his clean bed.