The Eye
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Like what?" he asked, slightly alarmed.
"Like that." Hermione stared back at him, mimicking the suspicious facial expression he was wearing when she caught him staring at her.
"I wasn't looking at you like that." Harry quickly said, looking away and grabbing a magazine across the table, and burying his face behind it.
Hermione stared suspiciously at him as she finished her first coffee cup for the day.
"I'll get another one," Hermione said. "You want anything?"
"I'm good." Harry said keeping his face behind the magazine.
He listened for her footsteps in the almost empty cafe until and lowered the magazine to stare at her back.
It was stupid.
He was being ridiculous.
It has been a week since he had witnessed at the meeting and everyone else had been discreet enough to not let word slip out of that room.
They had tried as much as possible to be normal around Hermione and had been doing their research in solving that mystery.
Harry on the other hand was becoming more and more suspicious in Hermione's eyes over time.
The good thing was that she was very occupied in her work lately to notice that she was being asked less and less for important Ministry meetings.
But today, she was being asked to join in and Harry did his best to act in his best normal state possible.
Harry had been battling himself if he would let her know about it or not. He was sworn to government secrecy for which Hermione was excluded for the first time.
But Hermione Granger was his childhood bestfriend and she went above any of those rules - or she should be.
They had been sitting at their usual cafe spot on a very early Monday morning and not a word or a serious attempt from him to let her in about what he had been witness to.
"You're so occupied." Hermione said bursting his bubble of thoughts five minutes later. "What are you thinking about?"
"Nothing." Harry immediately denied, sinking back in his comfortable couch-like chair and trying to avoid looking at her.
How the hell was he supposed to tell her about it?
For sure there have been developments over the week about it and he was slightly afraid himself to bring her in the meeting.
What if they ambush her of questions and he never at the least gave her a head's up about it?
Would they be conspiring against her or worse providing her a legal warrant to bring her in for questioning?
According to the last report he'd read, there were a handful of casualties and not to mention property damage.
But no matter how many times he'd think about it, no matter how many times he tried to wrap his head around what he had seen with his own eyes, it just couldn't be her.
"We have to go in a while, yes?" Hermione asked as she put her stuff back inside her bag and secured the cover of her two new warm cups of coffee. "Are you ill?"
"I'm just feeling a little.." Harry began, sitting straight and facing her. "Listen, about today's meeting-"
"Yeah, in an hour, right?" Hermione said as she put all her belongings inside her back, securing it with its strap. "I hope they raise the subject of putting up some budget for the request we made a few weeks ago. They usually talk about these things on a Monday."
"Yes, I hope they do it." Harry whispered more to himself as he stared closely at Hermione.
"You're doing it again." Hermione said raising her eyebrow at him. "Is there something on my face?"
He looked at her, stress and guilt were drawn all over his face.
"No, I don't know." Harry lied to her. "I think I must have eaten something funny."
"The pancakes?" Hermione asked him. "I ate the same thing. I feel fine. Do you want to skip the meeting today? I can take notes and let you-"
"No!" Harry quickly dismissed the idea of skipping the meeting as he began gathering their things.
Ofcourse he didn't want to skip the meeting.
What if they bombarded her with questions and he wouldn't even be there to protect her.
Well, it's not like lying to her or not telling her the truth right now was protecting her.
No, he was being stupid.
Kingsley was close enough to them to discreetly talk to them or to her in private before bringing her in with a full jury about the memory in the Pensieve.
"Well come on then," Hermione said smiling at him. "We don't want to be late."
Harry smiled faintly at her before surprisingly grasping her hand tightly.
She looked at him with an odd smile on her face as he smiled back, holding her hand and gently led her out of the cafe.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"It means," Loki heavily said burying his face in his hands, "that twice the amount of weight would affect distance and or length of -"
"I'm just going to punch him." Thor impatiently said closing the book in front of the table and banging it loud enough for Sif to wake from her half-asleep state. "Just one, really good punch."
"So you're telling me you're just going to punch your way out of everything?" Loki sarcastically said halfway in giving up teaching his brother as he picked up a fallen book from the floor.
"Yes." Thor confidently said smiling widely across the table to his friends as he flexed his arms. "Isn't that the reason we're training?"
Volstagg, Fandral, Tyr and Sif all looked at him with a knowing smile with Sif providing an extra rolling of her eyes at their friend.
They have been at the castle's enormous, majestic library studying for their upcoming exams.
Royalty had their way through many things but academe was something they were required of - whether they liked it or not.
Everyone at the table had been studying hard for weeks, side by side they helped one another. With strength and perseverance, they also worked hard in their arms and training with Asgardian soldiers as a requirement for any Asgardian army and royalty. '
But despite all efforts to double their time for their academic studies, Thor seemed to be the only one far back behind than the rest of them.
It was not like he didn't study; he was studying but his efforts weren't that much compared to the diligent and dedicated efforts like the rest and compared to his younger brother who was dedicated to not only passing the exam himself but his brother as well.
Loki barely studied; he could grasp any concept easily because even in their childhood days, he was not only a wide reader but showed exceptional intellectual skills. And he knew that this was key in helping his brother who would be the future king.
Thor would be an excellent king on the battlefield should war be called as he aced all training without even much effort.
Loki knows that Thor is strong, extremely strong but like what his mother would always joke about when Thor refuses to study - all the brawns in his body seemed to have occupied most of the space in him that left no spot for a place for his brains.
"Brother," Loki slowly explained and the rest of their friends began sniggering at the sight of Loki not giving up despite teaching him everything for five long hours now. "you can't just punch your way out of everything."
"Why not?" Thor said, "I'm future king. I can deal with everything and everyone the way I'd like to." he winked at his brother, flexing his muscles and then reaching across the table for one of the bowls of fruits, crushing with one hand two small peaches he had picked up.
"He's tired, Loki." Sif said straightening herself from her chair. "We've been at this for hours. Even I, just listening to your voice, talking about Asgardian history would feel like dying."
Everyone at the table laughed except for Thor.
"No one asks you to stay, Sif." Loki said with a wide smile at her. "Do you see any other woman around here? You keep tagging yourself along with us. You're as uninvited that you came with us and you're as invited to leave us."
The red in Sif's face was so visible that the boys at the table except for Loki, all looked like they were ready to make a run for it.
And Sif was quick.
She had grabbed one of the largest books from the table and before the boys could stop him, she had thrown it in Loki's direction.
Loki didn't even flinch.
He simply made a small wave of his hand up at the air and the book was blocked from hitting him and had disappeared out of thin air.
"Mother finally taught me how to make objects and organisms in front of me disappear." he smiled at her. "Would you like another example?" he asked her with a dark look over his eyes.
Sif didn't say anything; she didn't want to be vanished out of anywhere at that moment.
"I thought so." Loki said rolling his eyes and gently turning back to Thor who was looking at him with an open mouth.
"Back to us. So when the council meeting calls for its king you're going to punch your way through the meeting? Is that what you're telling me?" Loki mocked him rolling his eyes.
"Tell me how the theory of wars and stories of history will help me through a war grounds?" Thor countered at him getting another peach and biting it off.
"Theory will tell you how to combat properly and strategically through any battle," Loki patiently explained to him with a sharp smile across his face, "and history will tell you not to repeat the idiotic mistakes of the past kings and armies. That's what."
Silence crossed the table and their friends all looked at Thor, waiting for him to either scream or punch his younger brother.
They all rallied with Thor and often, would play jokes on the younger Asgardian as he was the one weakest of them all when it came to army training.
But they respected his knowledge in many things and how strategic and advance he was in the matter of intellectual debates than his brother.
If not a king, he would be an extremely exceptional advantage & great advisor to the would-be king.
"You have to trust me that you can't punch your way through the council meeting with the elders, brother." Loki advised him seriously. "One wrong move and they will not hesitate to throw their king out and hang his head to be decoration by the palace's entrance grounds."
Thor spitefully stared at his brother knowing he was right.
But he didn't like this part of training to be a king. He preferred sword and combat training to sit for hours at their library learning about old wars, historic places, and how to estimate the weight and strength of a punch that will either weaken an enemy or make a sure kill.
"You know I'm bad at this," Thor whispered to his brother, leaning closer to him. "I'm really, really bad at this."
"I know that," Loki whispered back grabbing his brother closer to him. "But that's why I'm here. That's why you just need to sit there, listen to me and just cooperate. I'm going to help you. I'm here. Don't you trust me?"
Brother to brother stared at one another.
They were a lot of things; a lot of split different things compared to one another. And at times, they even fight but deep down, they knew there wasn't anything in this world they wouldn't do for one another.
"No." Thor leaned closer to Loki and patted his brother lovingly, "It's me who don't trust passing this exam."
And they both laughed because they knew that they may not trust one another from time to time but they loved one another like no other.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You're becoming a problem to me," Loki whispered picking up a very, very small shard of glass on the floor and looking up at the large mirror by the room.
He stared closely at it, running his fingers along the edges, across the mirror with his image reflected upon it.
He examined the mirror three times after shaping the broken shard back and making sure it would not break away again or any piece of the glass.
Greenlight illuminated from his fingers, enveloping the mirror as he quietly chanted something under his breath.
Asgardian magic was usually strong - quite stronger than anything or anyone else's.
They were breathed out of the powers of the gods.
But this little problem of his was creating more drama than that of what he had expected.
He took a few steps back from the mirror as it glistened with his reflection in full glory.
Loki stared back at his reflection, eyes, and ears wary for any sound, any breaking glass, or even the slightest hint of a crack.
Nothing.
The mirror was still, perfect and flawless as it had been on the first day he had created it.
"One more attempt and I will make sure that this comes to a complete end," Loki whispered as he stared back at his own reflection, a look of threat in his eyes that shed nothing but charm in public.
He looked angry.
No, he was murderous.
He was a god and he wasn't going to let anyone or anything get in the way of his plans.
Loki stepped back and with a swish of his hand, a magical glamor in a blink and he was dressed in his full glory of Asgardian royalty.
The madness in his eyes then disappeared, a smile appeared as he slowly walked away from the mirror.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I didn't think it would be a brunch meeting," Hermione commented as they entered the usual conference room with the strong smell of waffles and sausages greeting them.
The long wooden table has been replaced by four smaller circular ones and a long buffet table was arrayed at the side of the room where Ministry officials were already lined up and ready to be served with a really good serving of brunch.
"What's going on?" Harry asked as he closed the door behind him, the strong coffee odor taking him in as he searched the room for Kingsley or anyone they were close to.
He looked around him and found that the room had been redecorated with colours of stunning emerald and gold.
"I have a feeling we're not here for the meeting," Hermione said as they were assisted to line up in the brunch.
Harry quietly agreed to that thought and he wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing. After all, he wasn't that ready to discuss with Hermione what the prior meeting and even was all about.
Harry scanned the room and sure enough, he found Kingsley in the only large round table in the room and was animatedly talking to some other ministry officials as they were being served more breakfast.
"Did I miss Kingsley's birthday?" Harry asked Hermione nudging her to look in the direction.
"No." Hermione said as she was handed over with a glass of pure wine with Harry.
"No, you're here for a special occasion." an elder ministry official walked by them raising a glass to them. "A large sum of donation has been provided for various departments for the ministry, including yours Miss Granger. I have read the list and your department has been generously donated with a large sum of galleons."
Hermione opened her mouth to comment but the old lady was already whisked away by her company and Hermione turned back to Harry who looked as surprised as she was to what she had just heard.
They both took the nice long glass goblets with gold handles.
"Wine at this hour?" Hermione asked him looking and smelling at the drink in her hand.
It smelled nothing like cheap wine they know of.
It was some sort of expensive wine.
"Should we drink?" Harry excitedly asked staring at the contents of his glass.
But before Hermione could even stop him, he had excitedly taken a sip, and just as he was about to make a comment about it, the double doors open.
Heads turned in the direction of the door and the conversations that were already building up slowly died away.
They looked in the direction to find the same entourage who had come to the auction.
"Oh, you got to be kidding me," Hermione said rolling her eyes and pointing over Harry's shoulder.
A small carpet was laid out and sure soon enough as Hermione had already guessed, after two tall men, came walking in the man who called himself god, Loki Laufeyson.
Loki walked into the room in such an entrance that the long drape in his attire seemed to make its grand entrance.
His eyes scanned the room as he entered with a smile that became wider and even smugger when his eyes landed upon Hermione and Harry's direction standing near the buffet table.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He watched with teary and angry eyes as the image reflected against the glass slowly walked away with a grin on his face.
He walked out of the room as darkness consumed him.
He was gone.
He would be gone for hours and hours until he was back.
There were no patterns of his presence he could put together, there was no hint of day or night, no sight of anything or anyone else that could help him - nothing.
All he was able to see was his reflection, the devilish grin upon his face as he counter-act every bit of his attempt to go against his magic.
It was quite strong.
Even if he had a strong mind and strong power which were enhanced by his knowledge of dark magic, there was something about his that he just couldn't break and defeat.
The magic of the gods as he had described at the first time he laid eyes upon him.
He didn't regret standing up to the man who called himself a god.
But neither did he expect this kind of outcome.
He could have killed him. But he didn't; instead, he chose for him to endure suffering like no other.
He couldn't fathom why he would want to make him suffer or prolong his suffering; it wasn't like he owed him anything.
No, there was a reason he kept him alive.
And he wasn't just going to die in there and not understand the reason for all of it.