The Daughter

After they had sent the owl off and gone to their last lessons, Hermione, Daphne and Draco headed for the hospital wing to visit Kysa. However, they stopped outside the door, having heard voices.

“Please Poppy, don’t send that letter,” it sounded like Professor Potter.

“Why not?” The stern matron replied. “Her father needs to be informed.”

“Poppy, we’re going to let you in on a secret.” That was a man’s voice, probably James Potter’s. “He adopted her.”

“What?” Draco hissed.

“What are you talking about, James?” Madam Pomfrey asked.

“I wasn’t always Lily Evans, Poppy. I came to earth and lived a mortal life. I used to be Sigyn. You were there at Hadrian’s birth.”

“Yes, his twin was born a squib.”

“Emma never was. We allowed that rumour to spread after that Halloween night, so that no one would think about it when we gave her up for adoption. We had to concentrate on Hadrian. Especially with the prophecy.”

“But how is she Asgardian now, if she is Emma and you became mortal?”

“Loki blood adopted her,” Lily sighed, before explaining to the matron what that meant. “But she’s still our daughter, even if she doesn’t want to acknowledge it. Please Poppy; we can take care of her. I’ve seen this sickness before. I know it. I can help her. There’s no need to inform Loki.”

They heard a sigh. “Very well. But if she seems to be deteriorating, I will step in.”

“All we want is a chance to show her that we’re her family. Thank you Poppy.” James said.

Hermione motioned to her housemates, and the three first years and one familiar headed quickly away from the hospital wing.

“So, let me get this straight- by birth, she’s a Potter, but that blood’s been wiped out of her because of this blood adoption, and now she has Loki’s blood, and her mother’s, who is actually Sigyn, but Sigyn as a mortal?” Draco asked.

“Pretty much.”

“How did that happen?”

“The Potter’s wanted to focus on Hadrian, so they abandoned her.”

“I can see why she dislikes them so much.” Draco said. “Good thing you have a backup plan. Seeing as you were right.”

“I still wonder why you weren’t in Ravenclaw.” Daphne said.

“It was a close call.” Hermione admitted. “Let’s head to dinner. And act like nothing’s changed. The last thing she needs is word of this getting out.”

The two blondes nodded and Hermione and Rhan led the way to the Great Hall, Daphne and Draco exchanging a few whispers, before shutting up when they reached the more populated areas of the castle, and falling into step beside Hermione. The last thing they wanted was to have others find out- their position in Slytherin was tenuous as it was.

Caia frowned as she saw the Eagle Owl heading her way. She had never seen that owl before. She was currently sat on the roof of Stark Tower. Tony had all but begged her to move to New York- if only for a little while- and she had said yes. While she tried to tell herself that it was because it would give her a chance to get to know the Avengers, she knew the true reason was different. Even if she was not up for admitting it yet.

The owl perched on the railing in front of her, looking quite exhausted and held out its leg, to which there was a letter attached. She relieved it of its burden before conjuring a dish, and filling it with water for the poor bird. The letter was addressed to her, but in unfamiliar handwriting.

She opened it, and her violet eyes narrowed and she frowned as worry began to set in.

Dear Miss Blair,

                         I’m writing to you because of Kysa Lokidottir. She’s sick with the same illness as her cousins and needs help. Some other friends and I are writing because we don’t trust them to contact her father, and she needs proper help. But we have no way of getting a letter to her home. But she needs help only healers from her home can give to her. Please, you may very well be the only chance we have of reaching them in time.

Yours sincerely,

Hermione Granger

Draco Malfoy

Daphne Greengrass

P.S, the owl is Draco’s.

Caia allowed the owl to perch on her shoulder and jumped down onto the balcony below her and ran into the penthouse suite of Stark Tower.

“Where’s the fire?” Clint asked.

“Kysa’s ill, and it’s the same thing affecting Aaric and Amdis. I just got a letter from some of her friends. They don’t trust the school to contact Loki. And quite frankly, I agree.”

“Are you sure it’s the same thing?” Pepper asked.

“What else could it be?” Caia asked.

“But, she’s been cut off from the contagion.” Bruce said. “She’s been here on Earth. Isolated from Asgard.”

“Not completely.” Caia said. “She’s been getting letters regularly, hasn’t she? Delivered by-”

“Hugin and Munin.” Natasha finished. “They may have unwittingly been carriers of it somehow, and because Kysa is still in the age bracket affected by the illness, she picked it up.”

“The only way to get someone from Asgard here is to send out the signal for the Avengers to Assemble.” Steve said. “Hopefully, they’ll send Loki. He can go treat Kysa, and send for extra help if he needs it. In the meantime, she’s going to need to be watched over.”

“On it,” Caia said, nodding. “I’ll head there now. Dumbledore believes his defences are fool proof, but I can get in and out without him realising I’m there. And once I’m in the Hospital wing, I won’t move until someone from Asgard arrives.”

“One sec,” Tony left the room, and came back a minute later and chucked something at Caia. “I took the opportunity in Diagon to take several energy readings. It almost didn’t work. But I got what I needed. I’ve been working on that ever since and have been itching to find a way to test it.”

Caia looked at it. “It’s a pin.” It was a simple, metal brooch, with no design. Just metal.

“Ah, but I wanted to find a way to break through the interference. To find a quick, and easy way to reveal magical locations if necessary. There’s no way of telling what they could do. They’re a wild card. That will break through the interference at Hogwarts and act as a homing beacon. It has a chip inside it. It will be able to open a gap in their defences and allow a quinjet through. Nothing bigger, but still. When you’ve been stationary for nine hours or more, some of us will be able to come over and keep watch with you. Just in case they try something.”

“Tony that’s brilliant!” Caia admitted. “But don’t worry about waiting nine hours. Wait two. A series of apparitions followed by cloaking myself and entering the school will see me there in less than half an hour. Do me a favour, feed the owl and let him rest. He just flew from Scotland. A magical owl like him- probably flew out yesterday afternoon, their time. Kysa should still be conscious through some periods. She won’t be too far gone yet. But get hold of someone- and quick. We don’t want to leave it too late.” With that, she turned on her heel and disappeared with a ‘pop’.

“Really have to figure out the science behind that.” Tony muttered, as Steve activated the Avengers call in beacon, shaking his head. The last thing the world needed was Tony having the ability to travel somewhere instantaneously at the drop of a hat.

Caia apparated to several locations before arriving near Hogwarts, so her trail couldn’t be followed back to the tower, and the wizards couldn’t then interfere with the others contacting Loki. She cloaked herself with magic that was known to magical creatures such as kitsunes only and then began to run swiftly towards the castle. She scaled the wall and jumped to the ground on the other side, before continuing her run up to the castle. She found herself inside the castle itself soon enough and moved silently through its interior. She had been there several times before, and she knew her way around. It was a game for her and her other family members when they were teenagers. Who could stay in the castle for the longest before they freaked out and left, fearing detection?

The infirmary was empty, except for one bed which had privacy screens around it. She walked over to it, and slipped behind the screens. Kysa looked awful. She was grey and her hair clung limply to her skin. Caia sat in the bed beside her and brushed the young girl’s hair away from her face. Her eyes flickered open. So it was still early days then.

“Caia?” She croaked quietly, looking round at her slowly.

“Hey kiddo.” Caia said. “How are you feeling?”

“Great.”

Caia laughed lightly at Kysa’s attempt at humour. “You look it.”

“Where’s… dad?”

“The call’s been sent out. He should be here soon. Your friends, Hermione Daphne and Draco got a letter to me. They were worried about you. I’m going to stay with you until your dad arrives at least. Now, get some rest. You need to keep your strength up.”

“’M too warm.”

Caia ran a hand over the covers, applying a cooling charm, before conjuring a cold wet cloth and placing it on Kysa’s forehead. “There. Now, rest.”

Kysa’s eyes closed and her raspy breathing became slightly more even. Caia sat back in her chair and waited. She could get by on far less sleep than quite a lot of people. Only some vampires she knew of could go longer than her. She had slept well last night which meant she could go for about two weeks now without sleep if she had to. Of course, she didn’t have to stay awake all that time, she just liked to sleep. But while she was looking after Kysa, she would remain vigilant. She wasn’t noticed until morning when the Matron came to check on the first year girl.

“Who are you? What are you doing here?” Madam Pomfrey asked.

“My name is Caia Blair. I am a friend of Kysa’s family. I am here to watch her until her father at least gets here.”

“But…”

“Let me guess, you haven’t contacted him.”

“Her mother…”

Caia scoffed. “Has been absent her entire life. I see no reason why she should have any say in Kysa’s care and well-being.” A protective urge that was similar to the one she felt about her younger family members emerged in her chest, except this felt stronger somehow. “But you need not send out a belated letter. We have already sent a message out. And others are on their way. You can be sure of that.”

“Others? What others?”

“Those who have Kysa’s wellbeing in mind. Not the wellbeing of those who decided to give her up.”

“How dare you insinuate-”

“Oh I am insinuating nothing. I am flat out telling. You have neglected your duty. As soon as someone from Asgard arrives, I’m sure your services will no longer be required however.”

“Poppy, what’s going on? Who’s this?” A red haired woman had arrived in the hospital wing, and Caia recognised her from the photographs in the daily prophet.

“Lady Potter.” Caia said. “I am Caia Blair. I’m here to look after Kysa until her father arrives.”

She looked shocked, but then shook her head. “That’s very kind of you, but we can handle it. You can go. We have it under control.”

Caia sat back down in her seat. “No. I won’t leave, and not even the headmaster can make me. I will not let anything happen to Kysa.”

“Caia.” Her voice was even weaker than it was last night. Caia was up and beside Kysa in a shot.

“Kysa hey.” She stroked her cheek gently, smiling softly at her. “Is there anything you need?”

“Don’t want… them… here… Want… dad.”

“He’ll be here soon, I promise. And don’t worry; I’ll stay with you all the time.” Caia looked up at Lily Potter. “I think you should leave.”

“I won’t leave my daughter.”

“Not… your... daughter.” Kysa tried to force herself up, but Caia gently pushed her back on the bed.

“Take it easy. You can’t get up. You aren’t strong enough.” When she looked up, her face hardened. “I think you should leave. You’re stressing her out, and that isn’t going to help her.”

Madam Pomfrey sighed. “I’m sorry Lily, but she’s right. You need to go. And tell your husband and son not to come in either. Not if she gets herself worked up over it.”

“But-”

“No but’s!” The Matron said sternly, before she shooed the professor out of the hospital wing. It was when she had gone that Caia realised that Kysa had fallen to sleep once more. She sighed, and sat down again.

Caia refused to budge when Dumbledore came in and asked that she leave, and then demanded it, and the look on his face was priceless when Bruce and Tony strode into the room, the later grinning like a mad man and wearing his Iron Man suit, but with the helmet retracted. He must have figured out how to get more technology working around magic.

“You must be the headmaster of this school! I must say, your fashion taste is… well it’s awful. Hope you don’t mind, I parked the jet out on the lawn. It was the quickest way for us to get here.”

“Who are you?” Dumbledore asked, finally regaining his composure.

“Tony Stark.” He replied as if it was obvious, which to muggles it would be. “And my friend here is Dr Bruce Banner. We’re here to provide backup for Caia, just in case.”

“In case of what?”

“You try to force her out in a confrontation of more physical means, if you get my meaning.” Tony replied. “Don’t worry; we’re good friends with her Uncle. And acquaintances bordering on a strange, tenuous, friendship with her father. We sort of have to… put up with him every now and then, we have for years. But Kysa, oh she’s a great kid. We’d hate to see anything happen to her.”

“They’re with me.” Caia said, confirming what Tony said. “And any attack on them will not be taken lightly.” She warned.

“They cannot be here. They are muggles.”

“Who are close friends with Thor, if you didn’t hear? They already know of magic. This is no surprise to them.”

“It is still a break of the statute of secrecy.”

Tony snorted. “Like I care? Listen here, Merlin, we have known of magic since before we knew of Kysa. We were there the night the blood adoption took place. And, oh, we’ve defeated an alien army led by a magic wielding mad god. So back off, and let us pass. I don’t want to hurt an old man, and I’m sure Bruce here is of the same opinion.”

Bruce nodded. “Plus, I’m a doctor, along with Caia, and have been briefed on this illness. I can help. Even if it’s just a little.”

“I will have you know, I am a fully qualified medi-witch.” Pomfrey hissed. “No muggle doctor is taking over my hospital wing!”

“Not the entire wing!” Tony said.

“Just the part where Kysa is,” Bruce assured, walking over to the bed. He began to check her over. “But, this is your hospital wing, what treatment would you suggest?”

“Keeping her cool, and I have a fever reducing potion, and perhaps a dose of pepper up.”

“Apart from the pepper up, I’d have to agree. The Pepper up would just heat Kysa up too much, nullifying the fever potion.” Caia said.

“Well then, let’s go with that.” Bruce said, agreeing.

Loki strode up to the school, an impassive mask on his face. The only thing that may have given his emotions away were the white of his knuckles, they were clenched so hard. But he didn’t slow down for anyone to see that.

“In the name of the ministry, I demand you stop sir!” A voice commanded. His eyes narrowed. He had heard that voice before. Slowly, he turned, and his eyes met the hazel brown of James Potter, who took an involuntary step back before steeling himself.

“And who are you to stop me, mortal?” He asked. Right now he hoped the man attacked him. He wanted to lash out at something, and that would give him an excuse that would see no repercussions on him.

“I am Auror Potter, and you are not supposed to be here.” They were starting to attract a crowd.

“Yes he is!” A voice spoke up.

“Miss Granger, I suggest you and your friends return to your dormitories.”

“But she is right. You wouldn’t stop Kysa’s father going to help her, would you?” This voice came from Draco Malfoy.

“Mr Malfoy you don’t know that-”

“I know who he is. I met Kysa before school started in Madam Malkin’s robe shop. That’s her father.”

“I have proof,” Loki said, smugly, motioning to the boy, though he was a bit disappointed. He would have liked nothing more than to blast Potter into smithereens.

“Then I’ll escort you to the hospital wing.” Potter bit out, obviously unhappy about something.

The man walked beside him and Loki had to keep his mouth shut. He wouldn’t be the one to provoke anything. He’d leave that up to the mortal walking beside him.

“You changed the forms.” The man bit out eventually.

“So I did. Nothing can be done about it now.”

“You want a bet?”

Loki quickly took note that they’d entered a part of the castle that was unoccupied, and threw up a few privacy spells, unnoticed by Potter. He grabbed the man by the throat quickly, and slammed him into a wall hard enough to make him drop his wand and crack some of the stone.

“You listen to me, mortal, and you listen well. She is my daughter, not yours. And even she knows that. It was I that raised her. I watched her grow, watched her learn to walk and run. Taught her to read and count. I taught her everything and where were you? You weren’t there. You gave her up. You were not even there when Sigyn gave her to me. You are not Kysa’s father, and you never will be. Because you cast her aside like she was nothing. Never think you can replace me as her father, because you cannot. She will not let you for one. And, if I ever think you are trying to take my daughter, I will kill you. I am very protective of my kin. I would not test that if I were you,” Loki told the wizard, his voice a hiss, and his teeth bared in an animalistic snarl.

He released Potter and he fell to the floor, gasping and clutching at his neck. “I can find my own way to the Hospital Wing, thank you.” And with that, he turned, and lowered the spells, striding off.