Who Are You?
“Who are you,” Severus asked disdainfully, his nose curled up just slightly.
Loki grinned and bowed with a flourish, “I am Loki,” he straightened, “a liar, a sneak, a trickster, a thief—hmm, wait, no…” a frown crossed the God’s lips and he held up his hands, as if to stay a thought. His head turned to the side and he hummed and hawed for a second before turning back, grinning again, “Scratch that, not really a thief. But I am an agent of Chaos, of pranks and all things mischief! At your service…” he bowed again.
Severus felt ill.
“Oh shut up you giant bloody flaming chicken! Or I’ll introduce you to a real Phoenix and see how you fare!” Loki snapped.
“A…real…phoenix…?” Dumbledure muttered, confused.
“Giant flaming beasts that feed upon newborn children and generally like the taste of blood. They can be quite vicious. Oh…that reminds me, I miss Flamey….”
Dumbledore felt ill.
“Hmm…note to self, don’t touch the casket ever again,” Loki murmured. “It tends to make ones mind a bit scrambled. Okay greatly scrambled. Okay it turns them insane. Wait…didn’t the casket fall with me then? Does that mean it is here on Midgard or…no, oh, don’t tell me it fell back to Jotunheim! Blast! Father is going to kill me….”
Hermione inched away from Loki slowly, eyes wide.
“Oh, no, I’m not…” Loki shook his head. “I mean I don’t mind the supple forms of women, I’ve taken that shape enough, but I do prefer the lines of men moreso…granted there was this one lass, I think I would’ve deigned to marry her…or…wait, did I wed the girl? Goodness, I can’t quite remember. I was terribly drunk but…I think I did…hm, she must not have been as good as the Stallion, then. Pity.”
“I like ale, why?” Loki demanded. “Did you think me some fancy wine-boy?”
“Um…why do you like ale?” Harry asked with an arched eyebrow.
“I needed something manly about my character!”
“I am a shapechanger, I can choose whichever form I wish to be,” Loki purred lightly, trailing his fingers along Harry’s chin. “Does this please you, little one?”
“Ah…”
Loki paused in his ministrations, cocking his head just slightly as a thought passed through his mind. “Wait…I can take any form I wish. I am a shapechanger. Does this mean I can be truly Asgardian…? Hm, it bears thought…no, no, no, wait, it is just another form of trickery. Damn.”
“Well I think it’s a gift with promise. You know…mischief capabilities?” Harry muttered and Loki’s gaze instantly snapped back, a grin curling at his lips.
“Oh…I knew there was a reason why I felt attracted to you.”
“So it wasn’t because I, in your own words, tasted of chaos and death?”
“That might have had some influence.”
“Father…why would Loki claim to not be my brother?” Thor asked slowly, raising his gaze from his clenched fingers to stare up at Odin, questioningly.
“It is merely yet another of your brothers tricks,” Odin replied softly, glancing towards Thor. “Put it out of your mind, son.”
“No, Father,” Thor shook his head. “This…was not one of Loki’s tricks. You did not see him as he spoke. He looked…broken.”
“…broken?”
“Like his world had been shattered!” Thor snapped. “Like everything he had known had been torn from him, as if his life had been a lie, as if he were dead!”
Odin set down the paper he was going over, slowly, and asked, “He looked as you say?”
“Yes!” Thor growled. “Why would—I know he is one for mischief and tricks and not always tells the truth but…Loki has never once looked at me like that, Father. Not once had I seen him so…what happened to my brother?!”
Odin swallowed heavily and closed his eyes. He breathed out deeply, gathered his thoughts, and murmured, “Ask him yourself, Thor, but do not ask me of what befell your brother. I cannot…Loki…he is special, you know this, Thor. But I will not…I will not…do not ask me of it. Ask him yourself, when you find him.”
“And yet I cannot find him, Father,” Thor muttered distastefully, “because I have no manner in which to leave Asgard to seek him out.”
“Then pray your brother finds it in his heart to return, and ask him then. Do not ask me. I will not tell of it.”
“Do you wish to see him?”
Thor whirled around, Mjolnir aimed threateningly in the direction of a voice. What he saw greatly confused him, and he relaxed his stance but a little as he eyed the blond haired, teal eyed figure.
“Who are you and how have you entered my chambers?” Thor demanded, his eyes narrowed.
“Do you wish to see him?” the figure repeated.
Throw frowned and asked, “Who?”
“Loki,” the figure uttered. “Do you wish to see him?”
“You know where my brother is!?” Thor growled, taking a step forward.
The figure smiled slightly, “I can take you to him.”
“…how?”
The figure grinned, “Through the secret spiderways.”
“The…what?”
“Will you see him? He misses you,” the figure continued, and held out a hand. Thor hesitated for just a second, but the thought of Loki…his brother…hesitation fled Thor in an instant and he gripped the hand steadily.
“Take me to my brother.”
“Very well, Thor Odinson.”
They vanished.
Harry frowned lightly as Neville appeared with the giant brute known as Thor. After everything that had happened earlier he was not happy to see this God, especially not since Loki was going through a tribulation of emotions. Having seen what his actions had wrought form the other end…it had taken its toll on the mischievous man.
And so Harry was not pleased to see Thor standing here, before him, and turned his displeasure to Neville.
“Seriously, Nev? You bring him?”
Neville snorted, “You know the little trickster needs some cheer, Har, and more support than just us. Who better to understand than the one he calls brother? Besides, you didn’t witness the near chewing out Odin got from his own kin.”
Harry frowned and murmured, “And yet, Nev, you know the memories are so fresh now. He just witnessed his own actions—hell I had to hold him back from doing something monumentally stupid and killing himself! I don’t think—”
“Harry…how many times have you wished for someone to step up when things get wrong?” Neville asked slowly. “When you have a nightmare, or are feeling alone, or are blaming yourself on things gone wrong?”
“What does that have to do with anything?!” Harry hissed.
Thor confusedly asked, “Who is the mini clone of my little brother?”
“I AM NOT A CLONE!” Harry shrieked.
Thor backed up slightly, eyes going wide. Gentle pitter patter of feat reached his ears, the pace not quite hurried but moving fast all the same. And then stepped Loki into the room, looking slightly more bedraggled than Thor had last seen him, but staring at concern towards the little clone.
“Little Chaos and Death? Why are you shrieking?” Loki murmured, wrapping his arms around the tinier him. Thor could pick up the differences now that both where in the room, and he was rather at a loss. Loki nuzzled his face into Harry’s neck. “Well, love?”
“Neville has brought you a…guest, Loki,” Harry muttered.
“Oh?” Loki glanced up and froze. “…why did I agree to allow you to teach him how to use the paths again?”
“Because he’s pretty much my brother and you love me?” Harry asked meekly.
“Right…” Loki muttered and then grimaced. “Hello, brother.”
“Loki…brother…I…” Thor’s words failed him.
When Thor returned to Asgard, thanks to Neville’s use of those ‘paths’ that Loki had found, the first thing the God of Thunder did was seek out his father. Once he found the man he proceeded to punch Odin smack across the jaw.
“That was for keeping the truth from me and my brother!” Thor thundered. “For raising us both with the belief that Frost Giants were only monsters, for driving my brother to believe what he is not, for driving him to wish for death!”
Thor stormed away, leaving Odin in shock.