Interdimensional travel. Loki finally figured it out – and better, she figured out how to use it without a large power drain, or any finesse. All she had to do was step sideways rather than forwards, like she did whenever she teleported. Simple. Too simple. It was why she hadn't done it before – because she'd always thought she needed more, more power, more steps, more everything.

Of course, stepping sideways and then finding herself on Midguard, of all worlds, was unexpected.

She knew she'd travelled to a different reality though, because of many things. The first and most prominent difference was the magic – the magic that shied away from her, leaving her in a void that reminded her too much of the dark abyss into which she had fallen to be comfortable. But she was patient, and she stood there for Odin knew how long, slipping into a meditative trance that forced the conscious part of her magic to sleep, the magic of this world eventually becoming curious and brave enough to investigate her. Before too long, Loki was immersed in it, the magic humming and singing as it sunk into her veins, and when her magic awoke from its partial slumber, it let the foreign energy stay, bonding with it and more securely tying it to Loki's existence in this reality.

Soon though, Loki was centred, and the second obvious difference was the fact that she was on Midguard, yet knew that her position hadn't changed. It seemed, in this reality, things weren't exactly in the same place. The third thing that made Loki assured that she wasn't in her original reality?

That no longer was she bound by the Chains of Odin.

They had been around her wrists for so long, the manacles attached to golden links, that even her pale skin discoloured. Three hundred years, she had been imprisoned beneath the palace. Slipping sideways out of her reality was the only way to escape the Chains – they would follow her everywhere, for eternity, unless Odin removed them, but only in the reality that he was in. Unless he followed her, or she returned, Loki was free of them.

Rubbing her wrists, Loki slowly walked from the spot where she stood, eyes roving the countryside she'd appeared in. It was dark, and green – fields full of water and limp reeds filled an entire valley, built-up dirt roads making a grid between them all, a small settlement built up the side of a mountain. A worrying factor was the fact that several, if not all of the buildings were on fire, the wind blowing the distinct scent of copper, of blood, right into her face. Loki took the road, increasing her pace as she headed in its direction, changing into the form of an Asgardian wolf as she saw Midguardian vehicles heading towards it. But changing form just made her run faster, as her canine hearing caught the distinct cries of a child. Loki had always loved children, had loved her children, before they were taken. She would find and protect this child, she swore.

And her lupine sight saw the SHIELD logos on the Midguardian vehicles far more easily than she could in her Aesir form – her protective instincts only strengthened at the vision placed in front of her. SHIELD meant defeat, and Loki was determined to find this child, to help them. Her existence was purposeless. She would not let them take over her first oath in her new life.

Within minutes, Loki was prowling through the village, heading to where she could hear the child bawling beneath a blanket, the Midguardians' hearing obviously too dull to pick it up as an entire squadron passed the gap between houses, where the child was hidden. Loki became Aesir once more, crouching beside the dead body of the man, reaching over to lift the wailing babe from his limp arms, pulling her blanket – the babe was female, the goddess was confident in that assessment, but her age was a mystery – tight around her, shielding her from the cold before glamouring them both, hiding them from sight as she stepped around the body, walking swiftly to the other exit of the small alley, as SHIELD Agents filtered through the other, finally.

Escaping the village after, even with the babe, was childsplay.

Shortly, however, she had to stop, as the child was hungry. Loki didn't mind manipulating her body to produce sustenance – she wasn't ashamed to look after another's young one. Luckily it didn't take long before the child fell asleep, sated and full, and Loki reached out to her with her magic, trying to discover anything that might be of help.

What she did find was interesting indeed.

"Kree…" Loki hummed before wrapping her up again, tilting her head before holding the young child – very young, only a few months old at best – close and shutting her eyes, concentrating on her magic. It would take her somewhere safe, it always did…

A few seconds later, she felt the shift, and took a single moment to wrap the little girl in her power before letting the rest of it transport her. The journey took both a second and an eon, and when she opened her eyes, she was at the edge of a treeline, in a land that was utterly drenched in protective magic. Loki struggled to take it in for a second, wondering why in Odin's name- what in Odin's name the magic was hiding. Someone had gone overboard in their attempts to secure whatever they were hiding. Too much, Loki thought to herself, glancing down as the girl wriggled. Loki chuckled.

"Barely a few hours around me and you are sensitive to magic…" her mouth twisted into a small, bitter smile. Memories of newly born babes crossed her mind, images of desecrated blue flesh, a soft midnight pelt, flaky silver scales, curly forelocks, auburn hair and matted grey fur covered in blood, and blue eyes weeping blood scarring her again and again. Her heart panged, aching. Magic was neither inherently good nor inherently bad, but children were too new of creations to be around it. Their souls, bodies, were too fresh, changeable. Loki only hoped that the girl would not be effected. Hopefully her Kree heritage, when triggered, would wipe what Loki's magic had already done to her.

Looking around again, pulling herself together, Loki slowly walked out from the treeline, placing an illusion over her clothes as she did. A second later it slithered off, and Loki winced at how rusty she was. Another go, and she had it on, Aesir garb glamoured to look like a Midguardian suit, jacket neatly buttoned over a black tie and green shirt, cuffs buttoned tightly. Likewise, she glamoured the girl, darkening her brown fluff to a midnight black like her own, scrappy blanket becoming a lush, thick blanket. No need for anyone to think me cheap, Loki grimaced, before once more looking out on wherever she was.

Her first thought was that the neighbourhood she stood in was plain – all the houses were the same. They were shaped the same, painted the same, Norns, their flowers were even the same. Loki forced herself not to curl her fingers, as she usually would, aware of the girl in her arms. It would not do to hurt her. Walking up the perfect pavement, eyeing the disturbingly straight lines where grass met concrete with trepidation, Loki followed a tug that she could feel on her magic that led her right to the centre of the magical protections. It was childsplay to send out magical seekers, discovering the existence of five mortals – two with no magic to speak of, two with only a single spark too small to ever be harnessed, and one filled to the brim with the new, strange magic of this Midguard, but connected to the defensive magics and wrapped in bindings so fierce Loki felt nauseous for a moment.

Pressing the doorbell, Loki waited an appropriate amount of time before ringing again. Soon, her hearing picked up one of the magicless mortals heavy form walking across the upstairs landing, then thumping down the stairs, opening the door with a glare. The man immediately went to speak, before Loki snapped up her hand, silencing him.

"You will let me in and provide shelter, or face the wrath of a God, mortal," she sneered at him as his skin changed colour, reddening before he tried to slam the door. Loki caught it with ease, tilting her head. "Would you rather I control your mind, or torture your family until you agree to do as I say?" She removed the silencing magic, the man now quivering and pale.

"D-d-don't you dare th-threaten them," he gasped, voice high, "y-you stupid freak." She saw his eyes flicker down to the baby in her spare arm, hate filling them even more. Loki pushed the door open, at the same time pushing the man away before stepping inside, grimacing at the hideous décor.

"What is your name, mortal?" She questioned as she entered his living room, frowning at all the pictures of who could only be the man's son.

"That- that is none of your business," the man spluttered, before shutting the door, locking it. "I do not want you in my house!"

"Too bad," Loki drawled, before settling on the cleanest of the sofas and checking on the babe again – she was sleeping peacefully. Loki smiled slightly, stroking her little nose gently. "You are beautiful, yes you are." Humming, Loki looked at the man pleasantly. "Where am I? What country is this?"

"Britain," he stared at her, fists clenched. Loki nodded, remembering what little geography and history of Midguard she had learnt during her sojourns there. Britain was the tiny island that once controlled an Empire spanning the entire planet, if Hawkeye was correct. Loki went to order the mortal to get her a meal, when a door creaked open loud enough even for the mortal to hear. She watched as he turned, immediately becoming even more angry than he was before, stomping out of the doorway.

"What are you doing, boy? You should be asleep!" He whisper-shouted, before there was the sound of flesh on flesh. Loki was up and out of the room in a moment, pulling the mortal away from the boy in his grasp, who dropped to the floor. Loki snarled.

"Do not harm him," she glared with a ferocity that made elder warriors tremble in fear, before turning back to the boy, who stared. Loki crouched slowly, holding out her free hand. "Come here." His eyes flickered to behind her. Loki barely glanced at the mortal man, using her magic to freeze him in place, silencing him once again. "What is your name, child?"

"Harry," he whispered, "Harry Potter."

Loki caught sight of the Sowilo on his forehead, peeking out from behind ink-black strands of scruffy hair and sniffed, realising why her magic had brought her here. "A commoner's name. Where I come from, your name would not be so paltry, not if your father had named you. I would ask if you would object to a different name if another belonged to you." She didn't wait for him to answer, reaching out with her magic, aiming to do the same as she did to the babe in her arms. It was an old trick, but one that needed a lot of power. Loki had power in droves though – reading Souls was a practiced action that she had done too many times to count.

Unlike when she had reached out to the girl though, when she came into contact with the boy's soul, a variety of information streamed through her. Loki was immediately repulsed by the sliver of soul attached to him, only kept at bay by Sowilo, so reached out another sliver of magic, detaching it and forcibly pushing it away to where it was meant to go. The boy made a pained noise, before Loki reached further with her hand, stroking his head, pressing soothing magic against him.

It was the ease of its acceptance that tipped Loki off to the deeper issue.

Frowning lightly, Loki completely lowered herself to the ground, carefully placing the baby girl on the floor in front of her, reaching two hands to the young boy's head, delving her fingers into his hair, holding tight as he went to move away.

"Hold still, child – there is something…" she trailed off as her magic came across it. Her eyes widened, shock reverberating through her. "No…"

"What is it?" The boy asked. Loki held his head tighter, before letting go completely. "What's the matter with me? Who are you? Why do you have a baby? What did you do to me? How did you do it? How can Uncle Vernon be held up in the air without rope?"

Loki, still staggered, took a few seconds to process. "I…I am Loki, of Asgard and Jotunheim. I saved the girl from those that might harm her. I used magic to look at your soul, to discover what name that you had been given by Magic, and found a leech. I- I disposed of it."

"But magic isn't-"

Loki put a hand over his mouth before he could finish, eyes still wide. "Don't say it. Every time you do, a Vanir dies. It has always been this way, your planet symbiotic to Vanaheim, its people connected to those that are Vanir by blood." Harry's eyes widened in shock. Loki removed her hand.

"Really?"

"Yes," Loki whispered, before she stroked his cheek softly. Vali, my Vali, my sweet one…Her eyes drifted to the room he had originally exited, and stilled. "Is that a cupboard?" She asked in an odd tone. The boy froze.

Picking up the baby girl again, Loki stood, going over and peering inside, hand making a fist. "This was your room." Emerald eyes locked on a piece of paper pinned to the wall, declaring that the cupboard was hary's room. "Why was this your room?" Harry didn't reply, and Loki was distracted from further questioning him as the second magic-less mortal got out of bed, floorboards creaking beneath their feet.

"Vernon, what's going on down there – it's four in the bloody morning!" Loki looked up the stairs as a large woman made her way down, glaring at Loki blearily. "Who are you? Vernon- agh!" She caught sight of the man hung in the air, motionless. "VERNON!" She screeched, and Loki could hear another adult waking – this one with a spark of magic thrumming in their heart.

"Marge? What's wrong?" A shrill voice called, and Loki looked down at Harry. Reincarnated he might be, but he was still her son – he was still Vali Sigynson. She would protect him.

She held out a hand.

"Let me take you from this place," the Goddess pleaded. "You will be safe, loved, cared for-"

"What did you do to Vernon?!" The fat woman interrupted, before a stick-thin woman rushed down to stand behind her, stopping still at the sight of the man floating in the air for all to see. Loki ignored them, crouching in front of Vali- Harry, and extending her hand further.

"Please," she begged. Harry stared at her hand, looking between the three panicking mortals, before practically lunging for her, wrapping his arms around her neck. Loki held him to her tightly, making sure not to bump the babe in her spare arm. "Thank-you, thank-you…"

"Who- who are you?" The stick-thin woman choked out. Loki looked up to her, and for a moment the woman just stared, eyes filling with tears. "Lily?" She whispered, barely able to be heard. "Is that you?"

Loki wondered who Lily was, but she obviously meant something to this woman – and to Harry. Is Lily his mother in this life? The thought had her throat closing up for a moment, in hatred and jealousy, before she nodded to the woman stiffly, who gasped and put a hand to her mouth.

"I'll be taking my son now," she reached out with her magic to the woman for the barest instant, the briefest of seconds "-Tuney." The woman, Petunia, gripped the stairwell banister with white-knuckled fingers, before nodding frantically.

"I'm sorry, Lily, I'm so sorry-"

"I don't really want to know what you're sorry for, sister," Loki looked away, before releasing the man from her magic, causing him to tumble down on top of the other woman, who had been trying to pull him down. "This is goodbye."

"Please don't go," the woman pleaded, but the Goddess only stood tall, tugging Vali around to her back, using magic to prop him up in place so she could hold the babe without fault.

"Do not seek me out, do not try to find me, do not speak of me," Loki murmured, shutting her eyes as she placed the compulsions on each of the mortals. It wasn't as good as just wiping their memories, but she had no idea how much they'd need to forget when it came to Vali, and also, she didn't quite have enough refinement to mess with memories without a focus. "Vali, hold on tight to me and do not let go, whatever you do." Once again, she let her magic choose her destination, but made sure to take extra care in bringing the two children along with her.

A second later they appeared somewhere cold, and wet. Loki opened her eyes, keeping a hold on Vali as he shook in shock and surprise, looking around. They were in a city, with a cobbled street and dozens of shops and little cafes. With rain pelting them, Loki sought out somewhere they could stand until she got her bearings, sighting an awning only a few paces away. Dashing over, she got under it before letting Vali down, sitting in a convenient chair. Vali looked around, wide-eyed.

"Where are we?"

"I do not know," Loki replied, before checking on the babe. I need to give her a name. "Vali, what should I call her?" Vali didn't reply. "Vali- Harry?" Vali looked over, brow furrowing.

"Why are you calling me Vali?"

"Because it is your name, of sorts…" Loki murmured awkwardly, biting the inside of her mouth. Norns… "Imagine, once upon a time, a Goddess had a child – had many children, in fact – but because of who she was, and because of what her magic did to them in the womb, her father decreed they were abominations. He stole her children, killed them and banished them. Eventually, the Goddess became distraught beyond imagination, and when she next became pregnant, she hid herself away from all prying eyes but the father of her child. When the child was born, she named him Narfi, and raised him in safety in the forests where she hid with Sigyn at her side. Soon after, she found herself pregnant again, and when that child was born, she named him Vali."

Vali frowned. "Are you talking about yourself?" Loki raised an eyebrow at his words.

"You are very astute," she saw his confusion, and reiterated, "You are correct. I am telling you about myself."

"Why did you call yourself a Goddess then?"

"Because I am one," Loki raised her chin, "I am Loki, of Asgard and Jotunheim, former Queen of Asgard and Protector of the Nine Realms, Queen of Jotunheim – now abdicated; Lady Sorcerer of Asgard, Sorcerer of the Nine Realms; Goddess of Mischief, of Trickery, of Lies, of Chaos, of Fire, of Ice and of Fertility; shapeshifter; and mother of Jormungandr, Sleipnir, Hela, Fenrir, Narfi, Vali and Einmyria – and you are the reincarnation of my son Vali."

She could see the disbelief in his eyes – the confusion. He sat down, looking at the girl in her arms. "Is that Einmyria?"

"No," Loki glanced down, "I found her. I vowed to protect her." She didn't begrudge him for changing the subject. It was hard to believe, and he might need a second to process. "I have not given her a name, however, which is what spawned this conversation in the first place: do you have an idea?"

Vali glanced up at her through thin lashes, biting his lip, "How about something like Einmyria? Like, Ailsa?"

"Ailsa…" Loki frowned lightly, glancing down at the babe's soft face, "No, not Ailsa, though I like the idea about something close to Einmyria – my children always usually came in pairs. Jormungandr and Sleipnir were probably the most independent. Hela and Fenrir were born close together – Hela used to like curling up with him on my lap. Einmyria…" she trailed off, stroking the girl's cheek lightly. "Einmyria is my youngest child. I had her barely a century ago. She would still be young, unless Odin cursed her."

"A century?" Vali's jaw dropped, "But that's- that's impossible!"

Loki smiled, shifting the girl on her lap, "Not so. I am Aesir – or rather, Jotun, which would extend my lifespan even further. Aesir, on average, life six thousand years. The Allfather and many from the Old Guard though, are far older, some nine thousand, eight thousand – Mimir the Wise, the Allfather's maternal uncle, is the oldest being I know of, at seventeen thousand years." Vali seemed awed.

"How old are you then?"

Loki smiled slyly, "It's rude to ask a lady her age, son of mine, but since you are that, I will answer – I am young by Aesir standards, only two and a half thousand. I believe on Midguard, it would equate to…twenty? Twenty-three?" She expected more awe, but was surprised to find him frowning.

"Are you that age in your head, too?" Loki frowned back at him, but shrugged lightly, watching him.

"Why?"

Vali looked down, obviously thinking. Loki let him, forever patient when it came to her children.

"…When did you have Jormungandr? How old were you? Like, how old were you actually, not just an estimate?" He narrowed his eyes, looking at her with squinty eyes.

Loki blinked, "Why?" Vali didn't answer, still squinting at her. "Well, I must have been…one thousand and three hundred-something. I was close to one thousand, four hundred, I believe. I had Sleipnir mere decades later – I know I was one thousand, four hundred and twenty-five," she thought back, grimacing bitterly, "The Wall of Asgard was finished on that year as a gift. It was my mother's birthday. She had reached her five thousandth year."

"I have a grandma?"

Loki glanced at her son, who seemed a little lost now. Swallowing, Loki shook her head, looking down.

"My mother died a few centuries ago, sweet one." Feeling a tug on her magic, Loki glanced up and to her left, catching sight of a window. TO LET. She did not know what it meant, but her magic had never led her wrong before, when she deigned to pay attention to it. Standing, she reached for Vali's hand, the boy taking it after staring for a second. Walking across the street, Loki used magic to open a door, going inside and locking it behind them, before using the set of stairs to go up to where another door waited. Another burst of magic had it open, showing a moderately furnished living room and kitchen.

"Is this your flat?" Vali questioned, and Loki filed the word away in her internal dictionary of Midguardian vocabulary – flat, another word for home? – before shrugging. "…Did we just break in?"

"Technically," Loki shrugged again, letting go of Vali's hand before putting her own out, waving it slowly, and turning in a circle as she let her magic attach itself to the walls, sinking into the foundations of the building. It would protect their new dwelling from intruders, and those that would seek to rob or evict them, though until she put up a more systematic set of wards, they wouldn't be totally safe.

When she was done, Loki found Vali had disappeared. "Vali?"

"In here," came his muffled reply. Loki walked towards where he was standing, standing in a doorframe. Vali had found a room with a small bed – presumably only able to fit one adult Midguardian – and some other small pieces of furniture. Unfortunately, the bed was only a frame, but Vali didn't seem to mind. "Will this be your room?" He questioned.

Loki didn't reply, only turning and walking towards the other doors, each in turn. The dwelling turned out to have four bedrooms – one with the frame of a bed double the size of the one Vali had discovered – and one bathroom. Everything in the 'flat' was white and plain, but had copious amounts of what Vali soon identified as 'power sockets, for lamps and kettles and tellies'. Loki assumed they were Midguardian appliances.

"Vali, the room you first found may be yours, if you wish it. I will share the larger room with this one," she glanced down at the baby girl, "who we never did get around to naming."

Vali put his hands behind his back, standing perfectly still as he thought, "You didn't like Ailsa."

"No," Loki shook her head. "Maybe something similar though. Without an L."

"Aisa?" Vali questioned, and something in Loki was struck.

"Aisa…Aisa, Aisa, Aisa…nearly, just about…"

"Eisa?" He questioned, pronouncing it, instead of eh-sa, eye-zah.

Loki hummed, smiling slightly. "Yes, perfect, Vali. Eisa – it means embers. Einmyria meant ashes, appropriate considering that her father was a Fire Demon by the name of Gludt. Einmyria, when she was born, I don't know if it was me or my magic, but her body couldn't handle…herself. I was almost grateful that Odin took her, in the end. She went through so much pain…whatever he did to her, it would be at least better than life."

"He killed her?"

"I don't know," Loki stroked her soft cheek again. "But Eisa here will go through a transformation, eventually. She is descended from a people I had long thought extinct. She will gain powers – what powers, I do not know, but they will be a gift. But I can teach her control, before she gains them, by teaching her magic, like I will be doing with you."

"Me? I have- I have magic?" He asked in a hush. Loki smiled widely at him, stepping forwards and kissing his forehead.

"You are so powerful, my darling, and it will be an honour to teach you how to harness your magic, sweet one." Vali flushed, trying to hide a smile. "But it is early in the morning, and my appearance at your former home woke you from slumber." She took his hand, leading him through to the sitting room, stopping by the couch. "Would you object to sleeping here, with your new sister, until I return? I will not be too long, I promise – I will be going in and out, to gain new pieces of furniture and suchlike."

Vali glanced at Eisa, looking nervous. "What do I have to do?"

"Lie down, face the back," she instructed, and he did as he was told. Loki leant over, placing the sleeping babe in the gap he left, wrapping his arms around her comfortably. "There. Will you be good there?" She removed the illusions, finally, before taking off her shirt from under her tunic with a bit of manoeuvring, draping it over them both. Vali clutched it with spare fingers, nodding. Pressing another kiss to his head, Loki smiled softly before using her magic to guide her away.