He had no idea where he was.
Of course, given the scope of the blank spot in his memory, it wasn't surprising that he had no idea where he was. What was surprising, really, was that he remembered his own name.
He did remember that, right?
As he thought it, it returned to him. Loki. His name was Loki.
"Well, that's something," he murmured. "Now for the other."
He looked around, trying to jog his absent memories with images of his surroundings. Unfortunately, nothing looked familiar – from the castle at the top of the hill he was standing on to the forest at the bottom.
"Lovely," he mumbled. "I can't remember anything, I don't know who I am besides a given name – and my head hurts something awful. Perfect."
A movement from the castle caught his eye, and he turned to look. As he watched, a figure exited the large wooden door and dashed down to him.
"Are you alright?" the figure asked as soon as it came close enough. The figure resolved itself in Loki's slightly blurry vision into a woman with long, curly brown hair messily tied back into a bun.
"I... I suppose so," he said. "May I ask who you are?"
"I'm Hermione. You... you're bleeding," she said, pointing at the left side of his face.
Loki lifted a hand and brushed it over his face. Pain erupted in his temple, and his fingers came back covered in blood. "So I am," he murmured, feeling a wave of weakness wash over him. His knees buckled, but Hermione lunged forward and grabbed him under the arm, slinging it over her shoulder.
"Come on. We should get you to the hospital wing," she said gently, bringing him up to the castle.
As soon as they entered, they were surrounded by bodies. "Professor, what's going on?" one piped up over the din.
Loki winced at the noise. Hermione noticed.
"Everyone, be quiet and clear a path," she ordered. "I'm taking this man to the Hospital Wing. Jameson, can you go run and tell Professor McGonagall that we have a visitor in the Hospital Wing?"
One boy ran off, and Hermione brought Loki up to another set of stairs.
She supported him all the way up several flights of stairs to a room that was painted a soft white, with white beds along either long wall. She brought him over to the bed nearest the door and helped him to sit on it, then headed over to another door and knocked gently.
A matronly-looking woman poked her head out. Spotting Hermione, she asked, "Yes, Professor Granger? Has someone injured themselves? Is that what that bang was out on the grounds?"
"Well... not exactly. I heard the noise too, and I rushed outside to find this man standing down by the lake."
The matronly woman caught sight of Loki. "I see. Who is he?"
"I... I never asked. But he's got a head injury, so I brought him up here right away. I sent Jameson to go get Minerva."
"Alright. You've done the right thing." The matron came out of the room and bustled over to Loki's bedside. "Oh, I see. That looks like you hit your head something hard. Are you alright, dear?"
"My head hurts, and I can't... I don't remember where I am. I don't remember anything at all, really. Just my name."
She shook her head. "Oh, dear. Well, what is your name, dear?"
"Loki. I don't remember my family name..."
"Oh dear. Must have been a right nasty blow." She removed what looked like a stick from the pocket of her apron. "Now, I'm just going to perform a couple of diagnostic charms, make sure nothing else is wrong. You should lie down, dear. But don't go to sleep!"
Loki lay back on the soft pillows. Behind the matron, he spotted Hermione wringing her hands, and was inexplicably comforted. It was nice to have someone worry about him, for once.
Where did that come from?
He was distracted from his thoughts by a white light coming from the matron's stick. Apparently, it was some kind of magic wand. Loki's eyebrows furrowed.
"Are you... some kind of witch?" he asked slowly.
"Indeed I am, dear. In fact, you're in a building full of witches and wizards. This is Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
"I see."
Loki relaxed back into the pillows and stared up at the white ceiling. He was... so tired. He just wanted to drift off...
"Shouldn't he stay awake?" Hermione's voice asked.
"You're right." Loki felt himself being shaken, but it felt like it was from a distance. With a Herculean effort, he pried his eyes open.
A cup was being offered to him by the matron. "Drink this, dear. It'll help heal the damage to your brain. I've already healed your head wound, but the concussion is still there."
Loki accepted the cup and drank down the sickly-sweet concoction within in a single gulp. Immediately, he fell back against the pillows again, and his eyes slammed shut. He felt the cup being taken from his hands.
"He's in good hands, Professor Granger," was the last thing he heard before sleep claimed him.
Hermione glanced down at the now-sleeping stranger. "I'm sure he is," she said quietly. "I'm going to wait for Minerva to get here, so I can explain the situation."
"Alright, dear. Do you want me to keep you company?"
"No, that's alright. I'm sure you have other things to do."
Madam Pomfrey nodded, disappearing into the back room. Hermione took a seat beside Loki's bed, studying him.
She couldn't help but wonder who he was and how he'd gotten onto Hogwarts' grounds. He'd told them his name, but where did he come from? How did he get here?
Why was he here?
She was so caught up in wondering that she barely noticed the hallway door opening until Minerva was standing beside her. "So, this is the mysterious man who appeared on the grounds?"
Hermione jumped a little, but quickly regained her composure. "Yes. He said his name was Loki, but he didn't remember anything else…"
"I see. He didn't say where he'd come from, did he?"
"No. I got the impression he didn't remember anything."
Minerva frowned. "Nothing at all?"
"I don't think so. He didn't even remember his last name, though he did have a pretty bad head wound when he said it. Maybe he'll remember when he wakes up."
"Hopefully." Minerva placed a hand on Hermione's shoulder. "You've done the right thing. The only thing we can do right now is wait for him to wake up."
Hermione nodded, watching Loki's chest rise and fall with his breathing.