15 years earlier
"See that there?" Evelyn Granger pointed to the rainbow bridge on the page. "It's called the bifrost. It can transport you anywhere in the nine realms, and it leads to Asgard."
"That's like Mario Kart! Daddy always falls off," Hermione giggled. "Who's that?" she pointed at the black haired figure wearing the golden horned helmet, "Loki, the trickster god, is the son of Farbauti and Laufey, frost giants from Jotunheim. He uses his magic play tricks on other gods including Thor, the God of Thunder," Hermione read without taking single breath. She turned the page to an illustration of Loki changing the golden haired god into a frog. "As well as being a shapeshifter, he also uses his magic to make copies of himself in the form of… of.. as-tral projections." Never having seen the word "astral," she stumbled over it, but locked it away in her brain like everything else she had learned before.
"Very good!" Evelyn praised her daughter. The child psychiatrist had expressed that Hermione was ahead of the curve having learned to read fluently during her reception year and being ahead of her class in grammar and maths after completing year one.
"Mummy," she pointed at the book. "He has magic too!"
"Sweetie, magic doesn't exist. It's just a story." As a bribe to get her into her pyjamas, Evelyn promised to let her read a bedtime story out of the world mythology book they brought with them on their holiday in Germany. Yesterday was the Monkey King and the Journey to the West, tonight was Norse mythology.
Hermione was about to protest when there was a knock on the opened door. "Daddy!"
"Hi, sweetheart!" Jonathan Granger approached the bed Hermione and Evelyn were comfortably reclined on."Are you ready for your big sleepover?" He finished tying his bowtie completing the tux ensemble he wore.
Hermione pouted and shook her head. "I want to go with you and mum."
"No, darling. This is a boring party for grownups." Evelyn got up and smoothed out her evening gown having already dressed before telling Hermione a bedtime story. She walked over to the vanity to put on her earrings.
"But I hate the other kids," Hermione spat and crossed her arms petulantly. "They are stupid. They play dumb games." Of course what Hermione was not expressing was the fact that she was often excluded from these games most of the time.
"Well, Dennis will be there," her father said dismissing her vitriol toward other children. He figured it was just a phase. She said she hated aubergines when Evelyn made ratatouille the other night; he didn't blame her. The week before she also said she hated queues at the supermarket, the color brown, black currant flavored anything, his beard, hats, and bedtime. Hermione hated everything it seemed.
Hermione frowned. "I hate Dennis! He's horrible and mean!"
"Hermione. That's not very nice. Honey, are you ready to go?" Jonathan asked checking his watch. "Nancy and Mark already called, and they're about to head out. I reckon we could drop off Hermione and walk over to the museum together."
"Just a minute," Evelyn called. She had disappeared into the bathroom of the rented hotel suite to check her makeup one last time. She came out with a pair of glittering gold slingbacks. Holding the door frame she hastily put on her shoes. "Are we meeting them at their flat?"
"Yes, we should get going," Jonathan said hurrying them along. Hermione was still pouting when he picked her up off the bed. He knew that she wasn't going to willingly put on her trainers much less walk on her own, and they were already running late.
"I don't want to go," Hermione whined wriggling around her dad's arms trying to escape.
Jonathan struggled to hold her. She was on the lower end of size and weight for her age group, but he swore sometimes she magically made herself heavier when she didn't want to go somewhere."Hermione," he looked at her sternly. "It's just one night. I promise tomorrow we'll do whatever you want." They were already halfway out the door.
"Promise?" she squinted her eyes looking at her father dubiously.
"I promise," he repeated shutting off the lights. They locked the door never to return again.
"COME OUT YOU FREAK!" A fist pounded on the cupboard door. The only barrier between Hermione and her tormentor. "I know you're in there!"
The banging commenced. Alone and terrified in the dark, Hermione covered her ears.
"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" screamed Dennis, a ten year old bully and son of the Grangers' close friends, the Martins. They were on holiday in Stuttgart, Germany. "Freak! Freak! Freak!" he chanted banging against the cupboard in the empty playroom where Hermione hid. While all the other children were being tucked into their cots by the nannies in the night care facility at the hotel, Dennis had cornered and chased Hermione into the dark the room.
Shutting her eyes she wished for her mother, while the clamor continued unnoticed by the night babysitting service workers, who were incidentally short staffed and overbooked as a very important gala was taking place just across the street at the museum, where most of the adults were.
Her wish came true when she opened her eyes. There was room and a bit of light coming from the other side of the cloth. No longer in the cramped cupboard but underneath a table, she looked around seeing the legs of adults clad in their finery. Soft string music played mixed with the sound of scraping cutlery and champagne glasses clinking.
She instantly recognized her mother's shoes, a pair of gold strappy heeled sandals. Hermione crawled over to her mother and grabbed her ankle with another thought.
"Oh!" Evelyn dropped her cutlery in surprise. "Jon!" She slapped his arm with the back of her hand.
"What?" Jonathan asked confused in between chewing bites of his filet.
"Mum!" Hermione poked her bushy head out from under the tablecloth.
"Hermione!" Evelyn exclaimed. "How did you get here?" She pulled her daughter up by her arm, who was dressed in her favorite pink and blue kitten pyjamas. "Why are you not in bed?!" she whispered harshly trying not to cause a scene terrified that her five year old daughter managed to cross the street by herself to find her.
"I made a wish," Hermione answered honestly.
"What's going on, honey?" Jonathan interjected. He looked down. "Is that Hermione? What-"
"Everything alright?" Jonathan's best mate Mark eyed them curiously from across the table. They were starting to attract stares.
"Yes," Evelyn answered curtly. She got up abruptly and took Hermione's hand. "This one snuck out of bed because she was so excited to see the museum she couldn't wait until tomorrow." She quickly ushered Hermione into an empty corridor before she had to answer any questions as to why and how her five year old gatecrashed the gala.
Gathering the material of her glittery gold evening gown, she knelt down to Hermione's level. "Sweetheart, how did you get over here by yourself? You know that this is not okay. You could have been hurt. What do we always say about crossing streets?"
"Look both ways," Hermione mumbled with her eyes fixed on the marbled floor.
"What else?" Evelyn prompted.
"And hold yours or daddy's hand."
"That's right. You never cross the street by yourself."
"But I didn't!" Hermione protested.
She gently grasped her shoulders and looked her daughter directly in the eye. "Hermione. Don't lie to me," she said sternly.
"I'm not!" Hermione cried. "I made a wish. It came true. It was magic."
Evelyn sighed exasperatedly. "There's no such thing as magic, sweetheart." The Grangers were no nonsense parents. No surprise, the easter bunny and santa claus did not have a place in their home either.
"Evie!" Jonathan caught up with his family. "What's going on? Hermione, you shouldn't be here. You should be in bed," he admonished.
"But Dennis was being mean," Hermione tattled. "He called me a freak and chased me."
Evelyn looked at Jonathan knowingly. "I knew it. I never liked that boy."
"Evie, come on. That's Mark and Nance's kid. I'm sure he was just playing."
"He's a bully. That's what he is. I knew this was a bad idea. We should have gone to North Berwick instead."
"Sweetie, boys are like that at that age," Jonathan explained. "He was just being mean because he doesn't know how else to get your attention. I think he may even like you."
"Jonathan!" Evelyn scolded. She rose to her full height facing her husband before unleashing her wrath. "Do not make excuses for that little boy! What kind of message are conveying to our little girl when we dismiss her like that? Or telling her that's how boys treat girls? We don't tolerate that type of behavior."
Jonathan sighed and hung his head obvious that he didn't want to fight with his wife. "Listen, we're on holiday outside of England for the first time since Hermione was born. These are our friends. Mark and I have known each other since we were boys at Harrow. Can we just wait until we go home to deal with this? I rather not start something right now."
"I don't care that he's your best mate from your school days, Jon. His child is bullying ours!" It was obvious since they started dating that Evelyn never liked Mark. "I'm leaving, and I'm taking Hermione back to the hotel." Evelyn turned around looking down the empty corridor and her daughter was nowhere to be found. "Hermione?"
The sound of the string music from the orchestra faded into the background as she walked further and further away from the corridor and her feuding parents. Soon it was just the sound of her softly padding feet as she turned a corner and entered a deserted hallway. Coming to an entrance labeled African Wildcats, she stopped and looked around to make sure she was definitely alone. Hermione normally didn't misbehave unless she knew with certainty that she wouldn't get caught. Stepping onto her tippy toes, she reached for one of the handles of the double french doors only to be disappointed because they were locked.
Balling her fists by her side, she concentrated on the door handle and was delighted when the both door handles disappeared along with the lock. Unanchored, the doors unlatched and drifted opened for her with a soft creak.
The chamber was small and circular with only a few dioramas on display. Two rows of benches occupied the center of the room. Save for the stage lighting illuminating the encased displays, the room was dimly lit. Once again she concentrated and visualized what she wanted and the overhead lights turned on.
Satisfied she looked around giddy at the fact that she was alone and could do whatever she wanted to, staying up past her bedtime alone in a museum, and best of all no more Dennis.
She was admiring a stuffed lion, one of her favorite animals, when she felt another presence in the room. Turning around she saw a very well dressed man approaching her. He had handsome aristocratic features. High cheekbones, alabaster skin, and and a slender nose graced his long pointed face. He was taller than any adult she had ever seen. Something about him screamed not human and otherworldly to her.
"That was an impressive display of magic there. Especially for one so young," said Loki.
Hermione would have beamed at the compliment but she was wary of the man. She knew better than to talk to strangers especially ones that lurked in the shadows. She took a few steps back and eyed the doorway past Loki. That was the only entrance and exit in the room.
Loki didn't know how to interpret her silence. Did this girl not know how rare it was for him to compliment anyone? Yes, that was the issue Loki thought. He needed to introduce himself."I am Prince Loki of Asgard," he pronounced regally.
Hermione looked at him curiously wondering if he really was a prince. If so, she wondered where his crown was.
He clasped his hands behind his back as he moved away from the shadows closing the distance between them. "You know it's generally rude to not introduce yourself. Especially in the presence of royalty." Loki didn't know where this child came from, but her parents had woefully undereducated her on the importance of manners especially in the presence of her superiors. No matter, he decided that he would have to teach her himself.
"Sorry," she mumbled. "Mum says not to talk to strangers."
"Ah. Your mother is right, but also wrong in that regard."
Hermione tilted her head in confusion. "You can't be both," she said because five year olds only saw things in either black or white, categories with clearly defined parameters.
"How else do you make friends if you don't talk to strangers?" Loki challenged lightly.
Hermione shrugged,"I don't know. I don't have friends."
"Hmm...Why is that?" Loki thought it may have been her lack of manners, but then he remembered that all children were little savages.
Dennis Martin's words echoed in her mind. "Because I'm a freak. I'm different. The other children don't like me."
"A freak?" Loki feigned surprise, "because of your magic?"
"Mum says magic isn't real."
"Do you really believe that? You just opened a locked door with your mind." Loki came to the conclusion that the girl was born from non magicals unless she was adopted. That didn't matter to him. He just rediscovered magic on Earth. It should have died out many a millenia ago. This was rare and unique opportunity for him.
Hermione shrugged again. "Sometimes things happen. I can't explain it."
"You know, Loki began, a wry smile played on his lips, "I could be your friend. What is your name?"
Hermione did not answer. She still wasn't sure about talking to strangers. At any moment she was going to yell stranger danger and run out of here, but something kept her from doing so. She recognized something in this person or being standing before her, the Loki from her bedtime story, and she was curious about him.
Loki's nostrils flared, his patience was wearing thin. "As a prince, I meet many foreigners and dignitaries from faraway realms. Where I'm from when we meet for the first time, we exchange gifts. Then we are not strangers anymore."
"But I don't have anything," she said.
Loki had an idea. "Hmm...How about a lock of your hair?"
"My hair?" she reached up touching her frizzy brown bush tentatively. She had cried the first time her mother cut her hair.
"Just a strand. I will give you one of mine as well." True to his word he plucked a strand of his black hair and held it up to the light. Then he used his magic to transform it into a silver chain embellished with emeralds. "A gift for you, m'lady." Loki bowed generously.
Hermione's jaw dropped. "You can do magic too!" She had never met anyone else that could do magic.
"Hold out your arm," he commanded.
Still shocked at the display of magic, Hermione obeyed. Loki gingerly buckled the clasp on the bracelet around her tiny wrist. "Thank you, um...sir." Hermione remembered her manners, but wasn't sure how to address royalty much less a god. "It's so pretty." She admired her bracelet. "I wish I could do magic like that," she said wistfully. "One time I made all of Cassie Rigby's hair fall out because she teased me about mine."
Loki threw his head back releasing a melodious laugh."You are quite the mischievous little thing aren't you? Playing pranks and running off to places you are not supposed to be."
Hermione shrugged. "She kinda deserved it. Mum was angry though. Not at me. She thought Mrs. Rigby was barmy and was lying about her daughter's hair falling out. I didn't even get punished," Hermione said smugly.
"Your parents do not wield magic like yourself?"
She shook her head. "No." Hermione had never seen her parents do the things she did. Until tonight, she had never met anyone else that could do magic like her.
"There is much I could teach you," Loki offered. Things your parents and these pathetic earthlings never could he thought. He had sensed the child was lonely and misunderstood alienated by her unique gift. That was something he could use. "Where are you from?" Loki suspected that there may be more like her.
"London, England. Can you do some more magic?" Hermione asked.
"Of course. But first I need your name and a lock of your hair."
Hermione winced as she tugged on a strand of hair. "My name is Hermione. Ow!" she offered him her strand of hair, which he took and wrapped around his ring finger. It transformed into a plain silver band.
"Hermione? What a lovely name. Now, how about some more magic?"
Hermione nodded excitedly.
Loki smirked, child were so easily manipulated. With a wave of his hand, the lion in the display diorama came to life. The apex feline predator let out a frightening roar and began pacing in the confines of the glass barrier. Hermione shrieked and ducked behind Loki grabbing his right pant leg.
Loki waved his hand again and the beast returned to its stationary, lifeless form. His intention was not to frighten her but to impress her with a show of power."There, there," he said to her. "There is no need to be afraid, little one. It was just a bit of magic," he said looking down at the five year old still gripping his leg slightly annoyed that she was still touching him.
Hermione let go and backed away from the glass still not convinced that the lion was not going to charge at her again. "How come you can do magic?"
Loki did not like the way she casually addressed him, but he decided to entertain her questions nonetheless. He could modify her behavior later. "I am a god. I can do lots of things mortals can't."
"Are you really Loki, God of Mischief?"
"Ah, so you have heard of me?"
"Only in the stories my mum and I read together. She says you're not real."
"Do I not look real to you?"
Hermione tilted her head."Hmm...I guess…."
"Then I really am, Loki, Prince of Asgard."
Still not entirely convinced, she asked, "why should I believe you?"
Suddenly Loki transformed his outfit into his black and green armor and regalia complete with the golden horned helmet matching the picture in her book. "How about now?"
"You really are Loki!"
"Prince Loki," he corrected her.
"Sorry. Prince Loki." She looked a little hurt by his sharp reprimand.
He smiled. "I would have also accepted 'my lord' or 'your highness' as well." He liked those who could take orders. "Would you like to learn magic? If you come with me I can teach you everything you would ever want to know."
Hermione's face brightened but then the hesitation crept in.
Sensing her reluctance, Loki prompted her, "speak."
"I can't go with you."
"Why not?" Loki fixed his stare down on her.
"Don't you live in Asgard on the rainbow road? Mum and dad are already angry because I ran away when I'm not supposed to. I need go find them now."
Technically Loki did not live on Asgard anymore, but he was the master of illusions. "How about this. I will use my magic to send you there, but I will bring you back right away. You can see for yourself if you want to live there."
Hermione perked up at the idea of seeing the bifrost."Can my mum and dad come too?"
"Yes, of course," Loki lied sweetly. "But why don't you see for yourself first whether or not you like it. Then we can invite your mother and father."
"Okay!" Hermione agreed falling for his enticing promises.
Loki smirked thinking how easy to control children were. He didn't even need the scepter to get her to do his bidding.
"All you need to do is close your eyes," he whispered.
She looked at him for a second before obeying. Suddenly she felt a wave of exhaustion spread over her. Sleep began to seep into her mind and limbs as her thoughts became unfocused and she began to sway unsteadily on her feet.
Before she crumbled to the ground, Loki caught her sleeping form with ease. She was as light as air. He picked her up and carried her to the bench. He had cast a sleeping spell on her.
Loki looked down at the sleeping child. He had never been overly fond of children finding them too loud and annoying. They always touched things that weren't theirs with their sticky little fingers, but for some reason he found this one tolerable.
Then there was her magic. It had been nearly a millennium since he had encountered a Midgardian seidr. While he detested mortals mostly on principle, they were lesser, inferior, weaker creatures afterall. However, he also felt that all magic was precious and should be cultivated.
He quickly made up his mind to take the child. Based on their conversation he gleaned that her parents were not magic users. They would never understand her. They may even come to fear her as her magic grows. He knew enough of the infantile minds of mortals and their instinctual impulse to shun or destroy things that they fear. The god felt that her gift was too great to waste. She was young. He can shape her into the perfect follower molding her into whatever he wished her to be.
"You can come out now," Loki said not bothering to look up.
Clint jumped down from his hiding spot in the ceiling rafters landing with his knees bent. He had secured the building and completed his reconnaissance before coming across the strange interaction between Loki and Hermione. "I wasn't intentionally eavesdropping. I didn't want to interrupt. You seemed to be having a moment."
"Yes, it appears that your kind is not as ordinary and useless as I initially thought. Did you secure the iridium?" Loki sat upon the bench with Hermione head resting on his shoulder like nothing was amiss.
"Good news and bad news, boss. Schafer is here, but the iridium is not. They apparently moved it to storage earlier today before it goes out on loan to the Smithsonian as a last minute addition to their new mineral and rock exhibit. Schafer is going to personally deliver it by private plane tomorrow morning meaning his security credentials should still work. It's in a warehouse ten miles from here. I've already arranged for transport."
"I could have done without the extraneous details," Loki said annoyed. "No matter. Does that extractor work remotely? Or shall we move on to kidnapping?"
"Of course. They come in sets of two for a reason." Clint handed him an eyeball extractor identical to the one in his pocket. "Speaking of kidnapping, what's with the kid?" Clint kept waiting for Loki to bring her up, but he didn't. So he thought he should ask what he planned to do with her before too much time passed, and it got really awkward.
"Oh, right." Loki shifted her so she was propped onto his arm and facing Clint. Eyes closed, her limbs flopped about like a rag doll."This is Hermione. She is...something special, a remarkable discovery." Loki didn't have a specific plan for her yet, but he wanted to keep her safe especially with what was about to happen. "I want you to look after her. Keep her safe. Kill anyone that tries to take her."
"Whatever you say, boss." Had Clint not been under Loki's mind control he would have made a cutting remark about him being a highly trained and dangerous assassin not a babysitter and walked off. Instead he took the child into his arms and marched off. Clint had some iridium to steal.
Evelyn Granger tried very hard not to panic. Her five year old daughter was missing. Fighting the urge to scream out her name, her eyes scanned the museum atrium searching for her little girl. With dinner finished, the tables had been cleared and all the guests got up to mingle with each other in the atrium. "Jonathan, we've lost her!" she placed a hand over her mouth muffling a sob.
"Calm down, she couldn't have gone far. This is a high security event," her husband reassured her. Jonathan had received tickets to the opening of a new, exclusive exhibit at the Stuttgart State Museum of Natural Sciences. The guest of honor was Heinrich Schafer. The tickets were gifted to them by their patients, who were unable to attend. Notable dignitaries from all over Europe were attending the gala as well as a number of high society families. So Jonathan wasn't wrong, the building was guarded heavily.
"Then how do you explain how she snuck in here in the first place?" Evelyn hissed. "What if someone took her?" Her thoughts immediately went to perverted child abductors and sex rings deeply embedded in the countries within the continent. "Oh god," she started hyperventilating. "I just turned around for a second and then she was gone. This is all my fault!"
"Hey, hey, hey," Jonathan tried to calm his wife down. Her mind had a tendency to only imagine the worst case scenario. "Everything will be alright. We will find her," he promised.
His words did not stop her from spiraling. "There was that poor little girl that disappeared while her parents were on holiday outside of the U.K. That happened just a few years ago and they never found her!"
Jonathan refused to entertain that idea. "She has to be in the building somewhere. Hermione loves museums." Jonathan took her arm and led her away from the crowd. "I've already spoken to the coordinator and they are conducting a very thorough search. She's a child. Sometimes they like to hide."
"I know," she replied. "But you have to admit Hermione isn't a normal child. She prefers the company of books and adults over children her own age."
"Is that so horrible, Evie?" Jonathan said exasperatedly. "Would you rather her be like other children?"
"Yes!" she said. "Jon, you cannot tell me that you haven't noticed?"
"Notice what?"
"The strange things that keep happening around Hermione. Inexplicable things. Like that incident with the Rigby girl or those boys at her school. Her teachers say the other children are afraid of her."
Jonathan shook his head."I don't believe that. Hermione is a very bright girl. Gifted children are more likely to act out if they're not challenged. We'll enroll her in a better school. We'll even take her back to that child psychiatrist."
"No," Evelyn said doubtfully. "I don't think this is something a doctor can cure."
Before Jonathan could respond, one of the security guards approached them.
His walkie talkie buzzed, and he answered it. "Copy that. Madam, I think we found your daughter."
Clint and Loki parted ways. Carrying the child in his arms he snuck out the side exit entering a passage and stairway that led to the rooftop where a helicopter waited from him. The iridium was stored in a high security warehouse offsite. Loki will make his grand entrance soon and obtain the key he needed to unlock the vault where the iridium was kept.
Clint rendezvoused with a pair of armed guards also under Loki's influence. Their eyes glowed blue just like his.
"Helicopter is ready, sir," the guard reported.
"Good, let's not waste any more time," Clint replied not bothering to explain why he carried an unconscious child. They walked down the hallway the sound of the helicopter's spinning blades growing louder as they approached the exit to the roof.
A loud bang caught them unaware. Clint turned around to see the door from where he came from was opened and out rushed some of the security detail from the event. He could tell that they regarded him with suspicion.
"Excuse me, sir," one of them called out, "sir!" he repeated when Clint turned back around as if he had not heard him.
"Sir, I'm going to ask you to stop!" Another security guard warned. Their footsteps picked up the pace.
"Madam! Please stay back. We have this under control."
The Grangers had arrived behind them shortly refusing to stay behind.
Evelyn recognized her daughter's bushy hair. "That's her!" she pointed at Clint's retreating form. "That's my daughter! He's got my daughter!" she screamed. "Hermione!"
"STOP! FREEZE!" the museum guards yelled.
"What are you doing with my daughter?!" Jonathan demanded. "Let go of her this instant!"
Everyone armed drew their guns. The Grangers froze in terror behind the armed museum guards. This was no longer a kidnapping, but a hostage situation.
"I don't have time for this," Clint said. He didn't want to risk running behind schedule and picking up the girl had not been part of the original plan. He turned and gave the order, "take care of them." Clint didn't spare another glance at the distressed couple. He was given strict orders from Loki to not let anyone take the girl.
"Please don't hurt her."Jonathan begged. He held his wife who was sobbing. "If you want money, you can have it. Name your price. Plea-"
The two guards flanking Clint opened fire. The whole exchange was over in seconds.
Hermione didn't stir as the sounds of screaming and bodies hitting the ground echoed in the hallway. She didn't wake either when Clint climbed into the helicopter.