Disclaimer: I don't own HP or Marvel, much to my dismay.

I would like to thank my amazing beta, Nom D'emprunt, for his wonderful skills at editing! It has certainly been a life saver!

Now all I have to worry about is my computer keyboard actually typing the letters I hit when I type!

Hope you all enjoy the new chapter!

New Friends?

Stark London House, England
September 1, 2001

"Damn it, Loki!" Tony shouted, his hand pressed to his heart, "Are you trying to kill me with a heart attack?"

Loki chuckled, grateful that he had the chance to get to know the man. Tony had become a brother to him over the years as they raised Catlin together. "Sorry, I had to get out of there in a hurry, this was the only place I could think of that was essentially safe… in a manner of speaking."

Tony nodded in understanding. He was still angry about that boy that called his little girl and honorary son Mudbloods. "How did it go?" he asked, putting his tools down to face his friend properly.

"As you already know, Catlin tapped into her Frost Giant heritage on the train, and my idiot brother showed up unexpectedly. He was told that there was Frost Giant activity in that area and was sent to investigate. I arrived before he did, and claimed that the Frost Giant Heimdall had detected was me." He moved over to the workbench where Tony's latest project sat before continuing. "When I returned to Asgard, I confronted the All-father," Loki sighed and sat down in a conjured chair, his head falling into his hands. This wasn't how he had wanted to introduce his granddaughter, and he was terrified of what Odin would do with regards to his mortal family.

"He was furious, wasn't he?" Tony asked, his own concern showing on his face and in his voice.

"Yes, very much so. I'm just glad Mother was there, Thor too, admittedly," he said softly. "I informed him that if he touched Catlin in any way that harms her, I would call for war; that if I learned of any plans to dispose of her as he did my other children, I would leave Asgard and my place there and live among mortals to protect my family here. Thor was in disbelief when I spoke of my children and what the great All-father has done to them. He even apologized to me, which is very much unlike him."

Tony just sat there for a few minutes, shocked by the sudden turn of events, then promptly took out his StarkPhone and called Catlin.

Hogwarts Express, Scotland

It had taken about an hour before the boys had managed to calm Catlin down. No one else had bothered attempting to enter their compartment again, and the trio was finally relaxing. Harry was leaning up against Draco, who was quietly reading aloud to his friends, while Catlin was laying down with her head in Harry's lap.

Suddenly the restful quiet was broken when her phone started to ring, startling them all. Catlin sat up abruptly, her head colliding with Harry's elbow, jarring his arm which, in turn, knocked the book Draco had been reading from to the floor. Rubbing her forehead where she'd hit it, Catlin grabbed her phone from the opposite bench and, seeing that it was her father, accepted the call. "Hello?"

"Cat!" She could hear the relief in her father's voice and figured her grandfather must have informed him of the recent events. "Is everything going alright?"

She couldn't help the small smile that came unbidden to her face, remembering a time when her parental figures hadn't been so concerned about her welfare. "I'm okay, Daddy. Draco and Harry are with me, and they won't let anything happen to me," she assured him.

"Good. That's good," Tony said. "Your grandfather is here. I think he is waiting for the crazy man upstairs to come to a decision before he lets you know what happened on Asgard, but there isn't anything you need to worry about, okay?"

Catlin laughed, her smile growing, "I understand, Dad. Tell Grandfather that I love him and that he should wait to come until after the feast tonight, okay?"

"Of course, I'll let him know. I'll send you a text before he leaves just to be safe, so be sure to have your phone on vibrate so it doesn't disturb the feast, okay?"

There was a knock on the door, and a voice called in, "Anything off the trolley, dears?"

"I've got it," Draco said as he moved to the door and unlocking it. Cat nodded, and Harry stood to join him, curious to see what the trolley had to offer.

"I will, Dad, I promise," she told her father as she peered out the compartment door. She stood and moved over to where the boys were, curious to see what was available. To her dismay, all she saw on offer were sweets, nothing suitable for a proper lunch on a train. She made a face at the selection. It wasn't that she had anything against sweets, but that's not what she wanted for an afternoon meal. "Dad?"

"Yeah, kiddo?"

"Can you call Aunt Cissy and Uncle Lucius and ask if they can get a house elf to provide lunch?" she asked as Draco and Harry were busy purchasing a small selection of sweets. "I hope you won't be eating any of that until we've had a proper lunch. I won't be having the both of you complaining to Severus about upset stomachs because you ate nothing but sweets."

"Bunch of junk food on the trolley?" Tony asked with amusement.

"Yes," she said with a grimace.

"Alright, I'll call the Malfoy's and see what we can do about lunch for you kids. I love you, Cat, tell the boys the same, and we'll talk later, okay?"

"Okay, Dad, I love you too, and I'll talk to you tonight." With that, she hung up the phone, just as a girl with bushy hair and a boy with blonde hair came to the door.

"Was that a phone you were using?" the girl asked, her eyes wide.

"It was, why?" Catlin asked as she put her StarkPhone in her robe pocket.

"You can't use muggle technology on the Express, the magic interferes with the electronics. It says so in Hogwarts: A History," she said pompously.

Harry tried his best to cover up his snort of laughter before he said, "It can if it's a phone invented by Tony Stark himself."

"Tony Stark? As in the Tony Stark of Stark Industries?" she asked, excited, while the boy she was with looked a bit uncomfortable, probably due to Draco's presence.

"My father, yes. What does it matter to you?" she asked, eyes narrowed and wary of the girl.

"You must be Catlin Stark-Silvertongue…" the boy blurted out. He then let out a nervous squeak and shifted to hide behind the girl, having apparently realized he'd spoken out loud.

"I am, and my companions are Draco Malfoy and Hadrian Potter-Black. May I ask you your name?" she asked, looking softly at the boy. His lack of self-confidence and shyness were painfully obvious, it reminded her a bit of her first encounter with Harry at Gringotts.

"N-Ne-Neville L-Long-Longbottom," he stammered out shyly.

Harry stepped toward him with a smile. "Hello, Neville, I'm Harry, and it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Neville, do you know these three?" the girl asked with far too much curiosity.

"N-No. I only know Malfoy, b-but I've heard of the other two. They've been in the Prophet this summer," Neville told her as he stepped forward, taking Harry's hand. "I-It's nice to meet you too."

"Would you like to share our compartment, Heir Longbottom? My parents should be sending an elf with a proper lunch soon, you're more than welcome to join us," Draco invited.

Neville looked at him hesitantly before replying, "I would like to, really, b-but, you see, I've…"

"Neville's lost his toad. Have you seen it?" the girl interrupted.

Catlin shot her a glare, as did Draco and Harry. "It's rude to interrupt, you know," Catlin told her before turning to Neville, "A toad? What is its name? Maybe I can help."

Neville glanced nervously between Catlin and the girl before answering, "T-Trevor."

"Alright, I'll bring Trevor back if you're alright with that," Catlin said with a smile for the shy boy.

"You can't do magic on the train. Besides, we've already asked some of the older years, if they would help, what makes you think that you can when they couldn't?" the girl said snobbishly.

"You are quite a rude person, aren't you? No manners or decorum. Mother would have a right old fit. Do you have any idea who you're actually speaking to?" Draco asked with a hint of disgust at the girl's condescending attitude.

The girl raised her head imperiously, chin in the air. "It hardly matters at all to whom I am speaking. I'm Heiress Hermione Dagworth-Granger."

"And that means what to us? The House of Dagworth-Granger is a minor house at best," Draco said.

"Is that so, and what's your house?" she asked with narrowed eyes.

"Draco is the Heir to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Malfoy. Continuing with the rest of our group, I'm Hadrian Potter-Black, Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter and Heir to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black, while Neville is the Heir to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Longbottom. As for Catlin, well, she is the Heiress to the Most Ancient and Most Royal House of Silvertongue," Harry said, introducing them with their formal titles, at least the ones that are publicly known.

"You're a First-Generation Witch, Miss Dagworth-Granger. Your house may be important, but its importance is nowhere near that of our Houses. Catlin is royalty, a princess if you will. If I were you, I would stop acting self-important simply because Gringotts found that you are entitled to the Dagworth-Granger inheritance upon your majority. Your pompous attitude will find you more enemies than friends, and that is not the way you want to introduce yourself to Wizarding Society," Draco informed her.

"Princess? How can you be a princess? The only royalty in Britain is the Muggle Monarchy," the girl, Hermione, stated, ignoring Draco's sound advice.

"If you can't tell, my accent is actually American, and my royal blood isn't from Earth. Are you familiar with Norse Mythology? With your know-it-all attitude, I'll assume that you are. You see, my great-grandfather, my mother's father's father, happens to be the defeated king of Jotunheim, while my adoptive great-grandfather, my mother's father's adopted father, is the current ruler of Asgard, Odin, the All-father. Hence, I am a princess through my grandfather, twice over."

"Those are just myths. They aren't true."

"All myths are based on truth," a voice said from within the compartment.

"Grandfather! I wasn't expecting you so soon. Has the All-father made his decision?" Catlin asked as she spun around to greet him.

"Not yet, Little Cat. I'm here to deliver lunch. Your father was about to call the Malfoy's when I offered to bring it for you. I managed to make a trip home, enter the kitchen to bug the chefs for a special lunch to go, and return before father could catch me and prevent me from leaving again. Your uncle sends his apologies for his earlier behavior," Loki said with a smile and held up a basket. "Oh, and I found a toad, does it belong to anyone?"

"Trevor!" Neville cried, rushing forward and taking the toad from Loki, "Thank you!"

Loki chuckled and ruffled Neville's hair, "If you would like, I can place a tether spell on him for you so that he can't escape."

"Really?" Neville asked, his eyes wide.

"Of course. Do you have a cage for Trevor?" When Neville shook his head no, Loki continued, "Well, no matter then." Loki crafted a cage for the toad that had a habitat within it, "Here you are. It's much bigger on the inside, plenty of room for a toad to explore. I'll place the tether on the cage and Trevor. If he somehow manages to escape the cage, though I don't see why he would now, he will only be able to go a certain distance before the tether brings him back."

Neville stared up at him wide-eyed in awe. "Thank you ever so much, Lord Silvertongue!" he said, taking the cage and placing the now-tethered Trevor inside. "I'll never have to worry about losing him again."

"You're most welcome, I'm glad that I was able to help," Loki replied. He turned to Catlin, Draco, and Harry before continuing, "I'll return tonight after the feast and inform you of the All-father's decision. For now, I suggest the three of you settle in your compartment, eat your lunch, and relax before reaching Hogwarts." He stepped forward and kissed Catlin on the head, "Remember, there is nothing for you to worry about; you are far more important to me than my life on Asgard."

"I will, Grandfather, thank you for bringing us lunch," she said with a smile and a hug.

"I should go, we don't want Thor showing up here again. It was lucky I was able to fix the damage to the train from when he landed on the roof earlier. Now, into the compartment with you and eat your lunch," Loki said as he gently herded the three children into the compartment. "Will you be joining them for their afternoon meal?" he asked the other two children in the hall.

Neville nodded enthusiastically and moved to join them. "Yes, my Lord, thank you." He made himself comfortable on the bench across from Draco, Catlin, and Harry.

"Wonderful!" Loki said then turned to look at Hermione expectantly, waiting for her reply.

~*~Hermione's POV~*~

Hermione wasn't quite sure what to do, the trio wasn't what she had expected at all. She had, of course, heard of the famous Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived. The other two she didn't know, nor had she heard of them. And then there was the man who claimed to be a prince, of Asgard no less!

She didn't know what to believe, the world Hermione thought she knew had been falling apart since she received her Hogwarts letter that summer. All she had wanted to do when she first learned that she was a witch was to learn everything that she could before September first. That, and to make new friends. Then she had gone to Gringotts and discovered that she was the heiress of a house long thought extinct with an inheritance to match. Now, as she stood outside of the compartment that Neville had just entered, his shyness having disappeared with the man finding his toad and then preventing it from hopping off again, she was at a loss for how to handle herself.

Hermione looked from person to person, trying to make a decision. She got the distinct feeling that the girl didn't like her much, and Draco seemed to be a snobbish prat, though he did try to help her. As for Harry, he was the Boy-Who-Lived, surely he would be nice. Perhaps, if she worked on it, they could be friends, friends she dearly wanted. She sincerely hoped that Neville was a friend, even after she had bossed him around. And Catlin, she was the daughter of the Tony Stark, maybe she could tell her how electronics could work in magically dense places.

She bit her lip nervously before asking, "Would… would it be alright if I joined you? My parents didn't send me with a lunch, and I am awfully hungry. I…" she looked up at them, shifting anxiously from one foot to the other, "I'm sorry for my behavior before. I know I need to work on my attitude, especially as I'm new to this world, but it's hard to do. I'll try to be better, I promise…" she looked down at her feet, hands clasped behind her back to avoid fidgeting. She did feel sorry for how she had acted, she could only hope that they would give her another chance, that perhaps they could be her friends.

A pair of converse shoes came into view in front of her, prompting her to look up. When she did, she saw Harry smiling at her, his hand held out for her to take. "Of course you can join us. Loki said that there was plenty of food for five."

Hermione couldn't help the big grin that crossed her face, happiness welling up as she took his hand and let him pull her into the compartment. "Thank you ever so much!"

"Well, now that that is all handled, I'll inform your father that you're well fed and have made some new friends. Your parents as well, Little Bird," Loki said with a happy smile. "I'll see you this evening."

The trio nodded, gave the man a hug, and said their goodbyes before he disappeared just as silently as he had arrived. "What is his name?" Hermione asked softly.

"Loki Odinson, though here on Earth he is known as Loki Silvertongue," Draco told her as he started pulling plates and silverware out of the basket while Harry retrieved the food.

"Is he really from another planet?"

"More like another realm," Catlin said as she started to dish up some of the food. "Is there anything either of you can't eat?"

"No," Neville replied, eager to try new foods.

"I don't have any allergies," Hermione said as she sat on the bench next to Neville, sitting on her hands nervously.

"Good. Here you go," Draco said as he handed both her and Neville a plate. "Please, eat. If you don't now, you'll be absolutely starving by the time we get to Hogwarts. My parents have told me that the fare at school is usually rather heavy, but Cousin Sirius told us where the kitchens are. We plan on talking to the elves to see if they would be able to provide us with a healthier selection than what is normally offered."

"Really? You know where the kitchens are?" Neville asked excitedly. "Do you think I could go with you? I wouldn't mind eating better food, especially if it's as good as this is!"

Catlin smiled and nodded. "Of course. You're welcome to come with us as well, Hermione. It will be a chance for you to let the elves know what you prefer for your meals."

"I think I'd like that, thank you," Hermione replied with a smile, happy to be included.

The five preteens continued eating, chatting in between bites and getting to know each other. The food was soon eaten, and the sweets from the trolley shared around and devoured. The trip continued without further excitement, Trevor stayed happily in his new cage and Sarabi curled contentedly around Harry's shoulders. By the time the train stopped at Hogsmeade Station, the five had become fast friends and promised that no matter what house they are sorted into, they would all remain friends. As they boarded the boats to cross over to the castle and finally be sorted, Draco couldn't help wondering what the Hat would sing about this year with the Hogwarts Heirs coming to school.

I have several chapters written already, sent off to my beta, so a schedule of posting is in the works.

As for the poll, that has another week, seeing as it is for Chapter 5. Though it is off to the beta, I would like to say that most character's in Harry's year will be brought into the story, even if they aren't mentioned right away. I will post a note saying which house those characters will be in. Some will remain in their cannon house, others will be moved to a different house to fit the story plot. I hope that helps!

Please read and review!