"So what's your deal?"

Loki turned to look at the blond haired boy across from him. Each Slytherin closest to him was either looking at him unabashedly or looking out at him and trying to be subtle. It almost felt like he was back in Asgard again, had it not been for the rather different kinds of looks these boys and girls were giving him. They weren't looking at him like magic was a dirty thing to have, like it was women's work or that he wasn't worth any effort. They were just looking at him like he was a normal young man. "You would be Draco Malfoy, correct?"

"Yes, that's Draco," the boy next to him said, lips twitching up into a small grin. "I'm Blaise and that's Theo to your right. You are… Loki?"

Loki dipped his head in a nod, seeing Harry wink at him from all the way across the hall. "Potter has said much about you, Draco."

Draco raised an eyebrow, setting his fork down. "Typical, really. Potter and I have never gotten along. You should be aware of that. Were you here for the summer?"

"I came three weeks ago," Loki remarked calmly, taking a small bite of food. He had already taken the nutrition potion and pain easing potion before dinner and there were no noticeable aches in his body. His appetite was just getting back to normal, having been on soft foods for the first week he was here. "I'm still lost occasionally."

"Well, we can show you around," Blaise offered quietly, nodding at him. "Where were you before you came here?"

"I was homeschooled," Loki explained. "I did not go to school and my mother was the one who taught me more often than not."

Blaise nodded, his eyes softening a little. "I'm sorry to hear about your parents. Though, that's almost better than...

"Blaise!" Draco hissed, interrupting the boy. Loki watched as the two exchanged heated glances before Draco turned toward him. "We only just met him!"

Blaise rolled his eyes and Loki could see the boy, Theo, next to him shrugging.

"Draco, it's not like our parents are here," Theo said. "We don't even know if the guy supports you-know-who or not."

Draco glared at Blaise and Theo. "Not here! You know what Severus said! We can talk back in the common room!"

"Talk about what?" Loki questioned innocently.

Theo, Draco and Blaise all looked at him like they thought he was crazy. Loki stared back, raised an eyebrow.

"He doesn't even know!" Blaise retorted.

"Loki..." Draco trailed off with skeptical look. "Things are different here now. You may have heard of-"

"Ooh, Lord Voldemort?" Loki interrupted with a smirk. "I know of him."

Draco stared at him, paling a little. Loki stared back then picked up his fork and took his last bite of the chicken on his plate. He was about open his mouth and ask something of a more private nature when he heard people around him stand up. The hall was growing louder now, with people done with dinner and walking back to their common rooms and getting ready for bed, ready for a new school year.

"First years, follow the prefects!"

Draco stood up, having been long done with dinner, and caught Potter's eyes again. Harry was looking straight at him, a slight tilt to his lips showing that either Harry had heard them or that he had been watching. Draco sneered at him then joined his friends and the new student in walking back to the Slytherin common room.

"Wait til Snape meets you," Blaise commented as they walked. No other house was in the dungeons so they were more or less safe to talk about matters outside of school. "You're going to intrigue him."

"Severus Snape, the potions professor?" Loki asked, looking around the hallways as they went through the bottom most floor in the castle.

"Yes, he is the potions professor and he also is head of Slytherin," Theo said. "He's also Draco's godfather. Though I wouldn't bring up family relations with Draco or Severus. They get touchy about it."

"Theo! I do not get 'touchy' about talking about family relations," Draco hissed as they finally made it to the door to the common room. The Slytherin prefect spoke the password and led the first years through. The common room was dark, only lit by several torches on the walls around them. "We all get secretive about family now, except you."

Loki raised an eyebrow.

"Theo's family is neutral," Blaise explained. "They're not on either side of the war. Despite what the minister thinks, the Dark Lord is back and is recruiting."

Draco led them over to a corner and sat down in his chair, the one that he had claimed all the way back in first year, and the three of them sat down in the chairs opposite him. Draco gestured to the three of them to stay silent, while the prefects were explaining where everything was. A few of the first years glanced in their direction and dipped their heads in a deferential nod, to the Slytherin prince. Once they were gone and Draco and company had their corner to themselves, Blaise murmured a warding charm, making it so no one could hear their conversation.

"It's best to do that when we're talking business," Blaise suggested, glancing at Loki. "Severus does let us use the wards these days, especially now."

Loki nodded, his own magic tasting the others and realizing that he could sense each student's aura. Draco's had a darker edge to it than Theo's or Blaise's, more fear and anxiety in the so called Slytherin Ice Prince. Though… Loki snorted, drawing Draco's attention. If everyone knew what exactly Loki was, they would be calling him the Ice Prince. But he would do his best to hide his nature from anyone else, except for Harry, who already knew.

"What kind of business are we talking about now?" Loki questioned, seeing the potions professor walk into the room from the doorway. Harry had told Loki about Severus Snape, how the man was a double agent and how he worked for both Dumbledore and Voldemort.

"Are you marked or going to be marked?" Draco asked, narrowing his gray eyes.

"Draco, we don't even know if he supports the Dark Lord," Blaise remarked. "He's from bloody Norway after all."

"Well, do you?" Draco asked, fidgeting a little in his seat and pulling out his wand and running his fingers over it. Loki could tell Draco was anxious, maybe a little fearful of the answer. The other boy wasn't even meeting his eyes as he waited for the answer.

Loki watched the other three students and then glanced up to Severus Snape, who appeared to be waiting for their conversation to be over. The professor was waiting more or less patiently by the wall and watching them. "Why are you scared of saying his name?"

Draco stopped fidgeting and looked up at Loki, raised an eyebrow. Loki watched as Draco spluttered and felt his own lips twitch in response.

"I am not!" Draco retorted, his eyes widening and he glared at Loki. Blaise and Theo both were looking at Loki in a contemplative manner, not saying anything but just watching.

Loki just raised an eyebrow then used the smallest amount of his newly regrown magic to uncurl the ward from around, effectively canceling the spell. Blaise's eyes widened and he stared at Loki with no small amount of respect.

"Professor Snape, what can we do for you?" Loki asked quietly, not even tearing his eyes away from where Draco was still staring at him in askance.

Severus Snape startled, his eyes widening, as though he hadn't realized that the ward around them had gone away. Loki finally drew his gaze away from Draco and turned to watch as the professor made his way over to stand in front of them.

"I wanted to introduce myself to you," Severus started, his black eyes looking Loki over. "I am Severus Snape, the head of Slytherin House. I was not made of aware of your background."

"Loki Friggason. I was previously living in Norway before my parents were murdered," Loki explained. "I was also homeschooled there."

Severus studied him before nodding. "I am not aware of any Norwegian wizarding schools but Hogwarts is the best in England. Where did you get your wand, if I may ask?"

Loki grinned a little before replying, knowing that his answer would intrigue everyone here. He had yet to see someone not carry around a wand here though Harry had admitted to him a few nights ago that he didn't need a wand for the smallest spells. "I don't need a wand."

Severus' eyes widened. Blaise, Draco and Theo all gasped, their eyes widening.

"You don't need a wand?" Theo repeated.

Loki shook his head and held out his palm then reconsidered what he was about to do. He closed his eyes for a second, drawing on his innate nature and pulled a little sliver of ice into his palm. It glistened in the torchlight, shining brightly like a crystal. Loki winced. He wasn't even remotely on the side of the light, like Harry had said. He was a Jotun, a monster, not something bright and beautiful. He was about to curl his hand over it to squash it when he heard a sharper gasp.

"How… what… How did you do that without a wand? And what is that spell?" Blaise asked.

Severus looked at him, considering. "Your parents taught you without a wand?"

"My parents did not need a wand," Loki remarked thoughtfully, thinking of Frigga and then of the lessons with Amora as the ice slowly melted in his hand. Neither of them had needed a tool to cast spells and nor did he. "My father wasn't a wizard though so it was just my mother."

"You're a half blood?" Draco questioned, narrowing his eyes. "Not a-"

Loki watched as Blaise elbowed Draco and he could have sworn that he had seen some amusement in Severus' eyes.

"My father… was powerful in his own way," Loki offered, covering his mouth to yawn. He was still used to staying up for the whole day, still recuperating from being kept up constantly for a week. "And that's all I have to say on the matter."

"Mr Malfoy, if you and your friends could give Loki and I some privacy," Severus spoke. "I would like to ask him a few questions before curfew."

"Of course, Professor," Draco said, nodding at Loki. "We share a dormitory, the fifth years, so it shouldn't be too hard to find your belongings when you're finished with him."

Loki watched as Draco, Theo and Blaise stood up and walked over to the staircase to the left, heading up to bed, before turning to face Severus Snape. "Potter has told me a little about you."

Severus' eyes widened minutely as he walked around the furthest chair and sat down to face Loki. "What has that boy told you about me? I think it would be statements told in poor taste."

Loki raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "No, I don't think he has told me anything that could be taken badly. Do you work for Voldemort or do you not?"

Severus stared at him then glanced up to where the boys had gone. "I think I understand why the hat put you in Slytherin."

Loki laughed quietly. "That is not an answer."

"I hear Potter brought you in," Severus spoke, trying a different angle.

"Hmm, where you did hear that?" Loki questioned, looking over at the paintings on the walls in the common room before focusing on Severus once more. "That is no more than office gossip, to borrow a phrase."

Severus looked at him then smirked. "It will be interesting having you in Slytherin this year. Goodnight, Mr Friggason."

Loki dipped his head in a nod then stood up and headed up to bed. He ventured into the dormitory where Draco had gone and looked around. It looked like each student had a vast amount of space to themselves, with even a separate room for a few people. Though if Loki remembered correctly, those were for the prefects. He walked over to the empty bed that he spotted next to Draco's and padded over to it, seeing the various new clothes that the house elf, Dobby, had gotten him a week ago.

He quickly strolled over to where the bathroom was, having seen it on the walk in, and washed up for bed. Once done, he padded back over to his bed and got into bed before pulling the bed curtains around him, preferring that no one see his scars from the torture. He changed into bed clothes and snuggled underneath the covers, stretching out on the bed and closing his eyes, feeling a distinct ache that no one was sharing the bed with him. Loki had kind of gotten used to Harry sharing his bed over the past few weeks, with the nurse okaying it. Harry had kept the nightmares away, curling around him and taking care to not cage Loki in any way.

It felt like it had only been a few minutes of sleep before he startled awake, sweating and heart pounding in his chest. Darkness met him and Loki shook, remembering the week of torment before he had escaped and fallen to Midgard.

"...It's okay. You're safe."

An arm reached to pull him back under the covers that had slipped from his body and he froze.

"It's just me," Harry whispered.

Loki opened his eyes more and saw Harry curled up next to him, shirtless and only in sleep pajama pants. Harry looked at him sleepily and just a little bit guilty.

"I had trouble sleeping without you," Harry murmured, opening his arms up. His voice was slurred from sleep, warm and quiet. Loki considered him, something within his mind knowing that Harry had managed to circumvent the Slytherin door to get to him, and then shrugged and moved up to curl into the heat of the other boy.