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Chapter 8

There was something odd going on, Fandral had decided. He, Volstagg and Hogun had just gotten back from a hunting trip, and there was something… different. Something had happened while they had been gone, and if the preparations for a feast weren't evidence enough, there was the fact that the whole of Asgard seemed to be ready to burst out into spontaneous celebration over something. So what had they missed? He was wandering the gardens, attempting to find some clue. Hogun and Volstagg were both looking inside the palace.

Then, he saw her. She, happened to be a young woman who he had never once laid eyes on before, he was sure of it, yet there was some sort of familiarity about her that she could not place. She was walking under the shade of some trees, wearing a gown made of fine material. And while she was thin, he could not deny that she would be beautiful when she put on some weight. She seemed to be skin and bones. Her black hair was in a delicate braid and her skin was pale. She was looking around in awe at the garden's beauty and then it hit him. She must be some noble from one of the other realms. A delegation must have been sent for some reason or another and a feast had been announced to celebrate. Well, the least he could do was make her feel welcome.

He grinned and approached her, falling into step easily beside her. "Do you mind if I walk with you, my lady?" He asked, smiling widely at her.

She looked up at him, and then glanced away quickly, but he thought he caught a glimpse of green. So she was shy. "I- I don't mind." She said.

Rayna had no idea who the man beside her was. Perhaps he was a guard who had been sent to keep her company. She had asked Frigga if it was alright if she went to explore the gardens, and the elder Ӕsir woman had said it was fine. She had asked if she had wanted company, and Rayna had politely declined. She'd been outside for ten minutes, and now he had just walked up right beside her. Yes, he was probably a guard sent to keep her company. She thought it best to be polite, so she had said yes.

"How are you finding Asgard, my lady?" He asked her.

"It is beautiful. The stories don't do it justice."

"This is your first time visiting?"

"Yes, and I'm not visiting. I'm staying. I think."

"You think?"

"I know my family wants me to stay, but there are a couple of complications back where I grew up." There, plain, simple, and an easy way to avoid the question.

"A suitor?"

She shook her head, gazing up at the trees, which held apples. He reached up, and plucked one from the branch, and handed it to her.

"Thank you." She said, accepting it, and biting into it. It wasn't the same as the one she had earlier, so she guessed this was not one of Iduna's. But she said nothing, not wanting to look like an idiot.

"So, fair maiden, how much have you seen of Asgard so far?"

"Well, I just arrived today, and this is the first chance I have had to get out. So, just the sights coming in from the bifrost, and then it didn't feel like I took in enough. And the gardens, obviously. I've only been out here for around ten minutes."

"So, you have yet to see the sights? Well, it would be an honour if you would allow me to show you around, my lady." He said.

"Fandral!" A voice called. They both looked round to see a woman in armour heading towards them, her long dark hair pulled back. She looked slightly… pale. However, before she could reach them, his name was called again, this time; the voice belonged to a visibly angry Thor.

"I thought you were friends." She said, glancing between him and the oncoming Thor, having remembered what Frigga had told her.

"We are." Fandral said, rather unnerved. Thor looked ready to beat him into the ground- without Mjolnir.

Fandral didn't have the chance to do anything else as Thor grabbed him by the front of his armour, his eyes narrowed. "You had better hope you have not said anything untoward to her, Fandral." He growled.

"Thor he doesn't know!" Sif said, coming to Fandral's rescue, or attempting to. "He, Hogun and Volstagg only just returned from a hunting party."

"And I see that I am missing a very vital piece of information here, but I can assure you, all I did was be polite, offer to show her around Asgard, try and make her feel welcome." Fandral said, hoping Thor didn't take it into his mind to grab his neck instead of his armour.

"What had you leave in such a hurry Sif?" A new voice asked. "Fandral, what did you do?" The voice turned rather surprised then.

"Thor, he's telling the truth. He was nothing but a gentleman." Rayna spoke up then.

Thor released Fandral. "Bear in mind, Fandral, my niece is out of bounds. You will not flirt with her as you do every other woman who catches your eye."

Fandral just nodded in shock.

"Come Rayna," Thor said, offering his arm to her, "I will show you the gardens."

She allowed Thor to lead her away from him, the two men who had just joined them and the woman who she guessed was Sif, sending an apologetic look at Fandral. She felt slightly guilty that Thor had basically attacked his friend on her behalf.

"Why did you do that?" She asked when they were out of ear shot.

"Fandral is a known womanizer. I thought he was flirting with you. I was merely making sure he knew not to." Thor said, shrugging.

"Like I said, he was being nothing but a gentleman towards me. What he said earlier was true."

"He would have started." Thor said.

"I feel awful. You basically attacked your friend because of me."

"Do not worry about it. Fandral and I will forget all about this incident soon enough. We'll even laugh over it." He waved his hand.

Rayna just shook her head. She couldn't believe this.


Two hours later, Rayna was back in her rooms, and two maids were helping her pull on a golden dress. The top was corseted and Rayna found herself fighting for breaths at how tight it was done up. One of the maids, Gerda, was the one doing her dress, while the other, Amdis, worked on her makeup. When the dress was done up, and her breathing severely restricted, Gerda started to style Rayna's hair into an intricate braid.

It felt like an age later when the two allowed her to look into the mirror, and her jaw dropped. "Is that really me?" She asked.

"Yes, my lady." Gerda said, smiling at her.

"I didn't even look this good at the Yule ball." Rayna said. "I hardly recognise myself."

The two smiled at each other and then at her. "We are glad to be of help. Your return has been something that has been anticipated for years. Ever since…" Amdis trailed off.

"Since my mother was brought back." Rayna finished for her.

"That was a very sad day indeed." Amdis said. "I heard Prince Thor trashed his chambers several times after he, Prince Loki, Lady Sif and the Warriors Three returned with Princess Ingrid's body."

"It's odd to see how much they miss her. The woman who believes she was the sister of Lily Evans, my mother's alias on Midgard, didn't miss her at all. This has all taken me a bit by surprise I guess. At least I know she had family who truly cared for her. Instead of just Petunia."

"You miss her too, don't you?" Gerda asked, sympathetically.

"So much." Rayna admitted. "More than I could ever say. I think what hurts is that I want to be able to at least remember her. To remember how she was with me."

"I am sure she loved you more than anything." Amdis said.

There was a knock on the door, and the three of them jumped. Amdis walked out to the sitting room and answered the door. Her surprise caught the two remaining in the bedroom by surprise. "King Odin!"

Rayna's eyes widened slightly.

"I am here to see my granddaughter." He said. There was the sound of movement, followed by the sound of a closing door. Rayna hurried to the sitting room and saw that Odin was standing in-front of the fire, staring into the flames, a large box in one hand. She cleared her throat and he turned and smiled at her. "I have something for you Rayna." He said, stepping towards her.

He opened the box and she gasped at the circlet. It was gold, and twisted into intricate patterns with a clear crystal set into the front.

"It's beautiful." Rayna said.

"I had it made two years ago, knowing you would be of the age where you would have started attending official functions had you been here. We never gave up in finding you. Now I see the gamble has paid off." He placed the box on the table, and took the circlet out of the box and placed it on her head.

"I love it. Thank you."

"There is no need to thank me." He said, smiling at her. "Now, I believe it is time to head to the feast." He held out his arm to her, and she took it. They left the room, and headed down the long corridors towards the feast hall.

The hall was already filled with people, and as they passed, people bowed or curtsied. It was all rather surreal to her to see people curtsying and bowing to her. Granted they were bowing to Odin too, but she knew if it was just her passing, the reactions would be the same. It was just plain weird.

She was sat between Frigga and Loki, and the food was brought out on large platters. Servers wandered round, filling goblets with wine. The food was unlike anything she'd ever tasted. It far surpassed even the food at the feasts in Hogwarts.

"I hear Thor almost killed Fandral earlier." Loki said in an amused tone.

"It was quite a shock actually." Rayna said. "I'd thought he was a guard sent to keep me company or something. At first at least."

"And then Thor turned up." Loki guessed.

"No, actually. He seemed to have no clue who I was."

Loki nodded. "Well, Fandral was lucky. It was probably only his long standing friendship with Thor that saved him from any injury."

"It's actually one of those incidents I think I would rather forget about." Rayna said. "I've read some of mum's diary."

He nodded. "I guessed you would have. Did you see anything that stood out?"

"It said he was after me because of a prophecy, but no one has ever told me that before. This is the first I've heard of any prophecy."

"We do not know either. We were rather hoping you would already know of the prophecy." Loki admitted.

"Sorry to disappoint, but this is the first I've heard of it." Rayna shrugged. "I just wish I hadn't been kept in the dark. I've had no real reason for why it happened until now. I bet Dumbledore knows though."

"Don't worry over the contents of the prophecy. You are not ready yet to fight full scale battles, so whatever it says, you are protected from it."

"How can you stop a prophecy?"

"Mortals have a habit of making self-fulfilling prophecies." Loki informed her. "Those do not need to be acted upon. And even if they are for the most part, those involved just have to choose to turn away from the words of the prophecy, and then it holds no power."

"Fingers crossed then."

"Pardon?" He asked, brow furrowing.

"A saying which means to hope for good luck." Rayna explained.

"Ah." He nodded.

Rayna realised something then. "My wand is in that house I was being kept in. How am I going to learn magic?" She asked.

"You will not need a wand for what I will teach you." Loki said. "We are not faced with the same restrictions as mortal sorcerers. A foci is not needed, though it sometimes helps. I've used staffs, for example. It is especially useful in a battle, when the staff acts as a physical weapon as well. There was one time that Thor, once again, had gotten us into quite a bit of trouble." The rest of the time was spent with Loki telling some rather entertaining stories and correcting several misconceptions over the myths and legends. Then it was time for the dancing. Rayna nervously chewed the inside of her lip.

"It will be fine." Frigga assured her. "Remember what I said earlier." She shot a look at Loki, and he nodded.

"Can I have this dance, Rayna?" He asked, standing and offering his hand.

She stood, and took it, smiling slightly at him. The dance was an easily paced one, and she found it easy to keep time. The lessons from Cedric and Professor McGonagall had paid off, it seemed. She even managed not to step on his feet, as she'd done with Cedric several times during the Yule Ball. When the dance finished, she let out a sigh of relief. The first one was done with, and she hadn't embarrassed herself.

"You seemed tense throughout the whole dance." Loki noted.

"I normally stand on my partner's feet." She explained. "I'm still getting used to dancing."

"Ah." He said nodding. "I thought you did remarkably well. You just needed to relax a bit and allow yourself to enjoy the dance a bit more."

She nodded at his advice. But she knew it would take some time for her to get used to dancing. Rayna only had chance to have a mouthful of wine before Thor asked her to dance. This one was much quicker paced than the last, and she found herself laughing as she tried desperately to not step on his toes. She had a buzz beginning in her head.

"I think the wine's starting to affect me." She admitted, laughing slightly.

"It is stronger than what you are used to on Midgard." He said.

"Yes. Add that to the fact that I haven't really ever drunk before, and there's going to be trouble."

"Do not worry about that." Thor said.

"I don't want to make a complete fool of myself."

"If you seem to be in danger of doing that, I promise, I will personally take you to one side in order for you to cool down a little." He said.

"Thank you." She said, gratefully. "I should probably stay off the wine a little."

"Just don't drink too much more. You'll be fine if you have a bit more." He assured.

She managed to sit out from the next dance before Odin approached her. She danced with him, before heading back to sit down. She'd had a bit more wine, and it was starting to take its toll on her. She was quite a bit more giggly than before. But she retained enough sense to know she needed to cool off. She saw that there was a large balcony to one side of the room, so she went and stood out on it, gazing at the stars. She wondered which of them was Midgard. She was so caught up in her thoughts of the world on which she had grown up that she did not hear anyone approach.

"You already miss it."

She jumped and turned to face Thor, who was now standing beside her. "Yes, I do." She said, turning back to look at the stars. "My friends must all believe me dead by now. And they won't have any warning that he's back until he chooses to show himself."

"We will find a way to warn them." Thor said.

"I hope so. I… I've already lost so much to him. He targets muggleborns. Thinks they're less. That they don't deserve to learn magic. That they're less than human, just because their parents aren't magical themselves. Hermione's muggleborn. She's the brightest and most talented witch I know. He'd target her anyway, but she's my best friend. She doesn't live behind any sort of protective wards. How will she survive, if he chooses to target her to try and get to me?"

"The moment the Bifrost is repaired, warriors will be sent to target Voldemort and his Death Eaters. They will warn your friends also." Thor said.

"I know I've only just arrived, but when will I get to go down myself?"

"You have yet to fully recover. And, you have much to learn. War is no place for someone with no training." Thor said.

"I'm all healed."

"Your wounds are." He agreed. "But you are still severely underweight. Let's not forget that, even though you have not had a breakdown, there are the trauma's that come with the experiences you have been put through."

She sighed. "I guess I just want to be able to see for myself that they are all fine. It's all well and good for you. All your friends are here. And you know if they are in danger they can take care of themselves. I don't have that luxury."

"That is where you are wrong. Did mother tell you of my banishment?"

"Yes."

"Then she has told you of Jane?"

"I had forgotten for a moment." Rayna admitted sheepishly.

"Do not worry about that. But I love her dearly. And I miss her. I did not get a chance to visit her before. I trust that she is safe, but I am not sure. I have had Heimdal check on her regularly, but it does not always reassure me."

"Sorry. I guess I just got caught up in my own worries."

"Tis fine, Rayna." He said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We all forget things like that when danger is great to those we love."

"Are you going to bring Jane to Asgard?"

"One day." He nodded. "Yes, I will. I cannot wait to show her my home." The look on his face when he thought of Jane… she'd seen it before. On Cedric's face, when he'd looked at her.

"You really love her."

"Aye. I do." He said. "How can you tell?"

"I've seen that look before." She turned back to look at the stars. "Seen it directed at me, even."

"Cedric." He said.

She nodded. "I failed him Thor. I duelled Voldemort, and at one point, our spells collided, and created this connection. Those he'd killed with that wand came from his wand. Cedric was one of them. He asked me to take his body back to his father. But I was caught."

Thor drew her into a one armed hug. "He will pay Rayna. I swear to you he will."

"But who else will he take from me before he does?" She asked. "He's already taken my parents and Cedric. Who else? How many people have to die until that bastard is satisfied or killed himself?"

"That I do not know. But tonight is a night of celebration. Forget these dark thoughts for now. You are home at last, and that is what matters." He said. "Now, you have already, briefly met Fandral and Sif, but I think it would be best to properly introduce you to them and Volstagg and Hogun."

The four were sat at a table, laughing and drinking. Sif was now wearing a dress of red and gold, instead of armour.

"My friends! I have not yet properly introduced you to my niece." Thor said, pulling a chair out for Rayna at the table. She sat down, and he sat beside her. "Rayna, this is Sif, goddess of war, Volstagg the Valiant, Hogun the Grim and you have already briefly met Fandral the Dashing. My friends, this is Rayna Asta Jamesdottir."

"Apologies if I offended you earlier, Princess." Fandral said.

"You didn't offend, honestly." Rayna said. "I'm sorry he threatened you." She jerked her head at Thor.

Fandral laughed. "No harm done." He waved his hand dismissively. "Thankfully Thor grabbed my armour, not my neck."

Thor laughed. "You are very lucky I decided to ask questions first, hit later, Fandral."

"It was a near miss." Fandral nodded, grinning.

Volstagg waved down a server. "We must have a drink to celebrate your return!" Another goblet of the smooth red wine was placed in-front of Rayna. She swore this would be her last, but after dancing with Fandral, Volstagg and Hogun (who lived up to his name the entire time), she found herself drinking another after each dance, in turn she got progressively drunker and forgot about her restraint of not drinking more.

That was probably how she found herself being supported by both Loki and Thor back to her rooms and lightly singing a song Volstagg had taught her a few hours previous. She stumbled, only for one of them to steady her.

"I'm never this clumsy." She laughed. "I'm even more graceful flying. Unlike Viktor. He's duck footed on the ground and graceful in the air." She rambled. "I wonder how he and Fleur are doing. I made friends with them during the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Fleur's part Veela, did you know? I can't remember if I ever told Ron. He was always drooling over her. I meant to tell him. Can't remember if I did now. I hope he's alright. Mrs Weasley would know. She has this clock with hands with hers, her husbands, and all her children's names on. They'll point to where all her family is. Home, School, work, mortal peril. Quite a cool clock. They're a nice family, the Weasleys. 'Cept Percy. He's a bit of a pompous prat. He worked for the man who had Sirius chucked in Azkaban without a trial. Awful place that. Guarded by creatures called dementors. They suck all the happiness out of a person and make them relive their worst memories. Give them the chance; they'll suck out your soul. The damn things seem to love me. Because of them I hear mum on that night. She begged him to spare me. He just laughed after he killed her. Then he turned his wand on me. Didn't work. The bastard's curse rebounded. Bet he didn't see that coming. He should have stayed as a wraith. But sweet Merlin the guy is ugly. I wonder what happened to his nose."

Loki and Thor looked at each other. She remembered that night. And it was probably the only memory she had of Ingrid.

"I hope his death is as painful as possible. It's all his fault my life was a misery. If he hadn't come and torn my family apart I wouldn't have had to live with the Dursleys. They hate magic. Hate it. Tried to stamp it out of me. Only ever succeeded in causing more bursts of accidental magic." They didn't interrupt her. They were learning more from her now than they would when she was sober. "Did you know, up until the first time Hogwarts tried to send me a letter, just before I turned eleven, my bedroom was the cupboard under the stairs? Then, the letter came and it was addressed to my cupboard. Vernon was afraid then. So he let me move into the bedroom Dudley had used to store all his old toys in, the ones he'd grown bored with. And there were books in there too. Books which he hadn't even touched. They were good books. I can't see why anyone would just discard them. Yet again, Dudley's an idiot. A pig in a wig I used to call him. The name suited him. Still does." She swayed violently, and they stopped, thinking she was about to pass out. Luckily, she didn't. "Then there was Aunt Marge. I was forced to call her Aunt, even though she was just Vernon's sister. Gods I hated that woman. And her dogs. Especially Ripper. The damned thing chased me up a tree once. The Dursley's just laughed. I'm so glad I'm not related to them. Marge was an awful woman. The reason I blew her up like a balloon was because of how she talked about mum. 'If there's something wrong with the bitch then there's something wrong with the pup.' That's what she said. As if mum was nothing more than some dog. If I ever see that woman again…" And then she went completely limp.

"Let's get her to her rooms." Loki said. "Her maids should be there."

"We shouldn't have let her have so much wine." Thor said.

"But it has turned out in our favour." Loki reasoned. "She's told us far more now, than she would have when she was sober. What could have taken months to get out of her, piece by piece, came out in one night. But damn, she's been through far too much."

"What do you think she meant by they tried to stamp her magic out of her?" Thor asked darkly.

"It had better not be what I think, or I swear they are going to be in a world of pain." Loki growled. "Forget what I just said, they'll be in worse pain than what I already have in mind for them."

"They should have been looking after her properly." Thor agreed. "They have neglected their duties terribly."

"I fancy a trip back to Midgard, just to pay them a visit, when the Bifrost's repaired."

"I might just join you." Thor said.

When they got to Rayna's rooms, they saw that Frigga and Rayna's two maids were waiting.

"We'll take her from here." Frigga said. "How did she get so drunk?"

"Ended up drinking with Volstagg." Loki said.

"That explains it then." She said.

She started to come round as Amdis and Gerda took her from her uncles, supporting her between the two of them. "Where am I?" She asked blearily.

"Just outside your room my lady." Gerda said gently.

"We found a few things out before she passed out." Loki said. "We'll tell you after." His green eyes flicked to Rayna, who was leaning forward dangerously close to falling.

Frigga nodded. "I won't be long." She opened the door to Rayna's chambers and led the two maids and her granddaughter inside. It didn't take long to help the very drunk Rayna get ready for bed, and the moment that her head hit the pillow, she was asleep, the alchohol preventing the nightmares that would surely plague her in the coming weeks.


A/N: No preview, because I want to stop being horrible, as it was pointed out in a review. Please review, and I hope you enjoyed.