"You and Loki can always come home with us." Steve offered, sitting on his trunk in an attempt to close it.
"It's fine my friend," Thor smiled, reaching over to help Steve close the straps on his trunk.
"I feel bad," Steve said, "It's the first year you aren't going home for Christmas."
Thor laughed, "Can you blame me? My father hasn't been in our good graces this year, could you imagine if I brought Loki home?"
"Steve!" Bucky called from the doorway, "Are you packed yet? We have to go!"
"You're sure?" Steve asked again.
"Absolutely." Thor grinned, "We will be here amongst friends, Natasha and Clint are staying, so is Kate, so you need not worry about us! You both have a great holiday!"
"Alright," Steve smiled, "You too! Have a great holiday! And Loki too!"
"I'll let him know!" Thor called as Barnes finally managed to drag Steve and his trunk out the door.
Alone at last, Thor allowed himself to sink back on his bed, he and Loki were 2 of only 12 students staying back for the holidays. Aside from Natasha, Clint, and Kate, there was also Erik Lehnsherr, Charles, Raven, Rocket, Groot, and, of course, Peter Quill, and Gamora Titan.
Thor didn't know the Guardians all that well, but he did know that they would be spending Christmas together in Professor Udonta's living quarters, seeing as Professor Titan had taken Nebula out on Holiday, refusing to take Gamora, though she didn't mind much.
He also knew that Charles, Erik, and Raven would spend the day together, as they did every year.
That left himself, Loki, Natasha, Clint and Kate to have their own Christmas. It was a difficult year, to say the least, but Thor had managed to secure a few presents for Loki on his last trip to Hogsmeade, and he was determined to make this Christmas a good one for his little brother.
Suddenly, a snowball hit his window, causing Thor to jump up and race over to see who it was.
"Got the tree!" Natasha yelled from where she and Clint were standing below Gryffindor tower, a beautiful green tree floating between them. She was holding her wand, ready to enchant more snowballs to hit his window. "Come help!"
"Alright! Thor called, reaching for his scarf, "I'll be right down!"
After the tree was securely placed in Thor's dorm, he, Natasha and Clint arranged the 5 beds in the room, so they circled around the tree. Then, Clint raced to get Kate from the Hufflepuff dorms and Natasha walked out calmly behind him to retrieve Loki from the Slytherin dorms.
With his friends gone, Thor quickly reached under his bed to retrieve their gifts. Three bags of assorted tricks from Zonko's for Natasha, Kate, and Clint. And for Loki, a Slytherin Scarf, some fresh parchment, and the Book of Spells by Miranda Goshawk. Loki had seen a copy in the restricted section of the library when he and Kate had snuck in there around Halloween, and it had taken Thor quite a while to find another copy.
He carefully wrapped all the packages in the brown paper that Natasha had been so nice to acquire for him, while hoping that his friends took their time coming back to the Gryffindor Dorms. He had just enough time to wrap the gifts and slide them back under the bed before heard the voices of his friends and little brother drift down the hallway.
"I can't believe that Professor Parker actually took Peter skiing!" Kate squealed, "He's gonna fall I swear. I'll bet you 2 galleons that he comes back with a broken arm!"
Clint laughed, "3 galleons says it's his leg."
"I put 4 galleons on him breaking more than one, but Professor Parker using Brackium Emendo," Loki said as he opened the door to Thor's dorm, "You know she must be exceptional at it by now."
Kate grinned at Loki sticking her hand out for him to shake, "You've got yourself a bet Odinson!"
"I will not be lending you those galleons if you loose little brother!" Thor laughed, ruffling Loki's hair as Clint and Kate stifled their laughs. Loki shoved his brother off, acting appalled, but smiling all the same.
"I do not need your charity Thor."
"Of course you don't!" Thor grinned. He turned to face Clint, "Where's Natasha?"
"She's coming, she just wanted to grab something from Quill. Can't imagine what it'd be."
"Well," Kate said, throwing herself on a bed, "If Tasha's getting something from Quill, we're all toast."
Thor sat on the foot of his own bed, with Loki taking a seat on the bed next to him.
"What are we going to do with this?" Loki asked, gesturing to the tree.
"Decorate it." Thor said, smiling like mad when the two younger kids' eyes lit up at the idea. It would be both of their first Christmases away from home. Loki for obvious reasons, and Kate because her father wouldn't be home for the holidays and had no interest in sending for his daughter. Clint had told him that Kate was pretty broken up about it, but was putting up a front. Thor found he couldn't blame her, since he was largely doing the same.
"With what?" Loki asked.
"Magic mostly, but we managed to find…"
"Steal." Clint added.
"Secure," Thor corrected, "Some ornaments from downstairs."
Just then, Natasha kicked the door open, holding a box of sparkling Christmas bulbs.
"Quill and Rocket delivered big time boys!" she grinned, "And Clint!"
Clint looked at her suspiciously as she threw a box at him.
"Rocket says "Merry Freaking Christmas.""
"What is it!?" Kate cried.
"Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans." Clint says looking curiously at the box.
"Oooh!" Kate squeals, "Give me one!"
Clint shrugs, slicing open the box and holding it out to Kate.
"Mmmm." She hums, "Cherry, my favorite."
Clint raises his eyebrow, then plops one into his mouth, "ahhhh!" he screams, sticking his tongue out, "What was that?"
"Vomit?" Kate asks.
"Earwax?" says Loki
"Dirt?" Thor suggests.
"Rotten Egg?" says Natasha.
"Why are all of those even flavors?" Clint asks, downing a glass of water Natasha conjured up for him.
"Well," Thor shrugged, "It does say 'every' flavor."
"I didn't think it meant any flavor! I thought it meant normal flavors! Like watermelon, cherry and apple!"
"Those are in there too." Loki says, plucking the box from Clint's hand. He combs through it a takes out a bean, popping it in his mouth, "You just have to know which one to pick. That one was marshmallow." He held the box out to Clint.
"No thanks," he said, putting his hands up, "you can keep 'em."
Loki shrugged, as Kate leapt from her bed to his, holding out her hand for some beans, "Suit yourself."
After decorating the tree and exploring all the other flavors of the beans, the rag-tag group of students settled down for the night. Thor feigned sleep as he watched both his brother and Kate drift off, before quietly slipping the gifts out from under his bed and placing them under the sparkling tree. After that was done, he slid back into bed, grinning up at the tree. They really had done a great job with it.
Thor jolted awake to two hands gripping his arm, shaking it firmly.
"Thor!" Loki hissed, "Get up! There are presents!"
"Are there?" Thor mumbled, grinning at his brother.
"You big oaf! You knew that, now get up!" Loki nearly shoved his brother off the bed, causing Thor to sit up.
"Okay, Loki, okay. I'm up, please don't push me off the bed."
"Finally!" Kate cried from her spot on the floor, cradling a bag in her lap, "Loki said we couldn't do presents without you!"
Thor raised an eyebrow at his brother, "You did?"
Loki's cheeks turned bright red, "No." he scoffed, throwing a present at Thor's head, that he just managed to catch. "Open that first."
"Why don't you and Kate open first?" Thor suggested, "I think she's about to burst."
"Yes!" Kate squealed, ripping the paper out of her bag and pulling out "An ugly cloak… thanks Clinton."
Clint laughed, "Put it on!"
Kate rolled her eyes, draping the red cloak around herself, and turning completely invisible.
"Oh my God!" Kate screamed, "It's an invisibility cloak!" she ran up to Clint, jumping on him, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"
"You're welcome!" Clint laughed.
"You next Loki!" Thor called, watching as his little brother picked up one of the brown paper packages.
"You'll go after?" Loki asked.
"If you want."
Loki grinned, ripping the wrapping off the gift, his eyes grew wide as he turned to his brother, "You found it?"
Thor grinned, "Natasha and Tony helped."
"But it was in the restricted section!"
"Not if you know where to look." Natasha smirked, as Loki beamed up at Thor.
"You next!" Loki cried.
Thor chuckled as he picked up the sloppily wrapped package. He watched as Loki bit his lip nervously while he started ripping the paper. Thor's mouth dropped open when he saw the little picture frame inside. In the picture, were the smiling faces of his family. Their mother smiled and swayed gently back and forth as she held a much younger Loki in her arms. Thor was grinning as he hugged the family dog, Fenris, with their father's hand on his shoulder. Hela stood on their father's other side, her back to Odin, but smiling at Thor's antics none the less.
"I hope you like it I couldn't think what to get you and I didn't have money and so I asked Heimdall and he said he thought he could get something you might like and…"
Thor reached forward and pulled his little brother into a strong one-armed hug, "I love it Loki, it's perfect. Thank you."
"Merry Christmas Thor."
"Merry Christmas Loki."