A/N: Hello all! Hope you are all well, I am enjoying the thought of having a four day weekend! And my friends university friends are coming up next weekend, so I only have a 3 day work week next week! Setting up the latest webshop is going slowly, I've learnt about SEO names and keywords (basically the google search terms you want your stuff to be flagged up by) so now all that's left is to weigh the 431 products we haven't got data for... including a table that I reckon is probably over 50kg. And all I have is a set of bathroom scales... So work is going to be fun next week!

Thanks as usual to all readers, and double thanks if you register your interest/appreciation in any way!


Chapter Forty Eight – Schools out?

In no time at all the end of term was upon the students at Hogwarts. Overall the student body seemed joyous at the thought of an extended period without homework or exams. Although Albus' decision to cancel all non-essential exams meant that there weren't many people wanting to run away from the tests. There were a few, mainly studious Ravenclaws, who didn't seem that happy with the thought of an enforced period away from the library they loved. Mateo smiled as he heard a group of first years moaning about having to go home, he remembered when he had seen a couple of them moaning about being homesick at the start of term.

As far as Mateo knew Hermione had been the only one who hadn't been too keen with the cancellation of the exams, even though she had missed a lot of revision time. However their group had worked on her and she had eventually agreed to the idea of spending the extra time relaxing outside in the sunshine. It had been a close call, but their combined efforts had lured her away from the dusty library, and they were engaged in an animated discussion whilst lounging under a tree by the Black Lake.

Their very important discussions mostly comprised of their plans to meet up over the summer, and what they would do depending on where they ended up. Because it was such a difficult decision to make, three of their number felt bad about taking advantage of Tony's jet, they started the discussion as soon as they could. As it was they had been talking over the various pros and cons for the last three days and were yet to make a decision on the matter.

"Why do you have to live so far away?" Kevin grumbled good-naturedly.

"Because America seems to have more than its fair share of superheroes and alien invasions. Just be glad I live in America and not India still, living there would involve one heck of a road trip. If the train journey didn't terrify you then ricksaw rides would," Mateo grinned at the thought of his friends experiencing Indian roads. "I can suggest to Tony that they relocate Avengers Tower to London, but I doubt the UK government would approve the planning permission for it to be built in the heart of the city."

"Well there was an alien attack on London a few weeks ago apparently, there's probably some empty plots of land available," Kevin pointed out.

"I heard a little about that, Dad was rather vague with the details but he said Thor was involved," the American student said.

"I don't think even the media knows more than that," shrugged Kevin.

"If I find out more I'll let you know," Mateo promised.

He didn't mention how it grated that they were still trying to protect him by hiding the details. Although he knew that they just cared about him and wanted him to have a childhood, there were times when Mateo wanted to point out that he had been in the middle of the Battle of New York too. He had seen the blood and gore of that battle, he could handle hearing a few more details about what went on to his extended surrogate family.

"See this is where you are an amazing friend, I get all the inside gossip," Kevin punched him gently on the arm and successfully bringing him out of his thoughts.

"Should I take that as a compliment or as an insult that you just enjoy using me?" Mateo asked with a straight face.

"Oh definitely the latter," Hermione joined the pair with a laugh. "You could just ask Tony to build you your own Iron Man suit, then that way you could zip over the Atlantic as and when you need to."

"That's actually not a bad idea, the only problem would be having to deal with any growth spurts I have in the future," Mateo sighed.

"I'm sure if you word it right Tony would see that as a challenge to overcome," Hermione spoke.

"Indeed," Mateo chuckled. "I can add it to the list of things that I bring to Tony's attention for him to help us with."

The morning dawned of the day that everyone was to leave Hogwarts on the train. Every dormitory was empty once more and the carriages were lined up to take the students to the train station. Half of the students had already boarded the train by the time Mateo and his friends reached the platform, but they managed to secure a compartment of their own.

However Neville, Kevin, and Hermione had just sat down, and Mateo was about to join them, when he spotted something outside the window. A raven had just landed on the roof of the small station building and was strutting along the guttering. Although that might not be uncommon behaviour for a bird, Mateo was intrigued by the unusually vibrant sheen on the wings of the bird, and the piercing green of its eyes.

"I'll be right back," he said as he quickly slipped out of the compartment doorway and headed off the train.

The raven was still there when he stepped back onto the platform, and it didn't seem inclined to fly away as he approached. It was only as he stood directly underneath the bird did it hop along the gutter in the direction of the path the first years took in September. Curiosity got the better of Mateo and he followed it down the platform. Again it travelled further and alighted on a tree at the bend of the path.

At this point Mateo hesitated, he could not afford to travel too far and to miss the train home, but he still had at least five minutes until said transport would depart. And worst come to the worst he could just ask one of the professors to contact his father. He took a deep breath and chose his path, and wandered after the raven.

He trotted around the last corner that he had seen the bird fly around and was slightly disappointed to see it gone. Mateo was about to turn around and head back to the train when something slammed into his back and pushed him to the hard ground.

Mateo coughed heartily to expel the dust from his lungs that he inadvertently inhaled upon impact. Once he was certain that he wasn't in danger of choking he gingerly rolled over to see what had hit him. Standing above him with a wide grin of satisfaction was a very familiar face.

"There are more polite ways of greeting someone Loki," Mateo coughed as he sat up.

"But this one was infinitely more satisfying. To see the son of the monster being caught unawares is delicious," Loki smirked.

Mateo took the opportunity as they spoke to inspect Loki. It had been close to two years since he had seen the god and Mateo was struck by the amount the other had changed. Where before his hair had looked slick and perfectly controlled it now hung more in haphazard spikes. It still looked rather styled, but there was a definite air of unkeptness that Mateo didn't associate with Thor's adopted brother.

The air of neglect continued to Loki's clothes. Although they seemed to be able to self-repair and clean, like Thor's, there was evidence of scuff marks and scrapes. Even Thor's cloak hadn't borne a single tear after the battle against the Chitauri. To Mateo it seemed that the clothing had faced hard wear for a long time and was losing its ability to repair itself. He could guess how annoying it was to the formally impeccably dressed god that his image was less than perfect.

Finally Mateo inspected Loki's eyes and face, and what he saw almost made him shudder. The deep green eyes, which in some ways matched Mateo's, had gained a spark of insanity that hadn't been there before. It didn't help that Loki had lost quite a lot of weight and now looked closer to gaunt than just thin. The two factors teamed together gave the man a desperate and manic air that Mateo would normally associate with a cornered wild dog. Mateo was sure that whatever facility Loki had been living in he hadn't had an easy time there, and that he would likely fight tooth and nail to avoid going back.

"I've barely had six months proper training, give a kid a break. I thought you were languishing in a gaol somewhere?" the Hogwarts student asked as he stood and dusted himself off.

"Asgard became rather tedious so I orchestrated an escape, faked my death and am free to travel the realms once more," Loki announced.

"So I should probably not mention this meeting to Thor?" Mateo asked.

"If you do I will kill you," Loki threatened.

"So the purpose of this is not to kill me then?" Mateo asked.

"Why would you assume that?" the god raised an eyebrow.

"The last time we met my Dad had recently smashed you repeatedly into the floor. You're attempt at world domination had been thwarted and you had been humiliated. Seeing as you have gained your freedom I guessed you would be looking for revenge. Or at least that is usually the MO of escapee villains."

"The events in Asgard recently had some unforeseen impacts, and those that would be able to assist you with your problem are dead. I decided to be gracious and offer my services in ridding you of the parasite," Loki ignored Mateo's last statement. His speech was slightly slower and more hesitant than normal, and Mateo got the impression it almost was painful for Loki to speak them.

"Why? Don't get me wrong, I am grateful for the offer, but I do not understand why you would want to help me," Mateo asked.

"Frigga, Queen of Asgard, was one of many to be killed by the Dark Elves. She would have been the best qualified to assist you with this problem, however obviously that is not possible. It is in her memory I offer my services, as second best to deal with it," Loki said. It was obvious how painful it was for him to speak truthfully, and that the news still struck a nerve with the disgraced god.

"I don't want to insult your talents, but I have to ask whether you are certain you are competent enough to help me? You aren't just offering to do this out of a sense of duty to your adoptive mother?" Mateo said boldly.

Loki glared at him for his impertinence but replied cordially, if grudgingly. "I will be able to do what is needed; you should be asking yourself if you are up to facing this. It will not be a pleasant experience."

"I will manage, I do not want a leech within me," Mateo stated firmly.

"Then we should go," Loki held out a hand to the human.

"Wait, I need to leave a note for my friends to pass on to my Dad. How long will I be gone," Mateo suddenly remembered the others.

The god sighed heavily and conjured a piece of paper and a pen, "be quick, I can get it to them faster than you can move. We should be done in a week."

Determined to ensure that he would not give Loki a reason to go back on his offer the boy did grab the paper and scribbled a very vague but positive explanation of his disappearance before handing it back to Loki. True to his word the man vanished it immediately and Mateo had to trust that he sent it to the right place.

"I expect you to follow my orders precisely and immediately," Loki started to lay down the ground rules. "I will not tolerate insubordination nor cheek. Understand?"

"Yes sir," Mateo replied quickly whilst biting back a grin. Secretly he wondered what a meeting between this god and his Potions Master would be like. Either Snape and Loki would get on wondrously, or they would be at each other's throats within five minutes of meeting.

"I do not know how you will cope with inter-realm travel, so we shall be going to my hideout on Midgard," Loki explained. "Take my hand."

Mateo did as he was bid and barely had time to gasp before the pair of them vanished.

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"What do you mean he just left the train and didn't get back on?" Bruce's raised voice carried easily over the platform.

"Bruce take a breath," Tony advised him, worried about an appearance of a less easily controlled persona happening.

"I'm fine," Bruce snapped, "I just can't believe my son would run off like that. What did he say?"

"He saw something on the platform and went to look at it, and said he would be back soon. Then a letter appeared in our compartment saying he was going somewhere," Kevin said timidly.

"We didn't have time to get off the train to find him," Neville said miserably, but determined to back up his friend.

"Can I see the letter?" Bruce sighed.

Hermione quickly produced the piece of paper and handed it over. Tony for once acted sensibly and attempted to enact damage control by soothing the children and their parents whilst his friend read the letter. Bruce didn't really pay attention to the world around him, or the fact that Hermione's parents were shooting him worried glances over Tony's shoulder, and he instead focussed on the letter written in Mateo's unmistakable handwriting.

Dad (And friends)

I met someone unexpectedly at the platform who has offered to assist me with something that has been bothering me for a while. It would be the first of many issues to be dealt with, so I'm glad this one at least is getting addressed. I have been asked to keep his identity secret, but I trust him. I should be back in a week, if I expect to stay longer I will let you know.

Sorry for running off like this but I believe this will be beneficial for everything. See you soon.

Mateo x

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Bruce sighed as he finished reading the letter for the fiftieth time and tucked it into a pocket whilst he tried to remain calm. Over the two years that Mateo had been at school Bruce had worked on calming himself down without the assistance of his son and he thought that he had gotten rather good at it. However seeing as it was his son that was the cause of this stress he was finding it more difficult than usual to keep the Other Guy contained, as it was his other self's sense of protectiveness that was threatening to swamp Bruce.

However he managed to eventually slam the barrier up between him and his other half and finally regained full control. Tony had been very quick in herding Bruce back off Platform 9 ¾ and out to the open air. He knew that Bruce cooled off quicker in open quieter places, and if he failed to regain control then the Hulk had more places to run to rather than just destroying the train station.

"So a person unknown has offered to help him with a problem?" Tony broke the silence that had befallen them in the car.

"I would have said he has to be with Loki, apart from the fact that we have Thor's account of his death. Who else knows about Mateo and his problems?" Bruce took of his glasses and kneaded his eyes to stave off a migraine.

"There's only three in the magical world, and they are all bound to silence and not skilled enough to help," Tony countered.

"But Loki is dead!"

"Thor thinks he is dead, there is a difference," the billionaire said rather reluctantly.

"I would have thought Mateo would have had more sense than to go off with him," Bruce growled.

"Loki did not seem too hostile towards him when they met last though, did he?" Tony recalled the details he had been given of the meeting after the Battle of New York.

"He didn't, but he didn't seem friendly enough to not kill Mateo as revenge against us," Bruce said darkly.

"I don't think even Loki would stoop low enough to murder innocent children as a way of getting revenge," Tony said, although he didn't sound entirely convinced himself.

"Even if he doesn't kill Mateo, we don't exactly have may ways of following him to another realm. I doubt Thor would have much of a clue as to where Loki could be hiding, his brother has had much more experience in hiding from people," Bruce grumbled.

"We give him a week to reappear, if he doesn't by then we head back to America and tell the others," Tony said decisively.

"That could be a week that Loki has ahead of us to get running," Bruce protested. "We only have a few hours that he could still be on this planet!"

"But if it is Loki and if he is helping Mateo then can we risk interrupting him and stopping him from acting?" for once the billionaire was the voice of reason.

… Fine, one week," Bruce huffed and returned to staring out of the window at the rainy London landscape.

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Mateo looked around at the barren landscape below him in amazement. Loki had somehow teleported them to an abandoned castle high in the mountains of some country, and there was no other living being visible as far as the eye could see. The sum total of the beauty of the area was snow and rocks, which covered the entire vista as far as the eye could see.

"Where are we?" Mateo asked.

"East of the UK, west of America," Loki replied shortly and unhelpfully.

"How did you come by this castle?" Mateo asked again as he turned around and surveyed Loki's 'hideout'.

"It was already abandoned, I merely made it habitable," Loki snapped. "Now come along."

Deciding that it was probably not a good idea to anger the god further Mateo shut up and tried to keep up with the god's much faster pace. After passing through the portcullis, which closed of its own accord behind them, the pair crossed a large deserted courtyard and through the grand aged wooden doors into the castle. The drab grey stone that made up the defensive wall of the castle was also the main material for the building of the castle, making the entire structure look dark and oppressive. Mateo thought it suited Loki's will to dominate quite nicely.

The large doors had led the pair straight into a large hall, which for a second confused Mateo who had been expecting the large and bright Entrance Hall of Hogwarts. Perhaps the grey hall in front of them had once been covered in tapestries and lit by many large chandeliers, but now the room was empty of all furniture and drapes. The only source of colour and light came from the weak sunlight attempting to shine through the windows. High above stained glass motifs depicted long forgotten saints rewarding the masses, and long dead lords triumphing in mighty battles. But now their deeds illuminated a deserted room, casting light down for only one child to gaze in awe upon.

Although Mateo would have liked to be able to stop and properly inspect the stained glass windows Loki had already covered the entire room and was heading through a smaller but heavy door. So the human ran to catch up and followed the green clad man up the large staircase. They kept going all the way to the third floor where Loki turned off the main stairs and down an unlit corridor. He stopped at the far end and turned to the right to open a door.

"That is something else we shall have to correct, having a limp will merely hinder you in your battles," Loki announced, and Mateo started. He didn't think the god would have cared, or had paid enough attention to notice his slight limp. "This will be your room."

The room was bare except for a large bed, a chair, and a fireplace. The large window in one corner looked out over the landscape but beyond that there was nothing to draw Mateo's gaze. It was only as he looked around the room that he noticed something.

"Err, sir? I only have the clothes that I am wearing," Mateo said hesitantly.

"You can clean them with magic, you won't be here long enough to require more," Loki dismissed.

"But I am not allowed to practice magic out of school, the penalty is potentially being stripped of my magic," Mateo informed the God.

As he had said to his friends before, him being an American citizen meant that European tracing spells weren't attuned to him. However he really didn't want to run the risk of bringing wizards to Loki's safe haven and ruining whatever trust the god had in him. If that happened he might not be able to find any way of removing the horcrux in him, so Mateo had good incentive to avoid attracting any attention.

"This castle is covered in so many protective spells so that no one can find it, they will not be able to detect your magic," Loki sneered, probably at the thought of humans finding him.

"Be that as it may sir, but I do not know the incantation," Mateo wasn't sure whether it was Loki or the setting that had him talking more politely and properly.

Loki sighed and seemed to be trying to keep his temper in check. "I shall deal with your problem tomorrow, and then after than I shall teach you what you need. It seems that whatever passes as education in this realm is pitifully inadequate."

"Thank you sir," Mateo's words seemed to startle Loki. "Is there anything I can do to repay your assistance and education? No doubt you can do cleaning and such with a click of your fingers, but I could perhaps cook food for you?"

"I have yet to become enamoured of Midgardian food, but it would save me effort. I trust you are not a lousy cook to offer such services?"

"I am probably better than everyone my age, and better than have the adult population," Mateo said without hesitation.

"Then you shall cook, I shall show you where the kitchens are," Loki swept out of the room and down the corridors once more.

The drabness of the great hall continued throughout the castle, and made it extremely obvious either how little time Loki spent at this residence, or how little interest he had in material things.

Mateo was at least relieved to see that the kitchen was properly furnished with all kinds of pots, pans, knives, cutlery, plates, and furniture. A large fire burnt in the large grate, giving light and heat to the room that was large enough for ten to work in without any space issues.

"Sir?" Mateo started and waited for Loki to turn to him. "What kinds of food do you prefer? How much do you require at each meal?"

"I eat anything, but unlike my brother I have a taste for finer dining than merely a spit roasted animal. Nor do I eat half as much as he does," Loki sneered.

"Thank you, what time do you want to eat?"

"Breakfast shall be at eight, lunch will be at noon, and dinner shall be at six in the evening," Loki declared.

"I better start cooking then," Mateo checked his watch and headed towards the door that he assumed led to the larder.

"We are four hours ahead of English time here, so do not bother about lunch and we shall merely focus on dinner. As such it is two in the afternoon and we have two hours to spare before you need concern yourself with cooking. I shall instead teach you some more refined and elegant ways of casting magic than your primitive stick waving," Loki decided.

"I am prepared to listen to anything you deign to tell me," Mateo waited patiently for the man to start the lesson.

Loki thankfully took in the humble manner that Mateo was hoping he would and started to talk. "The problem with you Seidr is that you think that you require a stick to channel your magic. However the elder's of your race have the ability to cast silently and wandlessly, which proves that notion false. You merely need the strength of mind and concentration that does indeed come with years of practice…"