Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or the Avengers.
Authors note: I can never apologise enough for how late this chapter is. I've never gone this long between chapters with any story and I can only say life happened. Hopefully you'll accept an even longer chapter than usual as my apology. Thank you to those of you who reviewed and welcome to the new followers and favourites.
Chapter 16
"Come on, Micah," Dahlia said loudly as she banged on his door, "You're taking longer than I did".
His door quickly opened and he gestured down to his outfit. He wore dark brown pants with brown boots, a cream coloured shirt while wearing a few gold pendants from his world and a gold belt holding a knife, his gun and communication device. He also wore a dark brown, almost black, jacket. Micah said, "You said royal outfits would make me seem arrogant and they wouldn't like me, then you said staying in my training uniform would seem like I didn't care, so how about this?"
Dahlia rolled her eyes and said, "You look fine, normal, which is great".
He then looked to her outfit to see she wore a simple long sleeve purple silk gown with silver stitching around the neckline, wrists and the bottom of her dress. She also wore a silver belt holding her dagger, wand and communication device while wearing her locket and the bracelet that Micah gave her. Her hair was down in its natural waves which he rarely saw as she always had a clip in or some braid but this time she didn't. He said, "You look beautiful".
Dahlia looked down and saw nothing special about her outfit but said, "Thank you. We should get going, Hela said to meet her in her office for the portal. She has a meeting with the child representatives soon".
"Of course," he said and the two quickly made their way to Hela office.
However, just as they were turning down the corridor to her office, they were greeted with Loki who quickly took hold of Dahlia's hand and placed an item into it. He said, "Falcon will be facing his second challenge in one hour. We will be on Midgard but not anywhere near you, I thought you might want this".
He moved his hand and she looked into her hand to see a compact mirror, she assumed it was a looking glass and she asked, "What's his challenge? How will I know when to check in on you?"
"I don't know the challenge yet; your brother is keeping that to himself but I do know that it involves the sirens. He went there yesterday to finish preparations and they're ready. Falcon is healed enough and wants to do it now. You'll know the time; I will make sure of it".
"There you are," they heard and looked past Loki to see Hela coming to them. Dahlia quickly put the small compact mirror to her belt, hidden behind her dagger and safe from sight. Hela looked between them and asked, "Ready to go?"
Dahlia and Micah nodded as Loki said, "Be careful. You have your necklace to contact your sister if anything goes wrong or you want to come back earlier".
"I know, dad," Dahlia said. "Don't worry".
Hela looked to Micah and asked, "Are you sure you wish to go?"
"Yes, your Majesty," Micah answered, "It has been a long time since I was last there, I'm intrigued by what has changed".
"Very well," Hela said and waved her arm to open a portal, "Hogwarts, the Forests edge, is just on the other side of there".
Hela then held out her hands and Dahlia took one while Micah took the other. Loki then said quickly, "See you at dinner," before the three of them stepped in.
They came out just where Hela said, at the edge of the Forest, not too far away from Hagrid's hut actually. Hela let go of their hands and said, "I'll be back to pick you up in three hours".
Confused, Dahlia looked around before she asked, "What, no guards?"
Hela smiled and replied, "Of course, but they're already here and you can't see them. I thought after how everyone reacted last time over them, you might want a little more peace. Besides, Akio is one of them as he is the only one who knows who here is a friend and who isn't after following you last time. If you need anything, just call out for him and he'll show himself".
"Will do," Dahlia said.
"Have fun then," Hela said before she stepped back through the portal and it closed a second later.
The two then looked to Hogwarts and Dahlia gestured to the castle and said, "Welcome to Hogwarts".
Micah shrugged, "Not the best-looking castle I've seen, but not the worst".
"Come on," Dahlia urged and took off running and he was right behind her.
They both made it to the bridge before Dahlia pulled him to the side and put a finger to her lips to shush him. They waited a moment before two men walked out talking about checking the perimeter. As they moved on, Dahlia pulled him onto the bridge and said quietly, "Hermione told me Aurors are guarding the school, a security measure that Minister Bones put in place".
"Aurors?" he questioned.
"Dark wizard catchers, soldiers, police of the wizard community. I'd rather not be hassled by them right now".
They walked across the bridge and hid in the corridors as they watched students walk past. They looked busy as they had just finished lessons and Micha stated quietly, "I don't think it's possible to avoid all these people. Perhaps if you gave me a layout of the castle, I may be able to find us a way in without being detected".
"I'm not avoiding people, just looking out for anyone I don't particularly want to see. Besides, we just have to get to the staircase, we're meeting my friends on the seventh floor at the Room of Requirement, I'll explain later". Dahlia then said, "Come on, no one I desperately want to avoid is around and it will get around soon enough that we are here".
She walked out into the corridor and Micah stood beside her as they walked through the courtyard and all eyes were on them. People saying her name, pointing, staring and some even mentioning Micah and questioning who he was but then Dahlia heard mention of Micah's eyes and she completely forgot having gold eyes wasn't the usual. She then noticed a few people running and telling more people and knew it would be around the school much faster than she anticipated.
Dahlia stepped closer to Micah as she said, "Remember when you told me your people were fast, let's see how fast you really are".
She then took off running and she knew he didn't lie to her because before she even got out of the courtyard, he was running right next to her. The only reason he wasn't overtaking her was because he didn't know his way around or where the staircase was.
They got to the staircase rather quickly, dodging the students along the way and climbing up the first set of stairs fast before they stopped and looked to see no further stairs. Dahlia pointed up. He looked up to see the stairs moving and assumed it was with magic. Thankfully it didn't take too long for the stairs to reconnect with where they were and they were off running again.
"MISS LOKIDOTTIR," a familiar voice shouted as they were on the staircase leading to the sixth floor and Dahlia stopped to look down and Micah did too.
"Who's that?" Micah asked.
Dahlia didn't answer, just waved down the staircase and almost shouted, "Hi, Professor McGonagall, just popping in for a visit". She then turned to Micah and said, "Run" before they ran up the remainder of the stairs.
They ran around a few corridors on the seventh floor, bumping into less students than they did on the lower floors but they quickly found the hallway leading to the room. Dahlia saw George standing outside the doors and he said, "'Bout time you showed up. Who's he?"
"Friend," Dahlia said as they stopped running and walked to George and almost pushed him in as she said, "In, quickly. McGonagall has already seen me and is following us".
The three walked inside to see Hermione and Fred already sat down. The room was small and empty except a fireplace, a blanket and pillows placed on the floor for them to sit down on. Hermione stood from the pillows and smiled before she went to Dahlia and hugged her and said, "You're late".
"I know, someone was taking long getting ready," Dahlia said as she threw a look to Micah and Hermione pulled back to look at him. Dahlia then hugged Fred quickly then George and Hermione stood side by side with Fred as they were confused about who Micah was and Dahlia soon introduced them, "Micha, this is Fred and George Weasley and Hermione Granger. Guys, this is Micah".
"The prince?" Hermione asked surprised and remembered Dahlia's letters.
"Pleasure," Micah said with a small bow of the head and a charming smile.
"What prince?" the boys asked together.
"The prince whose staying on Niflheim," Hermione answered.
"Yes," Dahlia said, "Micah here is a prince. Prince Micah of Durilia, second son of King Zandr and Queen Aura".
"Please, call me Micah," Micah said.
"You're an alien," Fred said.
"Explains the eyes," George said.
"You don't look like a prince," Fred said.
"Where's your crown?" George asked.
"Guys," Dahlia almost snapped, "Cut it out. Yes, he is a prince, his eyes are actually normal on his world, yes, he is an alien but remember I am half alien and you guys are aliens to him and wearing crowns is a nightmare, trust me. You only wear them on special occasions or royal visits".
"Pardon me," Micah piped up, "But if those people on the stairs follow us, that door won't stop them," he gestured behind him.
Dahlia smirked and said, "Look again". He turned to see the door was disappearing and Dahlia said, "Magic. This is the Room of Requirement or the Come and Go Room. It's a room that only appears to people in great need of it and you have to walk in front of the walls three times repeating what you want for it to appear. As long as we remain in here, no one else can get in. We ran a defence club in here and it was much bigger and we had books everywhere, it was like that because the room changed to what we needed it to be at the time".
Micah mumbled, "Of course it's magic".
Hermione then pulled the twins to sit down and Dahlia followed, sitting in a circle, sitting between Hermione and Micah. Hermione said, "We've got some sweets, we got Dobby to get them from outside the school so it doesn't have any potions or anything in it that could cause you harm on purpose".
"Can you do anything?" Fred asked as he and George continued to stare at Micha.
"Non-human wise," George added.
Micah let off a little laugh as Dahlia scolded them, "Boys, come on, you don't ask something like that".
Micah said, "Dahlia, it's fine. I come from the planet Durilia, it has a very warm desert climate, my eyes are the way they are because they help me see through sand storms and I have very good eyesight. So good in fact, I can tell the two of you apart from just meeting you moments ago".
Fred and George smirked and questioned doubtfully, "Oh really?"
"Really," Micah said then pointed to George and said, "You're George. You may be identical but there are always difference, for instance your face is slightly longer in shape, your eyes are a bit more slanted than your brother's but not as deep as his. You have a small bump on your nose while Fred here has more a curved and longer nose and you seem to be just slightly taller. Am I right?"
The twins had lost their smirks and now stared at him with their mouths slightly open in disbelief. George mumbled, "No one can tell us apart, not after first meeting".
Micah shrugged and said, "It's very easy. You may call yourselves identical but you really should travel off world and look at genetic cloning on some worlds. Now they really are identical. As for what I can do, unless your people have changed drastically in the last few centuries since I was last here, my people are stronger and faster than yours. Of course, we do not possess magic though, not every world does, most don't in fact".
"Centuries?" Hermione asked, "How old are you?"
Dahlia gave her a look but Micah didn't seem to mind and answered, "I'm 870".
Dahlia had to laugh at how surprised her friends were and said, "You guys met my family, you shouldn't be surprised. Hela and the boys are over 1800 and let's not think about how old my dad is. Micah's people age a little faster than them but slower than everyone here".
"True," Hermione mumbled.
Dahlia got her wand from her waist and waved it, opening the bag on the picnic basket as the sweets began to levitate and spread out and she said, "Come on, Micah can try some real homegrown Midgardian sweets. Dobby went to the trouble of getting all of this so we should eat and I want to hear how everything has been going, outside of your letters".
They began to eat the snacks and tell stories of their time at Hogwarts and the twins thought it would be the perfect opportunity to embarrass Dahlia with stories in front of the foreign prince. Of course, Micah had his own stories to share regarding the princess in the short time he knew her but he mostly told them stories of other worlds and beings out there and creatures beyond their imagination. Dahlia was just as entranced with his stories as the twins and Hermione were as she had travelled very little off of Midgard and she enjoyed his stories and the love he spoke of other worlds.
When they finished eating, Dahlia was using magic to measure Hermione before writing her measurements down on some parchment she had summoned. The boys were telling Micah about their prank products and Dahlia said, "Micah, be careful. Whatever prank products you get from them, we'll have to make sure they react well with your brother".
"You have an annoying brother too?" Fred asked.
George then added, "We've got a few of those".
Micah replied, "Well my brother happens to be the heir to a world so he thinks he is everything to be desired. When he becomes king, who knows what rules he will implement. Probably ban fun that isn't beneficial for peace and negotiations".
As the boys talked more about having annoying brothers, Dahlia was finishing writing Hermione's measurements down and asked her, "So, how exactly did you persuade your parents to let you come in the holidays? You didn't say in your letter".
"Well, erm…" Hermione said and shifted and Dahlia raised her brows slightly as she looked at her best friend knowing something was wrong. The witch eventually sighed and said, "I didn't tell them I was going to a different world or that your father is Loki".
"So, what did you tell them?"
"I told them that you found out that your dad is alive, that James Potter was only your step dad but no one knew. I told them you have two brothers and a sister and that you are now living with them. I said they were nice and seemed great for you and that you were happy because they came to visit…then I told them you wanted me to come this summer so you're not with people you just met all summer and that they just didn't live in England".
Dahlia let off a small laugh and said, "You lied about the location of where you are going and guilt tripped them into thinking that I was going to be alone. 'Mione, 'Mione, 'Mione, you most certainly have changed since we first met".
"Says you!" Hermione said right back. "You were just a nervous eleven-year-old orphan who knew even less than I did about the wizarding world, now look. You're the daughter of a god, a princess of a foreign world and you have magic no one else here does".
Dahlia hummed and replied, "It's weird to remember who we were on that train ride. Now look, we're in a war. Imagine if we could go back and speak to our younger selves".
"They would think we are crazy," Hermione said with a smile, "Younger me would say its improbable and she wouldn't get in as much trouble as we have".
"You're right, I'd probably think…" Dahlia then stopped herself as she looked past Hermione to see her father. She knew he wasn't really there; she could sense him; he was an astral projection of the real thing. Hermione looked which gathered the attention of the boys but Loki said nothing, only gave a single nod to Dahlia to indicate it was time before he disappeared.
As he disappeared, Fred asked, "Where did he go?"
Dahlia didn't answer just went to her belt and got her compact mirror. Micah stood and walked to her and said, "It's time".
"Must be," Dahlia replied.
"What time?" Hermione asked.
"What's going on?" the twins asked together as they stood and walked to the three stood together.
"Falcon is doing honour challenges," Dahlia answered, "Basically, he wants to marry Hela".
"Really?" Hermione said excited, "Tell her congratulations".
"It's not that simple," Micah said, "Lord Loki is known for his reactions of past suitors who have attempted to even try to court his daughter, let alone marry her. Honour challenges are challenges presented by the living immediate males of the family, to test a suitor however they wish. Lord Falcon has done one challenge and is on his second but Queen Hela is not aware yet that he is doing them or that he has requested her hand by her father".
Dahlia opened the compact mirror before breaking the two pieces and said, "Facies magno" and they floated away from her and went to the wall and were made much larger so they could all see.
The looking glass was already changing and in moments showed Loki, Fenrir, Jörmungandr and Fenrir stood on a white cliff next to a white sandy beach. Falcon had taken his shoes off and was just taking his shift off as Jörmungandr said, "Do you understand? You cannot use you magic except to be able to breathe, you go in, get my necklace and come back".
Falcon nodded as he began to take deep breaths and said, "The sirens are in these waters, their city is not far from here. I'm assuming the necklace they gave you is there. Let me guess, they've been told to keep me underwater until my magic cannot provide me with air enough and I drown".
Jörmungandr just shrugged and replied, "I do not know what will happen once you step into that water. But you have one hour to complete the task, or you fail and you don't get my approval to marry my sister".
"Ready?" Loki asked and Falcon nodded. He walked to the edge of the cliff and took a few deep breaths before looking at the three men. Jörmungandr gave a single nod and he dived in immediately.
Loki then summoned a looking glass to watch Falcon as he attempted to complete his task.
Hermione asked, "They won't kill him, will they?"
"Most definitely," Micha answered.
Dahlia, however, shook her head and said, "That isn't something Jora would do. If he wanted him dead, he wouldn't bring him to the sirens, not when they are like family to him. Jora is more rational, he knows Falcon not completing the task would affect Falcon more than him dying…"
"Why then?" Micah questioned.
"I don't know," she replied and they moved some of the pillows and blankets so they could sit and talk while watching what Falcon was doing.
Some time passed before Falcon finally found the siren city. Most of the city seemed to be ruins of an old lost city that had sunk. Large boulders were piled up high where sirens were sitting and singing. The ruins seemed to be much more well preserved than the ones at the Hogwarts lake. He swam and swam until he started to see sirens, then he hid behind rocks believing they were told to cause him harm but he was confused, there were far less sirens than he believed there would be. He was constantly looking around, waiting for the sirens to attack him.
Falcon then swam low, hoping that the seaweed and other plants and small sea life creatures would keep him shielded from the sirens. It was while he was looking at the main ruins of a castle that he saw the necklace, shining while it hanged from the top window, but that's where most of the sirens were swimming. He knew he would have to swim right at them but if they attacked him, he had nothing to defend himself with and he couldn't use his powers as part of the rules. He looked around until he found a small sharp rock and a long stick and used some seaweed to tie the rock to the end of the stick, making a spear of some sort.
He began to swim towards them but as they noticed him, they didn't attack, they look almost pleased that he was there. A specific siren then began to swim around him, one with pale skin and black hair and green eyes. He tried to avoid looking at her but then he couldn't help but look when he noticed that part of her was dead. It was Hela. He gripped the spear tight but she swam close and began to sing, his mind was invaded with her song and she touched his arm, her fingertips only tracing his arm and he released the spear, it was falling slowly to the bottom of the sea floor. She leaned in to kiss him, his eyes slowly flittering to close as he leaned in.
"He better not," Dahlia said and crossed her arms in anger.
"Don't you see?" Micha asked, "You said your brother wouldn't test him as you thought. He isn't testing his strength; he's testing his loyalty. This isn't the only world with sirens, nor are they the only creatures that can get into the mind of men but they can be resisted. You have to fight back in your mind".
Dahlia released her arms as she realised the truth behind the challenge. "Now that sounds like Jora. The task isn't the necklace, it's if he kisses one of them".
Hermione then wondered, "But I thought no one can fight back against a sirens song".
"It is possible," Dahlia said remembering what she was taught in her magical lessons on Niflheim. "But it involves great strength of the mind. If you are in love, they mimic the person you love to get to you so you have to love that person completely, beyond all rational thought to fight through their song".
Falcon's lips were almost on the sirens', his eyes almost completely closed but then the image of Hela fought its way through the song. His beautiful queen was waiting at home for him, she wasn't this fish before him who was impersonating her, his queen was far more beautiful. His eyes shot open and he pushed the siren away, the spell breaking, turning the siren into a brunette with brown eyes. He didn't stick around, he began to swim to the window the necklace hung from but his mind was invaded by more than just one song now, all the sirens were singing now, tempting him to leave the necklace and stay with them. His hands went to his head, as if he could block out the songs but the magic that helped him breathe began to fail, he could feel small amounts of water now invading his lungs.
He grabbed the necklace quickly and as soon as it was in hand, the songs stopped but he didn't stay. He made his way up to the surface, fast. Once he broke the surface of water, he gulped in the air quickly and looked in the directions of the cliff to see Hela's father and brothers still stood there. He made his way back to the cliff and climbed it and even though he was exhausted, he stood before them and handed the necklace to Jörmungandr who said, "One minute and ten seconds remaining, impressive". He then put the necklace on and said, "You have my approval".
Falcon then looked to Loki who said, "Let's go home".
The mirror for Dahlia then went blank and shrunk. She picked it up and put the compact mirror back at her waist and then said, "Just my dad's challenge left now".
"Wicked," the twins said together.
George then said, "How about we get out of here? The end of term feast should be starting now and everyone will be in the hall, we can show Micah around and maybe show up half way through the feast".
The twins shared a smirk and Dahlia and Hermione glanced to one another before Hermione sighed as she asked, "What have you two done now?"
Fred shrugged and said, "You honestly didn't expect our last day at Hogwarts to go peacefully, did you?"
Hermione just rolled her eyes and said, "Of course not".
The small group of five then went off, happy to see that no one was waiting outside the Room of Requirement for them and that like George said, it seemed everyone was at the feast as the hallways were clear. They showed Micah around a few places, the Gryffindor common room being one of them but it seemed all the paintings were taking an interest in Dahlia and Micah, especially Micah as he was someone they had never seen before and a race they had never heard of. It was no surprise when the paintings began to move into one another, gossiping and spreading word of where the group was and what they had overheard them talking about.
Dahlia shouldn't have been surprised that when they left the Gryffindor tower, they would have people waiting for them, she shouldn't have been but she was. She quickly masked her surprise and smiled at the three Aurors, Tonks, Dawlish and Proudfoot, and said to the Auror she was most familiar with, "Hey, Tonks".
"Wotcher, Dahlia," Tonks replied with a smile while Dawlish and Proudfoot looked nervous and on edge.
Dahlia noticed their eyes lingered on Micah and she understood why when his hand was close to his gun and she said quietly to the prince, "It's okay, they won't harm us, the woman is a friend of mine".
Micah looked to Dahlia to see she was being honest and didn't seem too worried and if she was, Akio and the others would have showed themselves. He moved his hand from his gun but made sure to keep a close eye on the males in front of him as they seemed much more tense than the woman.
"McGonagall wants to speak to you," Tonks said. "She doesn't seem too happy you ran from her earlier and that you didn't tell her you were coming".
Dahlia walked out of the entryway and began to walk downstairs with Tonks beside her while Micah was behind her with Hermione, then the twins and Proudfoot and Dawlish. Dahlia said to Tonks, "I want to say the trip was last minute but we've had it arranged for about a week now. I honestly just didn't want the press here or people waiting for me to arrive. You followed me everywhere last time, you remember what it was like".
Tonks hummed, "Good point. So, how've you been?"
"Good. Busy. Between lessons for magic on this world, then lessons with my dad on Aesir magic, then lessons on the universe, training with Akio and working on the whole Voldemort war thing here. On top of that, princess duties, getting to know my family and making sure this one stays out of trouble," she said then gestured to Micah.
Tonks leaned against the bannister as the stairs moved and looked to Micah and said, "Wotcher".
Micah looked to Dahlia who said, "That's her way of a greeting. Micah, this is Auror Tonks. Tonks, this is Prince Micah of Durilia. He's staying with my family on Niflheim for a little while".
"Nice to meet yah," Tonks said and held out her hand to shake.
Micah, however, took the hand and placed a kiss to it and said, "Pleasure".
When he let go, Tonks looked at Dahlia who said, "Micah is older than he looks and he is royal so his mannerisms are different to the average person".
When they finally arrived at the Great Hall, Proudfoot and Dawlish waited outside the Hall while Tonks walked in with the others. The twins and Hermione took their seats at the Gryffindor table as Tonks went to the front with Micah and Dahlia. Dahlia saw everyone in the hall staring at her and talking had almost dwindled to nothing. All the students were staring, as were professors and Avengers but Dahlia noticed Thor wasn't present.
"Found them in Gryffindor tower," Tonks said as they stood in front of the main table.
"Hey, little Loki," Tony said.
Dahlia ignored him as she looked at the stern look of professor McGonagall and quickly said, "In my defence, I did say hi to you and I was planning to speak to you before we left".
McGonagall raised her brow as Micah asked, "Why is she looking at you like that?"
Dahlia glanced at him and said, "She's deputy headmistress and before I went to live on Niflheim, there was a small period of time where she had custody of me and on top of that, she is head of Gryffindor house so all the kids in Gryffindor are in her care. Meaning the five years I was here, all the stories you've heard about me getting in trouble, she was the one who would tell me off".
Micah glanced between the princess and the stern professor and said, "So she has full right to look at you like she's about to tell you off?"
"Yep," Dahlia said popping the p then looked to the professor and said, "And in my defence, if anything has happened here in the past couple of hours, it wasn't me. I've not been up to anything so cross me off the list of suspects seen as I'm usually number one".
McGonagall didn't say anything for a moment but when it seemed Dumbledore was about to speak, she beat him to it and said, "Miss Lokidottir, I know you have spent some time away from Hogwarts and it is great to see you but we have rules on outside visitors".
"Professor, this is Prince Micah of Durilia. There, no longer a stranger and he doesn't mean anyone any harm".
Clint then said, "Say that to the weaponry he is carrying".
Dahlia quickly replied, "Everyone in this room has a weapon, including all of you Avengers. Speaking of Avengers, where's the big oaf of Asgardian stupidity?"
"On Asgard," Natasha answered.
Dahlia noticed the Avengers didn't seem too happy and Dahlia smirked and said, "Aw, have you all still not made up that he lied to you all about me and was willing to kill a child because of some stupid belief that I shouldn't exist?"
Professor McGonagall then said, "I hardly think this is an appropriate topic of discussion when we have an audience". Dahlia knew she was right; it was a topic that should not be discussed with students in the room. "Now," the professor said, "Why are you here with your friend?"
"You said I could visit," Dahlia answered.
"Yes, with some warning, not to just show up unexpectedly".
"I didn't want anyone to fuss. Besides, if it became common knowledge that I was coming, instead of arriving unexpectedly, I don't doubt members of the Ministry and reporters from the Daily Prophet would be here. I just wanted to see a few people, not to be answering twenty million questions".
Professor McGonagall looked between her colleagues before she looked to Dahlia and asked, "Can we please talk in the hallway for a moment, miss Lokidottir?"
The head of Gryffindor didn't wait for a reply, she simply stood and made her way to the side door as Dahlia said to Micah, "I'll be a few minutes, try not to cause any trouble or fight someone".
"Have a little faith," he said with a smile as she walked away.
The professor and the princess walked into the side hallway and after the door was closed, walked down the hallway a little in case anyone wished to eavesdrop at the door before Dahlia stopped by a window and looked out to the grounds of Hogwarts. A silence passed between them for close to a minute as Dahlia twiddled her thumbs and looked out as McGonagall stood beside her. She soon couldn't handle the silence and said, "I know what you want to talk about, why you couldn't mention it in there, so just go on".
"How are you?" McGonagall asked.
Dahlia shifted slightly under her watchful eye and replied, "Good. Did Hermione give you my response to your letter?" McGonagall gave a slight nod. Dahlia then said, "I'm better, honestly, I'm happier than I was when I was here last. The whole jumping out of the window, ending it all to protect others, it's gone now".
McGonagall frowned slightly and replied, "It doesn't just disappear, Dahlia. I want you to be truthful with me".
McGonagall reached out and placed a hand on Dahlia's arm. Dahlia took a moment before she sighed and replied, "Do I want to die, no, but my opinion on people's safety is the same. If I wasn't around, a lot more people would be safe and it would lessen the chance of war but if I decided to die, to end it all, I know the pain it would cause. I'm not thinking of jumping off of the palace balconies if that's what you are worried about, I'm kept too occupied to have time to think like that".
Dahlia let off a small laugh to try to cover up the seriousness of the situation and even the professor gave a slight smile and said, "Good," and tapped her arm then asked, "Now about your visit. How long are you staying? Everyone is going home in the morning".
"Hela is going to be here soon to get us," Dahlia answered, "I know I should have informed you of Micah visiting but he means no harm and he is no threat as long as no one poses a threat to him. I should also probably tell you that there are Niflheim soldiers here, hidden and following me around but they won't show themselves unless someone tries to hurt me".
"I didn't believe for a moment you were here unprotected," McGonagall said all too accepting of the security that came with the young witch then said, "I also want to say privately I am sorry for how you discovered the truth regarding your relatives. Dumbledore should not have told you like that".
Dahlia glanced outside before she looked back and said, "Like I said before, I knew my family would do something when they found out. It just didn't dawn on me that they would do something so quickly. I should have known they wouldn't have left this world without enacting revenge. Besides, I checked in on Dudley, it was his birthday yesterday and he seems happy…and much less arrogant in fact which is a benefit".
McGonagall made a noise of disapproval and replied, "That boy was always spoilt, I remember the first time seeing him as a baby, screaming for sweets and hitting his mother when he didn't get his own way. Maybe him moving can teach him some manners. How are your studies coming along?"
Dahlia removed her wand from her waist and waved it and said, "Avis". A flock of birds then came out of her wand and began to fly above them. McGonagall looked surprised and Dahlia said, "I'm halfway through sixth year studies and doing well in all subjects. The founders, Merlin and Morgan are my teachers when it comes to Midgardian magic, they're teaching me everything you teach at Hogwarts first then going onto everything else just so I know what Hermione and the others talk about in their letters".
"Impressive," McGonagall said as she looked at the birds, she usually taught her six-year transfiguration students.
"Thank you," Dahlia said and the professor looked to her as Dahlia added, "Not for the compliment but for checking up on me. You could have just forgotten about me but you actually wrote to check in on me, not many people would have done that after finding out who I am".
"Dahlia," McGonagall said softly, "I've told you before, you have people here who care about you, I don't want you to forget that while you are on another world".
"It's not just another world, it's my home".
"As is this world. I know that this world has caused you pain and heartache but I don't want you to forget the people you have here and that this was your home first".
"I won't, promise".
"Good. Now then, will you and your friend be joining us for dinner?"
"Like I said, Hela is due soon and we'll be having dinner when we get back. Besides, I don't know how the potions you put in the food would affect Micah's biology. I would hate for Hela to pick us up to only have to call his mother and tell her that he is extremely sick or dying. Trust me, that mother rings him everyday worrying over him and I'm still shocked she hasn't told her husband to bring him home".
"Well I am glad that you are making friends. I know you were worried about people looking at you differently because of your heritage, I'm assuming he knows".
Dahlia nodded, "His planet is the closest to Niflheim, they look out for each other, they are allies in all but name. They were cautious of me at first, they heard the stories of mixed children, but they gave me a chance and after we met, they were reassured that I wasn't a threat to all of existence like some say. His race, his family especially have a different opinion on my family than most. They've known Hela since the beginning of her reign and have come to her defence more than once. They're good people".
"Good, but we should be getting back. You said he is good but you also warned him not to cause any trouble. One thing I have learned over the years is that your friends have a trouble streak in them, no matter how good they appear".
Dahlia laughed for a moment before they turned to walk back. Just in time too as they opened the door to see the Avengers stood glaring at Micah who stood right in front of them on the other side of the table smiling. Dahlia almost ran and pushed him back a few feet and said, "I told you to stay out of trouble," then looked to the Avengers and said, "whatever he said, sorry".
"Don't apologise," Micah said, "I was just telling them that the next time someone invades, hopefully it takes them a lot less than a few hours to take out an army as rubbish as the Chitauri".
"MICAH!" she exclaimed. He then locked eyes with her and gave her a look that made her turn to the Avengers as she said, "Although he should have worded it better, he is right. The Chitauri are known as one of the worst armies in this galaxy because they are all linked to a hive mind on the mothership. Blow that up and you win".
"We didn't know that was a thing at the time," Steve said.
Micha sniggered as Dahlia hit his arm and said, "Of course you didn't, that's why Micah should have worded it differently. If anything, Thor should be to blame as he should have known about the mothership but then again, he was never one to study".
"Congratulations though," Micah said, "Considering your little group was only put together quickly then fought together like a team, it is impressive and you did figure out the mothership in the end. The clip of you all has been watched by many people and they are especially fond of the green giant".
"What?" Bruce said not believing his ears.
Dahlia couldn't help but smile as she said, "There is a video of you guys fighting the Chitauri, Midgard's First Stand they are calling it because it was your first invasion in a long long time but this time, you are defending yourself and not relying on others. People were watching to see if you were ready for a real fight in the future or if you are ready for guests but then they saw the Hulk and that's when it went around faster. Especially in the fighting community. With how big, strong and indestructible the Hulk seems to be, a lot of people want him in the fighting community. It is only because Midgard is in the nine realms and under the protection of Odin that no one has come to recruit you, Dr Banner. If you ever consider it, you could make quite a bit of money".
Bruce's mouth was open as Tony laughed and slapped him on the back as he said, "You've got fanboys and fangirls out there, buddy".
Before anyone could say anything, they all heard a whistling sound before a boom and turned to see a small firework the size of a fist had gone off. Everyone watched as the small lights left behind had fallen, landing on a fourth year Hufflepuff student who tried to brush off the glitter that now appeared on his uniform. A cluck was then heard and everyone looked to the Slytherin table to see Malfoy quickly putting his hands to his mouth but a second later, another Slytherin began to cluck like a chicken, then another, then another.
As if a bomb had gone off, Dahlia and Micah were pulled back by three Niflheim guards to the wall where they were shielded until they discovered that the only danger was glitter. The candles above the room began to shoot off fireworks and sparkles that only turned to glitter as they fell, the Slytherins were all clucking but while the glitter stuck to everyone turning them different colours, when it touched the Slytherins their uniforms turned to bright white feathers as the clucking just got worse. The Weird Sisters song Do The Hippogriff was then heard loudly and the students who weren't turning into chickens, started to dance and throw glitter at one another as it was quickly growing.
As the professors and even Aurors tried to get it to stop, the music only seemed to get louder and the glitter only came down faster. A glitter badger then appeared on the Hufflepuff table and began to dance while a raven was seen at the Ravenclaw table flying up and turning the glitter into a tornado. A glitter lion ran up from the ground and ran right to the professors table before it roared, covering all the professors, but aiming directly at Dumbledore, in glitter.
The music then stopped as did the downpour of glitter and the animals all disappeared as the students cheered and Fred and George stood on the table and bowed as everyone knew it was them and on their final day, they would happily accept responsibility. Dahlia and Micah were also cheering and Micah asked laughing, "Is it always like this?"
"Never underestimate the twins," Dahlia said laughing back.
A portal then opened in front of the high table and everyone froze and looked to it as Hela stepped through. Once she was through, she looked around and almost laughed but quickly put a hand to her mouth then coughed as she looked to her sister and Micah and asked, "What happened?"
"Who just graduated?" Dahlia asked knowing Hela would know who and she did as she glanced at Fred and George who smiled and waved.
Hela looked back to find that while two of her soldiers were amused, her commander and fellow council member, certainly wasn't. She asked, "Are you okay, Akio?"
"Training after dinner," he replied as he turned slowly to look to Dahlia and Micah. Both went to speak but he held up one finger to silence them before he said, "You knew something was happening, you came to the Hall on purpose, do not deny it. Training hall, 8 o'clock".
This time, neither Dahlia or Micah wanted to speak, they simply nodded, not wanting to anger their trainer even though he looked funny covered head to toe in glitter. Akio turned and walked towards the portal where Hela stepped to the side to allow him entry. As soon as he disappeared, Hela laughed and the others joined in.
The professors began to list off spells to clean the hall but all seemed to fail until Hela said, "Professors, I don't think that is going to work". Hela reached down and scooped up some of the glitter with two of her fingers before rubbing it with her thumb and she looked to the twins and said, "You had help. This glitter cannot be cleaned up with Midgardian magical means".
The twins tried to look innocent as George said, "Well you see, this glitter has to remain here for years-"
Fred added, "People have to question why specks of glitter are everywhere for years to come".
"And when they do, they will speak of this day".
"We had a little problem making sure magic wouldn't clean it up-"
"So, we prayed-".
"And prayed-"
"To a certain God of Mischief-"
"And this book in the library suddenly fell open".
Both then said, "and behold, the spell we found worked".
Hela looked to Dahlia who was smiling, trying to hold in her laughter as she said, "20 Galifens says dad is watching right now".
"No doubt," Hela replied.
"MR WEASLEYS!" McGonagall shouted but before she could say go to her office, the twins snapped their fingers and the music and glitter all started again.
While everyone started dancing and laughing again, Hela gestured for Dahlia, Micah and the two soldiers to the portal and one soldier went in, the other holding onto Micah while Dahlia ran to her sister as glitter covered them but stopped when she held her hand to look at McGonagall and said loudly, "Goodbye, professor, I'll send you word next time I visit".
Professor McGonagall, as busy as she was trying to stop the glitter, gave a quick smile and said, "It was good to see you".
Dahlia then waved to her friends before stepping through the portal with her sister, thankful that Hogwarts could still be a place of laughter and where she could feel happiness after everything that happened there. She knew it was mostly because of the few people there who she cared about and who cared about her but it still felt good to once again feel the happiness the school once brought her.
Authors note: I spent so long trying to figure out what Fred and George would do for their final year that I was going crazy. Then, I was babysitting a little girl who got glitter everywhere and I couldn't get rid of it and this was created. Still not sure if its Fred and George worthy but hey, it's the best I could come up with. Please review.
