This is being cross-posted from Ao3. It was originally posted on 23 March 2021.
Thank you to Admin of Draco's Den for running this event. I enjoyed writing this mysterious little one-shot. I hope you have enjoyed it too! Happy reading! xxDustNight
Huge thank you to GaeilgeRua for allowing me the use of her Grammarly subscription to read this over. Any other mistakes are definitely my own
Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling, Bloomsbury, and Warner Bros. Marvel belongs to Disney. No copyright infringement is intended.
Prompt: Alohomora + Loki Blaise Zabini
Ever since Blaise was a young boy, a door in the dungeon drew his attention. His mother often grew weary of telling him to stay away, so much so that she was forced to place a magical seal over the door. Over the years, Blaise forgot about the door until he wandered down to the dungeons one day. His mother had passed a year ago, and he was in the process of clearing out the Zabini mansion.
Down he went into the long-forgotten dungeons, walking past many pathways and doors that led into various parts of the cavernous catacombs. Blaise would play down here as a child, memorizing the routes and secret passages out of the mansion. Now, though, he wondered why the bloody hell he thought doing so was a good idea. The dungeons were dark and dreary and full of secrets long past forgotten by the Zabini family.
Smirking to himself, Blaise wondered yet again if his father's bones were hidden away down here in one of the vaults. It was a story he told Theo and many of his other Hogwarts mates in the dark, but now that his mother was gone, there was no telling what he would find down here. One thing was for sure, Blaise intended to get to the bottom of the mysterious door now that he remembered its existence. He only hoped that there were no other restrictions on the door aside from the magical seal his mother had protected it with.
It had been years since he'd thought of this door and wondered what was behind it. His mother told him it connected their house with a magical realm, but he'd always thought that just a story. Until the day she'd caught him trying to open it with a metal bar. After that, she'd sealed it for good, and it had remained that way… Until now. With his mother now passed on and the manor belonging to him, Blaise removed the magical seal with surprising ease. He did so and then stood back to admire the ornate door after determining there were no other protections upon its surface.
Placing a palm against the cold metal surface, Blaise closed his eyes and tried to imagine what he would find on the other side. He could feel the magic simmering from the other side so much so that it brought the hairs up on the back of his neck. Shivering, Blaise opened his eyes and wet his lips. He was standing on the precipice of something marvellous, and he needed to make a decision.
"This is either going to be the greatest discovery of my lifetime or a mistake of astronomical proportions," Blaise whispered to himself. Taking a step back for a moment, Blaise needed to decide if solving the mystery was worth risking everything he knew.
"I do not bear good news, Loki," the god of thunder told the frost giant he once thought to be his brother.
"Colour me surprised, brother," Loki replied without even glancing up from the book he was reading for perhaps the sixth time. He was lying on the rough bed, refusing to give Thor his full attention. "I assume it is safe to say that I am to remain in prison here on Vanaheim."
Thor sighed and ran a hand through his long, blond hair. "I tried to reason with Hogun and the other Vanir, but you have gone too far this time. Attempting to claim Vanaheim as your own-"
"How long?" Loki asked, cutting Thor off. His eyes were the only part of him now directed at Thor. When his brother hesitated, Loki sighed, slammed his book shut with a snap, and sat upon the bed. "How long until they release me?"
"Sixth months," Thor said, his face grim. "I am sorry. I will keep trying to convince them you meant no harm."
Rolling his eyes, Loki picked his book back up and returned to his previous position on the bed. "Do not waste your breath," he all but snapped. "It would be a lie, and we all know I am the one who lies. Now, go. I am sure you have far more important tasks to attend to."
There was a heavy sigh from Thor as he contemplated what to do next. After a moment, he said, "I will return soon. Do not cause any trouble while you are here, or you may never have the opportunity to be free."
Loki's eyes narrowed in annoyance at Thor's words, and he refused to pay him any mind as he left the dungeons. Once alone, Loki tossed his book aside and pinched the bridge of his nose. Thor was his only hope at breaking free of this place, and now that seemed a lost cause altogether. Deciding he might as well take a nap, Loki let his eyes close, and his mind wander.
As he did so, he began to have a strange vision of a dark-skinned man hidden behind a door. The man was tracing the ornate door tenderly as if it was something precious. A prize to be won, almost. Loki kept his eyes closed, allowing himself to see more of the man until a sudden yearning for the unknown filled him entirely. The man wanted the door to open, and now, so did Loki.
Suddenly, there was a whispering sound, words that were unfamiliar to Loki ghosting through his mind. His emerald eyes snapped open, and he stared at the wall that once seemed solid, looking for the source of the voice. He frowned when no one else was in the prison cell, sure that he'd heard a voice right there with him.
Looking toward the sound, Loki discovered that the strange door from his mind was now a part of the stone wall that formed the back of his cell. Cautiously, Loki stood, checking that no one was watching before he went over and tried the handle. It did not budge, but with a smirk, Loki closed his eyes again and began to use his own magic to try and urge whoever was on the other side to set him free.
"Come on," he whispered, palm flat against its surface. "Open the door."
After undoing the seal his mother had placed long ago, Blaise felt as if every fibre of his being wanted the door to open. It was just like when he was a child again, staring endlessly at the door as if it were the Mirror of Erised and held all of his deepest, darkest desires. The temptation was too grand, Blaise knew, and sooner or later, he was going to cave.
Staring upward, he whispered, "I'm sorry, mother, but I have to know. I have to find out what you've hidden behind this door all of my life."
Blaise's gaze returned to the door, and he swallowed hard. He felt both guilt and trepidation, but more than that, he felt a deep yearning to see the other side. Wand aloft and an unlocking charm on the tip of his tongue, Blaise tried to pray to the gods that he would come out of this alive. He had no one in his life aside from friends that would miss him, so what else was there to lose?
Blaise placed the tip of his wand on the door and then took a deep breath. If he was going to do this, he wasn't going to wait any longer. After all these years, his mother was gone, and nothing was holding him back from the mystery of the door. If he hesitated now, he might never open the door in the dungeon. Exhaling slowly, he prepared himself for what could happen next.
"Alohomora!"
Still standing in front of the strange door, Loki wondered why it had appeared today. With another quick glance over his shoulder to assure the coast was still clear, Loki placed both his pale hands flat against the surface and closed his eyes. It felt as any other door would, only this one did not give him an electric jolt like the one at the front of his prison cell did. Using his mind, he reached out through the door in hopes that it would open.
He did not have to wait long.
A moment later, the whisper of a voice filtered through the ornate door. Alohomora… A strange incantation, but Loki knew that was what it was nonetheless. Dropping his hands, he took a few steps back and prepared himself for what would be revealed. As the door swung open, Loki's eyes went wide with wonder, and then a smirk grew on his thin lips.
The dark-skinned man from his vision stood before him, brandishing a wand and looking thoroughly surprised. This was Loki's chance at escape, and he straightened his shoulders and cleared his throat. This man was going to set him free; he could sense as much through whatever bond was now forged between them.
"Who are you?" Blaise asked, swallowing back a sudden flare of fear. He held his wand steady, unsure who or what this man was. The door had opened to a strange realm, one that Blaise had never seen before.
"I am Loki, of Jotunheim, and you have just freed me from my prison," the dark-haired man said, the smirk never leaving his face.
Blaise now knew why this door was kept locked, but it was too late to turn back now. Who knew a simple Alohomora would reveal such secrets. A secret realm. A mysterious prisoner. It was more than he'd ever imagined. Blaise met Loki's eyes and said, "I'm Blaise Zabini. I think you and I have a lot to discuss."
Loki stepped through the door and into the Zabini dungeons. As the door sealed behind him, their fate was set in stone. Neither knew what was next, but one thing was sure, Blaise and Loki were destined to find one another, and only time would tell what chaos would be wrought from the opening of the door in the dungeon.