Chapter Thirty-Two - The Glitch
By the time the cure-finding team was ready for their mission briefing, Darcy felt like she'd been herding teenagers rather than Avengers. Her instructions had been simple enough: fill up on calories, hydrate and try to use the restroom, but people kept getting sidetracked by science-y stuff, news coverage of the hospital incident, or the barrage of inquiries coming in from various government, police and media agencies who didn't like being ignored, told to stand down or 'no comment'.
Deep down Darcy wanted to lead this little adventure, but in their minds she probably fit better into an advisory role. She had portal-hopped a lot, growing used to the quick transition between worlds and dealing with the limbo state and her avatar. The team needed her insights and assistance. That should be enough to quell her inner Slytherin's desires for recognition — right?
The barrier-constructing team prepared to map the infestation as the whole crew crammed into the lab. Loki left his father's side to hug Darcy and speak with the travelers before they departed. He shared that their entry point would be the Leaky Cauldron where they would have to merge with the young avatars the world created for them.
"Do we have to be kids?" Steve interrupted to ask. "Can't accomplish much if adults won't take us seriously."
"There's no time to make adjustments," Loki insisted. "Take over the avatars, then get your parents to give you as much currency as possible—"
"Whoa!" Clint exclaimed, his eyes going wide. "Parents?"
"No one said anything about parents," Maria pointed out with a pissy air.
Natasha went pale, her gaze dropping and arms crossing over her chest in a somewhat protective manner. Bruce also noticed this change, turning in his chair to rest a comforting hand upon her arm.
Darcy knew very little about their personal histories and could only guess why those guys might feel a little unprepared to be face to face with their loved ones. Hell, maybe their parents were jerks or had been gone so long that a reunion could be too overwhelming, even traumatic. She wanted to be sympathetic and all, but as Loki had already stated, there just wasn't time to tweak the system with the creation magic continuing to spread.
"Hey!" Darcy shouted over their complaints. "Are we heroes today or not?"
"She's right," Steve said after a contemplative silence. "We can't let personal issues trip us up."
The group agreed, though anxiety still showed in their demeanors.
"We get the money — then what?" Steve asked.
"Ditch the parents," Darcy answered. "They'll think we're there to get school stuff. We say we want to hang out as new friends, get our own supplies or something like that. If all else fails, we'll let them take us to Gringotts to exchange for wizarding money then use the crowds to give them the slip."
"I will track the team's movements," JARVIS informed them next, "but that will get more difficult as my resources are diverted to the mapping process."
Steve nodded, "Understood."
Darcy's team surrounded the touchscreen interface. Each person placed a fingertip or two on its sleek surface.
"Good luck," Tony said, "and try to have some fun while you're in there."
"We will," Darcy promised him before they all spoke the password and were pulled inside.
Darcy expected to be welcomed by the warm, bustling atmosphere of the Leaky Cauldron, not the cold, musty gloom in which she appeared. Thin shafts of light showed through the remnants of a broken, splintered door ahead of her. She turned, finding that she was alone in a cramped space. Scattered pieces of wood and metal lay at her feet amid fallen brooms, mops and a bucket.
No no no. This isn't right, Darcy thought as her mind worked through the confusion. Why was she back at the school? This was not the plan. She had to get the hell out of here.
"Adventus!" she called out, the word bursting forth with a fear-induced desperation. The cry seemed to echo a bit within the confined space of the closet, invoking no change at all to the girl's circumstances.
Did this mean Darcy had lost her most immediate route of escape from Hogwarts and the basilisk?
Panic gripped her, threatening to choke out all inklings of bravery. Darcy knew she could not surrender to it. She had to do something, anything, to relieve the paralyzing pressure. She closed her eyes to help her listen for the slide/shuffle sound she'd heard before when the serpent tried to sneak up on her. The memory sent a tremble through her body, allowing the chill of the abandoned castle to penetrate more prominently into her flesh.
Come on, dammit! Darcy chastised herself, wishing to be more like a courageous Gryffindor.
Her parents always told her to play to her strengths: creativity, observation and charisma, which didn't seem to apply in the current situation. So, the Slytherin decided her best option was to make a smart retreat.
Hogsmeade was northwest of the school, down the hill at the end of a long path that wound through the Forbidden Forest and past the Shrieking Shack. Darcy had quite a trek ahead just to get out of the castle, let alone cover that much area in late autumn without a coat. So, she decided it was best to assemble a survival pack and layer up a bit. With any luck, she'd find the professors and her friends somewhere along the way.
Darcy listened hard for about ten seconds. Then, with a bolstering, steadying breath, she slipped through the remains of the devastated door, stepping over the armor pieces that remained scattered about, and headed down the dim passage.
The group's reactions to the briefing proved that Loki wasn't the only person among them to have deep-seated parental insecurities. It made sense, of course. Some of the most influential people in history had harsh upbringings. Loki's birth parents had tried to kill him. His adoptive mother, Frigga, had run away from home as a child and been raised by witches. Odin spent years surrounded by servants, rarely seeing his parents until King Bor and Queen Bestla decided to start his kingly training.
It's a wonder they managed to raise two children as well as they did while ruling a kingdom and protecting the Nine Realms, Loki thought with only a half-hearted attempt to internalize the realization.
Odin now sat with Erik and Jane, debating just how far beyond the current boundary of the creeping magic they should plot out the barrier line. The task involved complex math, which Loki knew wasn't Odin's strong suit — neither was teamwork, really — yet the king was still making the effort to contribute.
These unexpected thoughts and observations passed through Loki's mind in mere seconds following the departure of Darcy and their comrades into the pocket dimension. Then an unexpected blip on the screen ahead of him pulled Loki's attention from his musings.
The framework map showed only six tracking dots at the Leaky Cauldron. The seventh dot had appeared within the infestation.
"JARVIS," Loki asked, afraid he might already know the answer, "who is that?"
Everyone quieted, their eyes lifting to also view the screen.
"It appears Darcy did not arrive with the others, sir. For reasons I cannot ascertain at this time, the portal sent her to Hogwarts."
"The last place we want her to be," Bruce commented.
Jane let out a soft, disheartened whine, which forewarned of a possible emotional breakdown.
Tony left his seat. "Well, shit! What do we do?"
Pepper reappeared with a quick flash of white light to report what they already knew — the cure team had lost their guide.
"Should everyone come back?" the blonde asked, scanning their tense expressions.
Tony put up his hand in a 'hold-on' gesture. He asked, "Why hasn't Darcy come back?"
"She must not be able to," Loki answered with worsening dread. It was wishful thinking, and unlikely, that she had arrived near enough to Professor Snape's group to seek refuge with them.
Darcy's on her own.
Loki's insides cramped at the thought. He avoided the group's stares while cradling his stomach. They expected him to know what to do, but he didn't.
"I have to go in, find her," Loki decided and moved toward the portal interface.
"Wait! Wait a second," Tony demanded.
Though Stark rushed to block him, it was the motion of Odin pushing up from his chair that slowed Loki. Surely an order, lecture or criticism was coming, yet the son chose to listen because his mentor had suggested he do so.
Odin said, "Let us go together."
Loki couldn't understand his father's motives. The older man's features lacked anger or disappointment, which made the moment all the more puzzling. Surely there had to be a catch, a hidden agenda at play. Odin did not encourage father-son outings.
"Why?"
"It's dangerous," the king said, "and I can pull us out if necessary."
Loki frowned at this response. Punching more holes in his design was the last thing Loki wanted, but if the infected area was stopping Darcy from leaving the pocket dimension, perhaps they would require his father's help.
"Fine," Loki said, his tone turning snippy as he already foresaw endless bickering between them. No matter the outcome, the son would likely regret this decision.
Pepper stepped up, reminding them that her team was waiting. "What should I tell the others? Are we moving forward?"
Loki nodded. "We need the cure. However they can get it," he said with emphasis on the however part.
"However they can safely get it," Tony chose to correct, locking eyes with Pepper.
"Play along with the story line or not, I don't care," Loki told her. "Eventually, we're resetting or demolishing the world anyway."
"Okay," Pepper acknowledged, then she blew Tony a kiss and portaled back in.
Having successfully calmed Jane from the news of Darcy's plight, Dr. Selvig also left his seat. He asked the father and son if they were going to use the interface, or have Odin take them directly to Hogwarts. The scientist pointed out that Darcy had left from, and been returned to, the school. The same might happen to them if they used the interface.
"It might," Loki agreed, though he was tempted to argue the differences in both departures. "Better to avoid making the situation worse, I suppose."
Now the collective was staring instead of working at their equally important mission.
"Sorry to run off," the trickster said, mostly telling the truth as their collaboration hadn't been too unbearable. "Will you be alright if I go?"
"Yeah, we'll be fine," Erik was first to insist. Like Odin, he'd seemed to have lost some of the animosity that he usually showed in his features and stance.
Tony said, acting playful and somewhat dismissive, "We mad scientists have got this."
Jane and Bruce nodded. The former telling them to be careful, and the latter wishing them luck.
If Loki didn't know better, he'd think they were actually concerned for his welfare. He decided not to tease or call them on it. Humans were sensitive, confrontational creatures, and time was of the essence. True colors would be revealed once they'd accomplished the mission and had no further use of him.
As the Asgardians reached for the interface, King Odin also took hold of the wrist on Loki's free hand. The action surprised Loki. Not only did it make him think of a parent attempting to control a willful child, but also a reassuring, protective gesture. It proved to be a secure grip, but not restrictive. An inch or so lower and his father would be holding his hand, much like he'd done in Loki's youth.
He doesn't want to lose me, Loki decided. The idea stirred up emotions too profound to be deconstructed on the spot, so he suppressed them.
A flash of white light washed out the rigid lines and neutral colors of the Avengers' lab before dimming away to reveal rounded gold architecture and bold red tapestries. For the briefest of moments, Loki thought they must have appeared in Gryffindor Tower. Then a low sniffle caused them to turn, revealing Queen Frigga and the younger Loki at a work table conferring over a parchment and spellbook.
Odin released a tense breath of air, which Loki assumed to be a reaction to seeing his late wife, rather than their presence in this dimension's version of Asgard. Of all the possible locations for them to appear, why did it have to be front and center to a touchy subject?
"Oh, my darling," Frigga said to the boy, "your tears have smeared the ink. Your father will make you start over."
Little Loki returned his quill to the bottle, slouching back in his chair to pout. "I want to be at Hogwarts with my friends," he said, the words slurring a bit with his rising upset.
Frigga leaned in, attempting to soothe the boy with a caress of his freckled cheek. "I know…but your father has decided."
"Professor Snape wanted me to stay. Father is not fair. I hate him!"
With those words, Loki felt Odin's grip on his wrist drop.
This all must be so vexing for him.
"I'm sorry," was all the adult Loki managed to express before the king's avatar swept into the suite donned in red, gold and black wizard's attire.
"Frigga, my dear," the kingly illusion addressed her, "I have received an owl from Hogwarts. Headmaster Dumbledore found basilisk blood in the school. A student has been attacked. Others are missing. The staff and students were evacuated to a nearby village."
The anxious queen gathered the folds of her crimson and gold garments as she pushed to her feet. "And what of Thor?"
"They did not say."
"Then we must go," she decided and signaled to an attending servant.
Loki took that as a cue to point his father toward his avatar, but Odin only continued to stare. Loki touched the armored shoulder. "Father?" he said, speaking just loud enough to draw him out of the daze.
With a quick pivot, Odin stepped into the robe-clad king, which transitioned the man's expression from stern unease to mild confusion with the first-time merge.
The pale Little Loki wiped at his tears. "May I come too, Father, to make sure my friends are alright?"
"uh…yes. Yes, of course," Odin stammered. He refocused on the queen, still visibly attempting to collect himself. "Perhaps you should remain here."
"Absolutely not!" Frigga snapped, her face pinking with rage. "Our eldest child is unaccounted for, and now you wish to drag Loki into a potentially dangerous situation?"
"Dearest— "
"No! Dark wizards create basilisks. In the instance of one, the other must also be discovered."
Loki understood the necessity of the request for his mother to stay, but could not ascertain how best to be of assistance. He rushed to merge with his own avatar, then clasped Frigga's hand, urging her to calm.
"I must confess," Odin stated with an air of shame at her outburst, "I know more than I have said." He took Frigga's other hand, his demeanor softening. "I did not wish to upset you, my dear, but…Thor has been petrified by the basilisk."
The queen gasped. Instant tears welled up in her angry and beautiful eyes, yet she allowed him to continue.
"A group of Thor's friends have traveled to Diagon Alley in hopes of obtaining a cure for him. They are new to the ways of magic and perhaps too young to accomplish this task on their own. I suggest you and Loki go to them. I will assist the headmaster in containing this threat."
Loki felt pride in his father's keen handling of the difficult situation. Though, this meant he wouldn't be heading to Hogwarts with him to find Darcy. He'd suspected the joint venture would fall apart in some manner.
"Very well," the queen agreed, also looking disappointed. "By floo would be fastest, since Loki hasn't apparated before." Still holding his hand, she drew Loki out into the corridor and down to a receiving room where they found a large, decorative clay pot of floo powder situated on a pedestal beside a grand stone fireplace.
When Odin followed them in, Frigga gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. "We will see you soon."
The king's frame tensed in response. He easily could have pulled away, yet appeared to accept her affection, his features brightened like he was swept up in a pleasant memory.
"Make haste," Odin advised, his gaze shifting to Loki. "Be safe."
They agreed, accepting cloaks and coin pouches before Frigga scooped her hand into the pot and stepped into the fireplace. "Diagon Alley!" she commanded, threw down the powder and disappeared in a flurry of green flame.
Loki took the opportunity to speak to the servants while pulling on his cloak and verifying that he had his wand. "The king is heading to Hogwarts. Find him the closest open connection to the floo network."
"Yes, Prince Loki," they answered in chorus, not quite hiding their puzzlement that he was giving orders on behalf of his father.
Next he looked to Odin, his mind a mesh of anxiety. "Watch out for the basilisk— and its master — and promise me you will protect Darcy."
Odin offered an affirming nod.
"No, say it," Loki said, being firm. "The king's word is his bond. If you won't say it, then you don't really mean it."
Tension, agitation, worry… it was difficult to read the old man's mood, yet when Odin placed a steady hand upon his shoulder, Loki recognized that he truly had his father's attention.
"I will protect her, Son," Odin promised with a distinct determination in his gaze. Then he sent Loki on his way.