Last time...

"Easy, Potter. You're in the hospital wing again. Your friends are on various sleeping bags around the bed. There was a quidditch accident." She heard Snape as she gasped for air. "Do you remember that?"

She nodded quickly, her breath slowing down as she tried to calm herself.

"Will you consent to my helping you sit up? Madam Pomfrey said you are well enough now to be assisted in such an endeavour, though not well enough to attempt an escape." She heard him say, and nodded to show her consent. "Very well. Prepare yourself. This may hurt."

It didn't, though it was a bit uncomfortable, but at least she was resting against a pillow propped up against the headboard now.

"Now, care to explain what that was?" Snape proposed, once he was seated by the bed. "I've set up privacy wards."

"It was stupid. Absolutely stupid. I can't believe I answered…" Hera admitted, her heart racing in her ears. "Something called to my magic, and I answered, followed the path to the old graveyard. I watched as Riddle regained his body, spoke to him when he had enough self awareness to try standing. The magic held onto bone and blood, allowed him another chance, but what I did…"

"What exactly did you do, Potter?" Snape inquired, his curiosity barely hidden.

"I gave him the one thing Dumbledore never did, the one thing he's denied himself all these years." Hera replied, looking over at him, silently pleading for him to understand. "A choice."

Chapter 76

"…Why?" He couldn't believe what he'd just heard, but he'd been witness to Potter's mercy and kindness far too often not to understand on some level what she must have seen; he just had a hard time imagining the Dark Lord to have any good in him.

"There's something I didn't tell you…" Potter admitted, looking down slightly. "When we were in the cauldron, I saw into his mind without…I hadn't planned on doing that, but what I saw…He was just a kid, just like me; alone, afraid, no one that loved him, no one to even explain what that even was. He grew up bitter, everyone thinking he was freak. (her voice broke a little there, still having issues with that word) He stole things, keepsakes, treasures to a little kid that didn't have anything else."

Severus closed his eyes, picturing all too easily the setting Potter painted; looking a little too much like his own.

"Dumbledore came, told him what he was, found his keepsakes and made him believe he'd destroyed them, only to reveal that they were no worse for wear, that stealing wouldn't be tolerated at Hogwarts." Potter explained. "He kept having to go back, year after year, to a place that did not love him, because no one would let him stay here during the summer. He had to stay at a muggle orphanage during the Blitz, and then the wizarding world wonders why he grew up bitter and power hungry. No wonder he flees from death. It's all he grew up knowing!"

"Potter,…what choice did you give him?" Severus wanted to know. He could guess.

"We will meet on the battlefield one day, he and I. 'Tis his choice if he is ally or foe." Potter revealed quietly. "The prophecy is flawed, filled with holes, and the more I questioned it…the more I could see him wondering. I don't know what he'll choose, but I couldn't not offer the choice, not when I don't believe the prophecy is about him at all."

"The mysterious purple being Moody spied with that eye of his." Severus realized.

"His name is Thanos; called The Mad Titan for culling his own world when they refused to head his warnings about their overpopulation problems. Except he didn't stop at culling the world, he slaughtered them all; down to the last man, woman, and child." Potter rushed through the explanation. "Now he goes from world to world, killing half of its population, sometimes slaughtering them all as he did his own people. His wish is to destroy half of all sentient life in the universe, convinced it will bring balance, and win him the favour of Lady Death. There's a lot to unpack there, and there absolutely is a better…er…more efficient way for him to do that, which in itself is terrifying enough, but…Can we not, for now?"

"Why do you think the prophecy is about this Mad Titan?" Severus wondered, content to follow this line of questioning for now.

"It's just a hunch." She admitted. "I don't know when Loki was born, what moon cycle he was under, how many times either Laufey or Oðin defied The Mad Titan, but I do know that Thanos marked Loki…though I doubt he believes him his equal. Thanos will recognize me just as easily as he will Loki, even if we're in the same timeline. For all that I know, it could be Oðin. Loki was marked by his choices, and who knows how many times Laufey defied him. Or it could be Laufey for the same reasons. I just…I don't know."

"That's why you offered the choice." Severus realized.

"In part, yes. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, and I'll need those when Thanos eventually arrives." She admitted. "Still…I wanted to give him the choice, because he hadn't really been given one before. I know what he did, that he walked the path with eyes wide open, but if Loki could be given that choice…after everything he did…How could I not offer it to others?"

Severus sighed, knowing she was right, but hating it all the same. "Do you think he'll accept?"

"Eh, who knows?" Potter shrugged. "He seemed pretty hung up on that prophecy, so probably not, but he could surprise me. You did."

"…What?"

"Really, Professor?" Potter countered, arching an eyebrow at him. "For all you knew, I was just a fourteen year old upstart with too much curiosity and not enough supervision. You had no idea that on some instinctual level I did know what I was doing, and you were just going to go with it?"

Well, when she put it like that…

The next morning...

"…this instant!"

Hera groans when she recognizes the voice that woke her up. "Please tell me that's a Hag doing her level best Umbridge impersonation or something."

"Afraid not, my dear." Madam Pomfrey replied, coming over to help her up, the crook of her lips twitching just a touch. "She's been demanding to be let in here for the last few minutes. I'm surprised it took you this long to wake up from it."

Ron snorted from somewhere to her left as he got up. "I'm surprised it took her this long to come down here."

"It certainly didn't take her long." Hermione scoffed, appearing by her right. Madam Pomfrey was already making her way to the door. "It's good to see that you're getting better."

"I'll be out of here in less than a week." Hera declared with a triumphant grin.

"You have a spinal injury." Hermione reminded her, sardonically. "Forgive me for still being impressed at what magic can fix."

"Is it morning already?" Ginny grumbled, looking unhappily at the door from her beanbag bed.

"Afraid so." Draco grumbled in commiseration, slowly getting up. He froze when he heard Umbridge's voice through the closed door. "I should tell my father about this. It's too early to have to deal with the likes of her."

"We knew what revealing these would mean when we did it." Luna reminded him, somehow sounding no less whimsical as she scolded him.

The door to the hospital wing was flung open, halting all conversation for the moment. Umbridge stormed into the room like a woman on a mission. Not surprisingly, Dumbledore, Snape and McGonagall followed after her. As one, her friends stood by her bedside on whatever side they happened to be. The sight certainly made Dumbledore pause, even as it seemed to make McGonagall beam with pride and Umbridge seethe in equal measure. Snape just looked bored; then again, he'd already known, having been in the background observing the mess with the quidditch team in case things got out of hand.

"I want her expelled!" Umbridge shouted.

"What for this time, Professor?" Hera asked with a lazy drawl that seemed to make Umbridge want to strangle her on sight. "Go on. Come up with something good. I'll wait."

Professor McGonagall, being behind Dumbledore and Umbridge, looked to Snape with a look of incredulity. Snape for his part wore a look so innocent there could have been a halo above his head; not that anyone would have believed it, and clearly McGonagall didn't believe it either. It was hardly his fault that her sass with an unhealthy dose of sarcasm a-la-Loki sounded a lot like Snape's own. That she took inspiration from his rather cutting remarks to those who annoyed him, which was literally everyone, was hardly her fault; acerbically sardonic conversationalists were a rarity, it seemed.

"Inciting rebellion against the Ministry!" Umbridge shrieked.

"You do know we're teenagers, right?" Hera pointed out. "Pretty sure rebellion's in the job description. Also, how?"

"There were reports of tattoos, Miss Potter." Dumbledore interjected in a mediary fashion. "You can understand why we would be concerned."

"You mean like this one?" Hera asked, gently raising her arm, turning her wrist to where they could see the tattoo; silently praising Madam Pomfrey's healing abilities, because she should not be able to move like this right now. "They are shield-brethren tattoos, bonds stronger than blood, that of a family found, and as such they can act when family can not. 'Tis hardly the stuff of rebellion; against the Ministry or otherwise."

"I really don't see what your problem is, Professor." Ron added, in the most polite tone she'd ever heard him use, right before it turned mischievous. "It's not like we're starting an army or anything."

Umbridge's face turned puce as it went through at least three stages of anger.

Hermione snorted, turning to Ron. "Really, Ronald? An army? When would we find the time? We've got O.W.L.'s this year. We're already so far behind in studying!"

"Never change, Hermione." Hera teased.

"Shield-brethren?" Professor McGonagall inquired in wonder. "Most say the words, feel a bit of magic about them, but they rarely show up as tattoos in quiet so outspoken a way. That yours has is…not only rare, but speaks to the strength of the bond. How wonderful!"

"You're telling me this is allowed?!" Umbridge demanded, her voice near shrill levels now.

"Not only is it allowed, but encouraged, as it has the ability to bring balance to ones magic; something you would have known, had you but paused in your crusade against my apprentice long enough to listen." Snape spoke up. "Then again, it should have been something you learned here at Hogwarts, had you paid attention then at all."

"How dare you!" Umbridge exclaimed in outrage. "I am the High Inquisitor and the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic!"

"Actually, you're really not." Everyone looked to Hera, who blinked a bit before realizing she'd been the one to say that. "For instance, the Headmaster here has three titles that shouldn't possibly work together; Headmaster of Hogwarts, Supreme Mugwump, and Chief Warlock. This tells me that though he holds all three titles, someone else is attending to the day to day, and consulting him when needed. He holds the titles only because we of the wizarding world believe he does, but someone else is actually doing the work. For you, this means that though you hold the titles of High Inquisitor and Undersecretary for the Minister of Magic, someone else is doing your job."

For all the world, Umbridge stamped her foot like a toddler in a tantrum, and stormed out of the hospital wing.

"Too soon?" Hera inquired, when the rest of them just stared at Hera like she'd lost her marbles.

Everything relaxes a bit when Hera finally emerges from the hospital wing. As it turns out, Madam Pomfrey's healing is so good, Hera doesn't even need a cane, but the girl has fun messing with Umbridge about the whole deal for a good three days before setting it aside. There's no way she's throwing it away, as it was indeed quite bitch'n. Lucius Malfoy would eat his heart out for such a cane as the one Ginny helped her pick out. At the moment though, she was deep in thought about how to ramp up her friends' training, as they'd had a few days to relax when the very friends she's thinking of rush up to her.

"Hagrid's back." Hermione blurted without preamble, which should be great news, but the way she said it made it sound like something bad had happened. "He's being ridiculous. You've got to see him. Trust me, you'll understand when you do."

Hera nodded, of course, and followed her friends, wondering just what on Earth Hagrid had done to earn Hermione's ire. She understands the second Hagrid opens the door and lets them in. Hagrid's hair was matted with congealed blood, and his left eye had been reduced to a puffy slit amid a mass of purple-and-black bruises. There were many cuts on his face and hands, some of them still bleeding, and he was moving gingerly, which made Hera suspect broken ribs. It was obvious that he had only just got home; a thick black travelling cloak lay over the back of a chair and a large haversack leaned against the wall inside the door.

"You idiot." Hera scolded, glaring up at him.

"Hera!"

"What? Look at him." Hera gestured to the half giant in question.

"Can you do something?" Ron wondered. "I'm no good with healing magic, and neither is Draco. Luna was able to stop the stinging, but not much else, and 'Mione already disinfected the wounds the muggle way. Should have heard him howling in here; the big baby."

"Well, I…" Hagrid tried, his eyes widening as he takes a step back in his small hut. "I'm fine, really. There's no need ter-"

"There's nowhere for you to run, Hagrid." Hera stated, a dangerous edge to her voice, twirling her wand in her fingers. "You might as well sit down, and get this over with."

She lets him look longingly at the window, as she has already blocked the door, looking at him as she plans her attack. Giants have a strong resistance to magic, but that just meant that they could take a lot more blunt force magic than the average witch or wizard, and Hera has a lot of magic that she can throw around without exhausting herself. A strong Episkey to get rid of the bruises and minor injuries. It gives her a better understanding of all the major injuries he has, running a diagnostic spell just to be certain she's actually seeing everything. What comes back has her glaring at him again.

"Why do you have so many broken bones?!" She demanded angrily. "What were you doing? Never mind. I don't want to know. You're still an idiot. Reparo!"

A resounding crack echoes through the room as several bones snap back into place, and Hagrid represses a groan in pain.

"Don't ever do what I just did. If Hagrid wasn't at least part giant, this would have ended in disaster, and by disaster I mean death." Hera rushed through an explanation before Hermione could scold her for what she'd just done, and returns to glaring at Hagrid. "Now, are you going to tell me what put you in this state? You don't have to, but I'd at least like to know if you're going to be pulling the same stunt again any time soon."

Hagrid looked thin lipped, like he was debating whether or not to tell her anything, when she just shook her head.

"Hagrid, this year you need to be careful, okay? And when I say careful, I mean boring. We can't have a Buckbeak year this time, okay?" Hera explained. "There is a Ministry stooge we can't get rid of just yet, because the Ministry itself is investigating her and they need time for that, and she's trying to get teachers sacked, and – Dammit, Hagrid, listen to me! – She's actually got the power to do it!"

He'd been about to dismiss her idea when she'd said boring, knowing him; and she did.

"Dumbledore cannot protect you; not this time." She warned. "He's on the outs as it is. She's already tried to get rid of Trelawney, Snape, and McGonagall. She'll try it with you too. They'll give her whatever she wants if it means more time to put her away for good, and if that means sacrificing a few people, they'll do it! So you need to make your classes nice and safe, and – yes – boring, Hagrid! Do you understand?"

"Nice'n borin." He nodded, watching her carefully now. "Anyth'n else?"

"Dolores Umbridge, that's the Ministry stooge, is a speciesist against other magical races and such. She's drafted anti-werewolf laws, called Professor Flitwick a halfbreed under her breath, and tried to get me ousted from school because I can become this." Hera continued, shifting into her Jötunn form. "She looked at the Goblin King like he was less than the dirt under her fingernails. She will absolutely hate you because you're half giant. So if she asks, you're not one. You drank a bunch of Skelo-Gro when your Da' wasn't looking, or something of the like, and this is what it did."

"Tha' won' work, Hera." Hagrid replied softly, his eyes full of understanding. "Everyone already knows."

"I don't care! It has to!" She cried, frustrated tears welling up in her eyes, and she doesn't have to look at the others to know that they are silently crying already. "Dammit, Hagrid, she's going after Hogwarts! She'll use any excuse, including citing a giants' violent nature, to get rid of you, and Hogwarts needs all the protectors it can get! We cannot depend on only Dumbledore! Not when she's after him too! So, please, even though it's deplorable…even though you shouldn't have to…Lie about what you are, okay?"

"If you think it'll 'elp." Hagrid agreed, drawing her into a hug when she couldn't hold her tears anymore. "There now. There's no need to fret like tha'. It'll all work out, you'll see."

When he let her go, Hera tried to dry her tears as best as she could, and soon enough there was tea and rock cakes aplenty.

"So, tell me about yer summer!" Hagrid insisted, after handing her a rock cake and a spot of tea. "I suspect yers was at least less combative than mine."

Hermione snorted, quite unable to help herself.

"At least you're willing to admit you were in some kind of a fight." Hera grumbled, before getting into it. "Tony's great, everything I could have hoped for and more, supportive of all my crazy endeavours and all that."

She broke down her summer as quickly as she could with but the barest of details, but even so at the end of it Hagrid was still looking at her with something akin to pride and amusement.

"Well I'll be. A Princess is have'n tea in me own hut, an' I ain' even had time ter do the wash'n." Hagrid teased, knowing full well she wouldn't take to him treating her any differently than he already did. "Certainly explains why they was askin' me ter take exams again, quiet like too. Me bein' yer professor was a bit of a trial by fire, now tha' I think about it. Wouldn't have lasted much longer if somethin' hadn't cleared me. Yer new familiar?"

"One of them, yes." Hera nodded.

"Shield-brethren too? Tha's old magic, that. Couldn'a picked a better bunch." Hagrid remarked. "Someone ter watch yer back while yer on one of yer adventures is always good ter have, an' you've got a whole group! Ye look after each other?"

"As best as we can." Ron agreed, before cracking a rueful grin. "Bit hard with us in different Houses, but we manage."

"I don' relish the idea of bein within hearin' distance when Molly finds out about the tattoo, mind." Hagrid continued, grinning a touch when Ron's ears pinked. "Don' worry too much. Once she sees ye all have 'em, an wha' they are, she'll understand."

This last scene was loosely inspired by Survival is a Talent by ShanaStoryteller

(I swear I'm not trying to steal from them, with the amount of times they show up in the quoted or inspired notes. They're just really inspirational!)