He watched the teenager kick at the dirt before him in frustration. He was being cornered by all sides with no real way out, and he was only peripherally aware of that fact. It was like every time he had a chance to be normal, to be free of the burden someone had forced upon him, fate intervened and ripped it cruelly away.

He could relate. It was why he had left his home all those years ago, because he knew what it was like to be trapped by the expectations of others. And he was too much of a coward to face the music if he didn't have to.

Not after how much it had taken before he had enough of the fighting and left it all behind. And it was one decision he would never regret.

"Rough day?" he asked.

The teen looked up.

Emerald green met warm and playful amber. He hated the look of absolute hopelessness in the teenager's eyes.

"Who are you?"

"Call me Loki."

He visited the teen, Harry, again. It was soothing talking to the kid, because he took the fact that Loki, the Trickster Sirius, Remus and the Twins all but worshiped, had taken a liking to him in stride. It broke his heart that Harry had little expectation for surviving the mess he was currently in. At this point he was just going through the motions, hoping something good would happen to him.

There was one thing that gave him a small measure of joy in his otherwise crappy life. And Loki was actually quite happy that he was the reason why the kid wasn't in a deep depression over the fact everyone expected him to save the wizards, when all he wanted was to be left alone. To be loved like anyone else.

Sure, the nosy cat lady was asking too many questions about his new friend, but Harry would give her a flat look and remind her that who he talked to was none of her damn business.

"I turn fifteen tonight," said Harry. He always seemed to perk up more whenever Loki visited him.

Loki handed him a sucker, and Harry accepted it without a word. The two of them enjoyed their respective sweets in peace. Harry leaned against Loki a little. The first time he did it, Loki stayed perfectly still, as he was aware the poor kid wasn't really used to displays of friendly hugs. When he wasn't immediately pushed away, Harry started a habit of just leaning on Loki.

"Remind me to bring the liquor," quipped Loki. Harry smiled. It was a small one, but it was one Loki had worked two weeks to get.

"I think Vernon would assume I raided his cabinet if you did," said Harry.

"Remind me again why you won't let me prank those idiots?" pouted Loki.

"Because I don't want the Ministry claiming I summoned you," said Harry... "And because if I did that then I would have to deal with Sirius, Remus and the twins complaining I got to meet you first when all four of them have tried repeatedly to call you."

He knew Dumbledore was spying on him. The fact there were some subtle (and multiple not-so-subtle) demands to know who he was talking to whenever he left the house from not only Hermione and Ron, but even a few times that Sirius asked about him spoke volumes.

Harry sighed.

"Besides...you're the only friend I have right now that never expects me to be anything. Just Harry."

"I hate to break it to you kid, but you're not that hairy," said Loki with a smirk. Harry elbowed him, because that was a very poor pun. Still, the fact of the matter was that Loki was the only person who didn't ask a single thing out of the kid other than to be himself. He accepted him. Which was more than he could say about any of his so-called friends or even his godfather and uncle.

Seeing Dudley coming up to the park, Harry grimaced.

"Tell you what kiddo. When you get tired of these idiots and playing by their rules, pick a destination and we'll go. My treat."

"But the wards..."

"One, they aren't worth shit since he took your blood. Two, they only require like, a week tops for it to charge up, not the months that goat forces you to spend here. And three, they weren't that strong to begin with. The only reason you haven't been attacked by Riddle and his cronies is because the morons never thought to pick up a phone book and look up the Dursleys."

"...It's days like this that make me really hate magic and anyone associated with it. It's like they trade common sense and intelligence with 'power'," complained Harry.

"Relax minion. If you ever feel the urge to do something particularly stupid or think you've delved into the pure blood level of idiocy, let me know. I'll whack your common sense back into place. No way in Helhiem am I letting my favorite human fall into that bad pattern."

Loki vanished before Dudley could notice him, and Harry reluctantly headed back to the house. He hated Privet Drive.

It wasn't until night was about to fall that the attack happened. Yes, Harry managed to keep the dementors from coming inside until an someone from the Ministry showed up, but the unfortunate side effect was that he was effectively stuck inside the house until someone came to get him. No way were the Dursleys letting him out now that they were attacked in their own home.

About the only good thing was that he wasn't being blamed for using magic. As it turned out, dementors were surprisingly vulnerable to salt for some reason.

He wished he knew that third year.

So here he was, trapped in his 'room' bored out of his skull and seriously irritated at the only people who bothered to mail him. If it wasn't for Loki, he might have gone down the path of the emo, and there was no way in hell he was going to let that happen.

Either way, the second he saw the small amount of 'food' given to him, and knowing he wouldn't even receive a scrap more, Harry's saint-like patience snapped. Like a twig.

Loki, please tell me you were serious about kidnapping me to another country.

"Well of course I'm not Sirius! Why would I want to be that lame hound when I could be my glorious self. But to answer your question, where do you want to go? Consider it a belated birthday present," said Loki.

Harry jumped slightly. He wasn't expecting such a prompt response.

Loki threw everything Harry considered worth saving (except Hedwig, who he liked too much to just throw into wherever he was sending the stuff) into the place he usually slept.

And the two of them vanished mere moments before the one guard who saw him could sound the alarm for the Order that Harry's friend was in fact magical. And that he was in the house with no chance of them getting to Harry in time.

Without even the crack of apparition, the two humans (plus one owl) disappeared.

"Where are we?"

"Italy. First things first kiddo...we're fattening you up. You're so skinny that it's bordering on dangerous. People will think you have an eating disorder," said Loki.

Harry couldn't help the groan.

"You're not going to turn into Molly Weasley are you?"

"That harpy? Not a chance! I just don't want to see my favorite human having his full potential stunted because of circumstances he couldn't control. By the time I'm done with you, you'll reach a weight and height that's suitable for a kid your age. Besides, even your owl thinks you need to gain some weight."

Harry turned incredulous eyes to Loki.

"You can understand her?"

"I can understand almost any creature, animals especially. I am a shapeshifter after all," said Loki smugly.

"Can you teach me?" he asked, hopeful.

Loki's grin widened.

"Kid, by the time you're ready to leave for the 'normal' world again you'll be amazed by half the crap I'll teach you. Now what are you in the mood for?"

Harry grimaced.

"Anything but English food. Salad, maybe?"

"Burgers with a side salad, coming right up."

"I can make dessert. Goodness knows you've wanted to see how good I am at baking for a month now," said Harry.

"Deal. There's some cookbooks on the shelf, along with any books you feel like reading, the TV can tune to any channel you want or movie you want to watch and just open that door on the far wall to show your room. The kitchen's this way," said Loki.

Harry's eyes glinted the second he saw the pantry and size of the kitchen. By the time Loki snapped dinner onto the table, Harry had already made enough cakes to last a normal person days...and Loki a full night. One bite of his baked goods, and Loki was addicted. Any chance he might have handed over the kid when he got bored vanished after the first taste.

Sirius was furious. Not only had Harry's mysterious new friend kidnapped him, but the Ministry was trying to pin the dementor attack on Surrey on his godson.

No one could find Harry, not even Fawkes. The one time Dumbledore tried to get the phoenix to find the kid, the immortal bird gave him a look that even Sirius could interpret as 'ARE YOU INSANE?!'.

Evidently Fawkes knew who had Harry, and there was no way he was going to try and steal him back.

Then came the biggest shock of all.

During the Order meeting to discuss how to find Harry and bring him back, a letter appeared above Sirius' head.

He recognized the rune on it immediately...after all, what prankster couldn't identify the mark of Loki on sight, especially after unsuccessfully trying to summon him multiple times?

After unfurling the letter, ignoring Moody's rants about how it could be spelled, he read the short but clear message.

And to the shock of the Order, he began to cackle. Rather evilly in fact. Remus recognized it as the same one he usually let off after a particularly devious and hilarious prank.

"Well?"

"Turns out the mystery bloke Harry kept talking to was Loki. Somehow he got His attention and now that He's tried Harry's cooking He's claimed him as one of his own."

Dumbledore paled.

"Loki as in..."

"As in the same god we pray to. That Loki. Explains why Fawkes refused to retrieve Harry. Even a phoenix would be wary of angering a Trickster!" cackled Sirius.

"We must impart to this...Loki...the importance..." started Dumbledore.

A second letter showed up, this time above Remus.

The amused werewolf read the letter. This time shorter than the last.

"'Go screw yourself, you senile old goat. I'm not handing over the kid. I already have to heal what you nearly broke,'" read Remus, his amusement abating upon reading that. Molly Weasley sputtered in indignant rage.

"Wow. I never saw McGonagall's face turn that pale before," said Harry from the couch. Loki had turned the TV 'channel' to the Order. Whatever protections they had clearly didn't keep Loki from spying on them.

Harry had wanted to see their reactions to Loki's letter...and the Trickster had been so amused by the idea he humored him.

The second letter however, was the one that really set them off.

And had Harry giving Loki an odd look.

"Was that last letter true?"

"Hmm?"

"About you not handing me over."

"Kiddo, why would I hand you over? After all the trouble I went kidnapping you, what possible reason would I have to send you back there without something to cheer you up on the really bad days?" asked Loki.

"Because every time something even remotely good has come my way, I always get hit with a nasty curveball that makes things worse in the long run," stated Harry flatly.

Harry tensed slightly when Loki hugged him tightly.

"Kid, fate is a bitch who owes me a hell of a lot of money. No way am I letting you go for anything baring your own free will to leave. Well, except when the reason you want to leave is a stupid one. Like to pursue revenge that would only hurt even worse," said Loki.

Harry didn't know how to react. For years, people either ignored him, called him a liar, or expected him to be something he wasn't. So for someone to finally, finally treat him like the emotionally stunted and abused child he was... it was heartbreaking for Loki to see the kid tense up.

Rubbing Harry's back seemed to calm him down, but it wasn't until Harry felt Loki's wings that he broke down.

Years of emotional neglect could be very draining. Especially for the first break.

Loki knocked on Harry's door. The kid had slept for three days straight...but after getting him to break down some of the emotional walls he had built around himself, he wasn't surprised.

"You ready to get up, kiddo?" asked Loki.

"What day is it?"

"Three days later. So Tuesday," said Loki.

Harry blinked.

"I slept for three days. And you let me?"

Was the idea of someone caring about him personally enough to let him rest really that foreign a concept to him?

Loki realized with a surge of protectiveness towards the kid that the answer was 'yes'.

"Teenagers, particularly ones who've suffered serious emotional and mental trauma like you have, need rest. It doesn't help that you let down some of your barriers for the first time in your memory, and it pretty much drained you. Letting you sleep was the easiest way to let you recover from it. Besides, Hedwig would have mauled me otherwise," said Loki matter of fact. Said owl hooted in smug agreement. Harry snickered.

Hedwig and Loki conspired against the teen in an effort to out 'mother hen' the other. Between the two of them he had already gained five pounds...more than he would have gotten had he stayed in England.

Loki was drooling as he let Harry cook, it was a soothing activity and it let the kid think. He was making pancakes, and Loki already summoned multiple types of syrup.

Once those had been devoured, Harry asked the one question that bugged him.

"So...why did I feel feathers a few days ago when you hugged me?"

Loki carefully didn't answer that question. As much as he liked the kid, he wanted him to heal a bit more before he dropped that particular bomb on him.