Number 26
"How's your dad?" Harry asked the moment he entered the compartment that held Ginny and Neville. Harry suspected that Ron and Hermione were off to the prefect meeting, so he kept his news about Voldemort's demise to himself for the time being.
"He was allowed to go home yesterday," Ginny said with a beaming smile as Harry sat down opposite her. "He's expected to make a full recovery." Ginny's smile dropped off her face while her eyes narrowed. "What the hell's been happening with you, Harry? Grimmauld Place is destroyed, the Burrow's been turned into the new Order headquarters, and suddenly a whole bunch of purebloods have gone missing." Ginny fished inside her pocket and pulled out a wrinkled article from the Daily Prophet, which she offered to Harry.
The article basically stated that many members of prominent families had disappeared without a trace, and that the Aurors found signs of a battle at Malfoy Manor when Draco Malfoy contacted them through the floo, claiming his family had been attacked and kidnapped by muggles. Obviously the ministry vehemently denied that muggles were involved. They also denied that Voldemort had anything to do with this, because as they'd been saying all year, Voldemort definitely wasn't back.
Harry folded the article and gave it back to Ginny while offering her a teasing little smile. "I know what happened, but I won't tell until Ron and Hermione get here."
"Oh, come on." Ginny leaned back with a huff, arms crossed tightly over her chest, but Harry ignored her impatient antics and stared out the window.
Loki and Thor stood on the platform and they gave him a quick wave when they spotted Harry looking at them. Harry waved back while a warm feeling settled in his chest. After the summer holidays, when Harry had returned to Hogwarts, it had very much felt like he was going home again. But now, for some reason, it felt like he was leaving home behind.
Harry wanted to go back to Hogwarts, he really did. He'd missed his friends and he was looking forward to learning more wizarding magic, but somehow during the Christmas holidays Harry had realized he now had a real home to call his own.
And leaving his home behind for the very first time wasn't as easy as Harry had expected.
Of course, he had the phone which would work around magic, and he'd already promised his parents and Tony and Bucky that he would keep in touch this time instead of just keeping the phone in his trunk for emergencies. Not to mention his therapist Agatha expected weekly phone calls from him.
The train started moving with a few short shudders, and Harry pressed closer to the window and waved frantically at his parents, who returned the gesture with gusto. Well, Thor did. Loki merely gave Harry a proud smile. Before long, the train rounded a corner and Harry lost sight of his parents. He sat back with a sad little sigh and caught Ginny's eyes. Ginny gave him a knowing little smile before she went back to pouting.
"What happened that you destroyed a whole building?" Neville asked curiously, which earned him an immediate chuckle from Harry, who was happy enough to tell the story of how his own godfather had tried to keep him imprisoned, and how Harry's parents had come to the rescue.
By the time Harry was done telling that tale, Ron and Hermione stepped through the door.
"Harry!" Hermione said, all but throwing herself on a bench and giving Harry an expectant look. "Have you heard? Lots of purebloods are missing."
Ron sat down beside Harry and gave him a hopeful smile. "Was that your lot? Apparently Malfoy claimed there were muggles involved."
Harry grinned. "Yeah, that was the Avengers. Voldemort is dead."
Several gasps of shock and surprise sounded throughout the compartment.
"What?" Ron demanded, eyes wide and cheeks flushed.
"Harry!" Hermione sat so close to the edge of her seat she was in very real danger of falling off completely. "You've got to tell us what happened."
So Harry did, starting with the soul piece they'd found in his scar over the summer and ending with the story of how the Avengers had invaded Malfoy Manor, Loki had killed a now mortal Voldemort, and the Death Eaters had been shipped off to the Raft.
"You mean, that diary held a piece of Voldemort's soul?" Ginny asked in a very small voice, her face pale. Hermione quickly wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders.
Harry gave her a solemn nod. "Yeah, I had one in my scar for years." Both Harry and Ginny shuddered for a moment, before Harry pulled himself back together. "But you don't have to worry about them anymore. Loki and the rest hunted down all the soul containers and destroyed them. Voldemort is really dead for good."
"I'm glad," Neville muttered while he stared down at his shoes. "And I'm glad all those Death Eaters are locked up. They deserve it."
"No one's going to disagree with you, mate," Ron said with an agreeable nod. Then he gave Harry a huge, hopeful grin. "Do you reckon they arrested Snape as well?"
Harry perked up at that idea, but before he could reply the compartment door slid open, revealing a supremely pissed-off Draco Malfoy with his wand out, aimed directly at Harry's chest. "Where are my parents?" Malfoy demanded, grey eyes narrowed to slits, lips drawn up in a sneer. "I know your pet muggles have something to do with it, Potter, even if no one believes me."
Harry had received private self-defence lessons from the Black Widow herself, and one of the first things she'd taught him was to always disarm your opponent as quickly as you could. And here Malfoy, who was very much Harry's enemy, was aiming a potentially deadly weapon at him. Before Harry even knew what he was doing, he shot out his hand and plucked the wand right out of Malfoy's hands.
Ron released a burst of laughter while Ginny couldn't hold back a grin. Hermione looked as if she wasn't sure if she should admonish Harry or not for taking another student's wand.
"Malfoy," Harry said while giving the blond boy a hard look, holding Malfoy's wand securely in his lap. "Your parents got arrested because they were members of a terrorist organization. No, don't deny it, we all know it's true." Harry inhaled a deep breath, making sure he felt calm and collected, because he'd learned that letting your emotions lead you in a confrontation like this was rarely a good option.
"Your parents, and all the other terrorists, are currently in prison. I have no clue how long they'll be locked up for. I'm not their judge or jury." Harry briefly twirled the wand around in his hand. "I'll give this wand to a prefect, so you can get it back when we arrive at school."
Harry paused for a moment, taking in Malfoy's pale face and the desperate look in his eyes and part of him felt sorry for the boy. Harry understood now what it was like to have loving parents and he didn't want to think about what it must feel like to have those snatched away like that. Still, Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy were adults who'd made their own choices and Harry didn't feel any sympathy for them personally.
"Know this, Malfoy," Harry said while leaning closer to the door. "If you even think about trying to get some sort of vengeance in the name of your terrorist parents, I will contact the Avengers and have them ship you off to prison, too, is that understood?"
Malfoy looked for a moment like he wanted to argue, but he had no wand. Harry was quite sure Malfoy had witnessed how vulnerable all those powerful Death Eaters had been the moment they'd lost their wands, so perhaps he'd learned a valuable lesson that day, because now he stepped back and shut the compartment door with a bang.
"Would those Avengers really lock up Draco Malfoy?" Neville asked a little worriedly.
Harry chuckled and gave Neville a reassuring smile. "I doubt it, since he's only 15 like the rest of us. But it doesn't hurt to remind him that there are bigger fish out there, now does it?"
Hermione stared into space with a thoughtful frown. "Do all the Death Eaters get public trials? How are they getting around the Statute of Secrecy?"
"I have no idea," Harry said with a simple shrug. "I'll ask the next time I call my parents." Then he held out Malfoy's wand and offered it to Hermione. "I did say I would give it to a prefect."
Hermione accepted the wand with a small smile. "I'm glad Voldemort's dead, Harry. I'm glad we won't have to worry about him ever again."
"Yeah," Harry said in complete agreement.
They spent the rest of the journey talking about all sorts of things, from what they got for Christmas to the latest Quidditch news. When the trolley came by, Harry treated everyone to cauldron cakes and chocolate frogs to celebrate, much to Ron's delight. And Harry felt so very happy to see his friends again, even if he did already miss his family.
Of course, something had to ruin Harry's good mood eventually. And it came in the form of Albus Dumbledore, who stood waiting for Harry in the entrance hall.
"Mr Potter," Dumbledore said, looking more than a little ticked off as he narrowed his eyes at Harry. "I need to see you in my office right away."
00000
Number 27
The first thing Harry did, after telling his friends to go ahead and save him a seat in the Great Hall, was reach in his pocket and pull out his phone. While Dumbledore led the way through the corridors with rigid steps, Harry started a video call with his parents and the rest of the Avengers, just as they'd planned.
Harry's parents weren't idiots. They'd insisted Harry contact them at once should Dumbledore try to make some kind of move. In fact, just at that very moment, all of the Avengers plus Bucky were camped out in Hogsmeade, ready to come to the rescue if needed. None of them had forgotten that Dumbledore had effectively ordered Harry imprisoned for the Christmas holidays.
When the video call connected, Harry didn't say anything, but just winked at his parents and Tony, whose faces he could see on the screen. He moved the phone around so his parents could see Dumbledore's back as Harry followed him to his office. Loki returned his wink while Tony gave him a huge grin. Thor simply nodded at Harry while he sat back to watch the show.
Dumbledore didn't speak to him until they were both seated in his office, Harry with the phone in his lap so the Avengers could see his face and hear the entire conversation.
"Mr Potter," Dumbledore said, hands folded on his desk, face scrunched up in his most severely disappointed expression yet. "Your godfather was tremendously saddened that you not only refused to spend the holidays with him, but that you had your supposed parents absolutely wreck Headquarters."
Harry managed to keep his expression straight, remembering Natasha's lessons to keep his emotions under control. Flying off the handle wouldn't help him in the slightest right now. "That's an interesting way of saying you ordered me held captive while I wanted to spend the holidays with my family." Harry swallowed back other replies he might want to give, about Sirius and how his godfather's denial of Harry's real parentage truly did hurt Harry. It was none of Dumbledore's business and Harry refused to give him that sort of private information.
Dumbledore kept quiet for a moment while his severely disappointed expression endured. Then he sighed, long and deep, as though having to deal with Harry was the most exhausting thing in the world. "There were many reasons it was vitally important that you remain at Headquarters."
"Such as?" Harry couldn't help but ask.
"I had asked Professor Snape to start teaching you Occlumency over the holidays," Dumbledore said, looking at Harry over the top of his glasses with narrowed eyes. "It is the art of shielding the mind, and I believe it will help you keep Voldemort out of your head."
Harry blinked. He hadn't had any strange dreams of being in Voldemort's head for months now, ever since his mother had removed the soul piece from his forehead. Since then Harry had learned meditation from both Loki and Clint, and that had also helped tremendously to keep his thoughts straight and his emotions under control. Not to mention his therapy sessions with Agatha were starting to become truly helpful in making sense of his own inner workings.
"I doubt my parents would give permission for me to receive some kind of private lessons with a professor who hates me and enjoys nothing more than to make me suffer," Harry finally said, clamping down on other, far less polite ways of phrasing his horror at the thought of Snape teaching him anything during private lessons.
Dumbledore sighed again. "Harry, Professor Snape wants what is best for you."
Harry shrugged, because he knew without a doubt that wasn't true. Snape might want to keep him alive, sure, but Snape didn't mind one bit if Harry's life was a gigantic mess of pain and suffering. Then he remembered Ron's speculation on the train and he couldn't help but say as he looked around the office, "Where is Snape? I would have thought he'd be here if we're discussing private lessons with him."
Dumbledore shifted in his seat while he briefly pursed his lips. "Professor Snape has been…delayed during a recent mission. I am certain he'll return to Hogwarts as soon as possible."
Harry had to work very hard to hold back the grin that wanted to spread out over his face. Ron was right! Snape was definitely locked up in the Raft with all the other Death Eaters. "This still doesn't explain why you decided to imprison me during my holidays," Harry said, because he was still curious what other excuses Dumbledore had for that.
"Voldemort is actively planning to confront you again, Harry," Dumbledore said in a tone that suggested Harry was very, very stupid for not realizing this by himself. "The only safe location for you outside of Hogwarts was the Order's Headquarters. But since it's been destroyed that is no longer available to any of the Order members. Your actions have put a lot of lives at immediate risk, my boy."
Harry ignored Dumbledore's obvious attempt at a guilt trip and said, "Voldemort is dead."
Dumbledore gaped at him, as though Harry had just said something Dumbledore had never, in a million years, ever expected Harry to say. It took him a good minute to regain his composure. "I don't know what you mean to say, but I assure you, Voldemort is very much alive."
Harry raised his nose in the air and gave Dumbledore a look as if the headmaster was obviously too stupid to understand what he was saying. "I assure you, headmaster, that the Avengers have killed Voldemort, after they destroyed all his soul containers, including the one in my scar. They've also arrested all the Death Eaters that were present, so I wouldn't be expecting Snape back anytime soon."
"What?" Dumbledore slumped back in his chair as though he'd just lost control of his own body. "You know about the horcruxes? They are not as easily destroyed, so I doubt a group of muggles could manage it."
Harry rolled his eyes. "My mother is one of the most powerful sorcerers in the entire universe. He can destroy some wizarding made magical artifacts just fine." On the screen in Harry's lap, Loki was looking all sort of insulted that someone dare suggest he couldn't destroy such things.
Dumbledore shook his head a few times, looking thoroughly in denial. "What is very concerning to hear is that these muggles have taken witches and wizards captive. They have no right."
"Seeing as how Voldemort frequently targeted muggles, I'm sure the Avengers had every right. They work for all sorts of official muggle agencies and governments," Harry explained, even though he doubted Dumbledore understood who and what the Avengers really were.
"Nonetheless," Dumbledore said, sitting upright again, his gaze regaining some determination. "Professor Snape is a spy who works for me. He does not belong in a muggle prison. Where is he being kept?"
"It's called the Raft," Harry said in an almost bored tone. He truly couldn't care less that Snape was forced to spend time in prison. He deserved it, the spiteful bastard. Harry hadn't forgotten that Snape was all too willing to see Sirius kissed by a dementor, even after it became clear Sirius might very well be innocent. "I have no idea where it is. Somewhere in the ocean, I think."
"Very well," Dumbledore said, pushing himself to his feet. Harry quickly followed his example. "Thank you for your time, Harry. We'll speak again soon."
Harry quickly nodded and all but ran out of the office. "That wasn't too bad," Harry said, raising the phone up to his face as he walked towards the Great Hall.
"Sure, you win the first round," Tony said with a pointed look. "But the match hasn't been won yet, kid."
"Keep your guard up," Loki added.
"Call us if you need our aid," Thor offered with a warm smile.
Harry's chest glowed with the knowledge his family was there for him and he said a few words of goodbye before ending the call. Hermione had filled a plate for him with all his favourite foods, so Harry quickly tucked in since he was starving. Halfway through his meal he told Ron and Hermione what had happened in Dumbledore's office, and Ron spent the rest of the meal practically bouncing in his seat out of sheer happiness that Snape had been arrested. Neville, who was sitting beside Hermione and overheard the whole conversation, actually got a little misty eyed out of sheer relief that Snape had been imprisoned.
Later, when Harry was safely tucked in bed and sound asleep, his phone buzzed him awake. Harry blinked tired eyes while he blindly reached for his phone.
"Wut?" Harry managed to say when he finally found the correct button to push. He rolled onto his back and promptly dropped the phone on his face. "Fuck." After much grappling with the thing, Harry was finally able to look at the screen.
Loki and Tony's faces were squashed together as they grinned at Harry. No, grinning was too mellow a word to describe the way they looked. They were maniacally beaming in sheer, unadulterated victory might be a better description.
"So Dumbledore found the Raft," Tony said while Loki squinted his eyes and sniggered like a cartoon villain.
Harry blinked, feeling instantly awake at hearing that news. "What? How?"
"We believe he might have tracked that Snape dude," Tony continued while Loki kept sniggering, looking more amused than Harry had ever seen him. "Naturally, Loki here had warded all the cells housing Voldemort's henchmen against magical interference or escape. Dumbledore tried opening Snape's cell, but failed. So instead he decided to open other cells, which hadn't been magically reinforced because they don't house wizards."
"Uh oh," Harry said, dread pooling in his stomach. He'd heard plenty of stories from Clint about what sort of criminals were housed in the Raft.
"Yeah," Tony agreed with a dry chuckle. "The first cell Dumbledore opened housed the Abomination."
"That evil Hulk monster?" Harry asked while he stared at Tony with wide, disbelieving eyes. How the hell could Dumbledore be so stupid.
"Yep, the very same," Tony said, while Loki had his face pressed to Tony's shoulder as he shook with silent laughter. "Maybe Dumbledore thought he could magic the Abomination to do his bidding or something, but whatever his plans were, the Abomination quickly put a stop to them."
"And to Dumbledore," Loki added in a hoarse voice and went back to sniggering.
Harry stared at the screen in utter disbelief. "Wait…do you mean…"
"Yeah, Dumbledore got flattened by the Abomination," Tony said, trying to sound solemn but failing miserably. "He's dead."
Harry found himself utterly speechless. Never had he expected Dumbledore to try to break Snape out of prison and end up a pile of pulp courtesy of the Abomination. "Er.."
"Yeah," Tony agreed before cracking up altogether. Loki had yet to stop laughing. "They've put his remains in a box. We'll drop it off at the Hogwarts gates in the morning, once the helicopter gets here."
"Okay," Harry said because he had no idea what else to say.
"We'll talk more tomorrow," Tony said when Harry remained quiet out of genuine shock. "Try to get some more sleep." The call ended and Harry dropped the phone to his chest.
Fucking hell. Dumbledore was dead, and Harry had no idea what to think about that.
00000
Number 28
Harry tossed and turned for almost an hour, trying to go back to sleep, but his mind was swirling with thoughts about Dumbledore and his sudden demise. Finally, Harry gave up and threw the blankets back with a frustrated huff before getting up.
It was very early, still, and it was dark outside, yet Harry got dressed for the cold weather because what he desperately needed was some fresh air. He contemplated bringing his broom to do some flying to clear his head, but he also knew it wasn't a good idea to go flying in the darkness by yourself. If something happened it would be hours before help would arrive.
So Harry opted for a brisk walk around Hogwarts' grounds to calm his racing mind and to make sense of the situation. He was glad he'd thought to wear a thick scarf and gloves, because the air was freezing and the grass crunched beneath his shoes with a thin layer of frost. Still, the cold was a welcome distraction as Harry walked into the direction of the lake.
There were lots of emotions happening inside of him, yet Harry wasn't entirely sure what kind of emotions they were, exactly. Agatha had asked him to try to name his emotions from now on, every time he was confronted with strong ones.
What Harry had learned from his sessions with Agatha was that he was allowed to have emotions, and that all his emotions were valid, no matter what they were. No one could tell him what to feel.
Knowing that much did make it easier for Harry to examine his own feelings.
There was shock, lots of it. But there was also sadness, and perhaps even grief. Ever since Harry had found his real parents his relationship with Dumbledore had gone down the drain, but during the years before that, Harry had looked up to the old headmaster, had genuinely cared about him. And, as it turned out, those feelings weren't so easily dismissed, even if nowadays Harry no longer much cared for how Dumbledore had treated him.
There was also a lot of anxiety, because how the hell was Harry supposed to tell people Dumbledore had died? Should he go see McGonagall first thing and tell her? Should he write to the Ministry? To Minister Fudge?
Would they even believe him? Would they arrest him for Dumbledore's death? The ministry wasn't exactly fond of Harry ever since he'd claimed Voldemort was back. Harry was genuinely worried Fudge might try to pin Dumbledore's death on him, just so he didn't have to admit what really happened to the public.
It wasn't until he'd walked halfway around the lake and the sun finally started cresting the horizon that Harry realized that it wasn't up to him to inform the adults of what had happened.
This was exactly the kind of situation he'd discussed with Agatha a few times! An adult situation that required adult interference. Harry, being only 15 years old, held no responsibility concerning any of it.
A huge woosh of air escaped Harry in sheer relief once he realized he didn't have to inform anyone. Tony and Loki had said Dumbledore's remains would be delivered to Hogwarts, and Harry assumed some kind of explanation would be given as to how Dumbledore had died.
Much of the anxiety that had tied Harry's stomach into tight knots disappeared and Harry was left with the slow ache of sadness and grief. He stuck his hand in his pocket and took out Frigga's gemstone rose. He rubbed his thumb across the smooth surface, wondering if he should call his grandmother. He'd told her he would, and he really did want to talk to someone. Not necessarily about Dumbledore, but Harry simply longed to hear a friendly voice, to connect with someone else for a little while.
But would he be waking Frigga, since it was still so early? Well, it was early in Scotland. Harry had no clue what time it was on Asgard.
Just as Harry decided to go for it and try to speak with his grandmother, he saw a figure emerge from the shadows ahead of him, stepping out from behind a few large rocks on the shoreline of the lake.
It was Loki.
Harry's heart soared, so glad to see a familiar, friendly face. He broke out in a huge grin and quickened his steps until he came closer to the man and realized it wasn't his mother after all.
The man looked an awful lot like Loki, but there were also differences. His face was a little narrower, his hair shorter, his eyes more golden than green. He was just as tall, though, and his smile was just as sharp. He wore loose black clothing made from linen or cotton instead of the leather garments Loki preferred.
"Hello, little brother," the man said, and Harry gaped up at him in surprise.
This was his brother! Except Harry had no idea which one. He had two, and a sister. But one of his brothers, Fenrir, was a huge wolf, and his other one, Jormungandr, was a giant snake. This man was neither of those things.
"Hi," Harry finally said, just to be polite, even if he was still trying desperately to figure out who was standing in front of him. "I'm Harry."
"And I'm Jormungandr," the man said with a knowing smile, as though he was well aware how clueless Harry was when it came to his identity. "You may call me Jor."
"Oh! Hi!" Harry beamed up at his brother now that he knew who had come to meet him. "I thought you were a snake." Harry frowned as he quickly glanced down. Had that been some kind of joke or a prank Loki had tried to play on him. His mother did have a very strange sense of humour from time to time.
Jor laughed and gave Harry a very fond look. "I usually am, but I am also a shapeshifter, just like Loki and the rest of our Jotun kin."
Harry blinked. "Our what kin?"
"Our Jotun kin," Jor repeated slowly but not unkindly. "You do know we are Frost Giants, yes? My mother was a Frost Giant. Loki himself is also a Frost Giant, though he only recently discovered this. He was raised as an Aesir."
"I had no idea," Harry whispered, because Loki had never mentioned any of this, only that he was adopted. Harry wasn't even sure what a Frost Giant even was. "I thought I was just human."
"You were never human, little brother," Jor said with a sharp grin. "You were always the child of gods. Your father, Thor, is mostly Aesir. And your mother is Jotun."
Harry shook his head. "I know I'm Asgardian and whatever spell Odin put on me to make me seem human will break when I turn 17." He gave Jor a careless shrug. "But no one ever mentioned the Jotun thing before. I don't even know what they are."
"Ah." Jor looked a little saddened. "I had hoped Loki would have come to terms with his own heritage. He never seemed to have many problems with Jotun when he lay with my mother and sired me, Fenrir and our sister Hel." Jor got a mischievous twinkle in his eyes "Let me show you what a Jotun looks like, little brother." And at once Jor started growing until he stood at least as tall as Hagrid.
He also turned blue. And got weird markings on his skin. Also, he grew horns.
Harry gaped at him in sheer disbelief. This was what Loki really looked like? "Are you sure this is what I really am?" Harry was now genuinely worried what he might look like once the enchantments broke when he turned 17. Would he even be able to go out and about if he turned into a blue horned alien as tall as a giant? Would he even be able to find a girlfriend? Somehow an image of Bucky flashed through Harry's mind. Or perhaps a boyfriend, Harry conceded in the privacy of his own mind.
"Yes, you are half Jotun." Jor leaned down so he could stare Harry into his eyes. Jor's eyes had become red, but thankfully they looked nothing like Voldemort's. "But that means that you are also a shapeshifter. If you want to look like a Jotun, you can. But if you want to look Aesir, you can also do that."
At once, Harry's mind came up with all sorts of interesting scenarios. He knew Loki was a shapeshifter. He'd heard others talk about it, and he'd seen his mother change his appearance a time or two. Plus Harry knew that was how he'd been conceived. Loki had turned into a woman and tricked Thor. But Harry had never considered that he himself might be a shapeshifter, too.
Harry gave Jor a considering look. "Loki's been teaching me magic, but he's never mentioned me shapeshifting."
"Would you like to learn, little brother?" Jor asked as he shifted back to his human form. Or rather, Harry conceded, his Aesir form. Harry wondered why Jor chose to look like that, since Jor himself had no Aesir blood. Was it to resemble Loki? Or didn't he want to scare Harry during their first meeting?
"Yes!" Harry said, chest filling with eager anticipation. "I'd love to learn."
"I'll be happy to teach you," Jor said with a warm smile which made him look nothing like Loki, but very much like his own person.
"There's plenty of places we can use in the castle," Harry offered. "I can sneak you in. You can use my invisibility cloak if need be."
"Alas, I cannot wander that far away from the water," Jor said, gesturing to the gentle waves a few feet away. "This is as far as I can go."
"What?" Harry blinked in confusion, and then he remembered that Odin had cast Jor to earth to imprison him there. "Really? There's no way to break the spell?"
Jor shrugged as he looked out over the lake. "Loki has been searching for ways to free me, but he's not had much success yet." Jor glanced at Harry, his smile nothing if not hopeful. "Still, I cannot complain. It could be far worse."
"How could this be worse?" Harry demanded, outraged on his brother's behalf.
"I could be imprisoned by unbreakable chains, like our brother Fenrir," Jor said matter-of-factly, giving Harry an almost challenging look. "Or I could be forever stuck in the realm of the dead, like our sister Hel."
That was something Harry hadn't even considered before. He'd been supremely pissed off at Odin for snatching him away from his loving parents Loki and Thor, who clearly wanted to raise him, and for dumping him on earth where he eventually ended up in a cupboard under the stairs with people who treated him like dirt.
But Jor was right. While Harry's childhood had been miserable, it wasn't nearly as bad as Jor's fate, or Fenrir's or Hel's.
A sense of shame washed over Harry for only thinking about his own lot in life and for not considering what his siblings were going through. "I'll help you," Harry said, before he even knew what he was really saying. "You teach me how to shapeshift, and I'll help you find a way to break these enchantments. And then we can free Fenrir and Hel, too."
Jor's expression went from slightly disbelieving to genuinely grateful and back a few times before he gave Harry a firm nod. "It's a deal, little brother."
"So can we meet here for our lessons?" Harry gestured at the lake. In the distance he saw the giant squid lurking, just breaking the surface as it glared at Jor with large, luminous eyes.
"This lake is connected to the ocean through an underground cave system, so I can easily swim here," Jor said, also noticing the giant squid and giving it a cheeky wink.
"That explains why there is a giant squid in a freshwater lake, at least," Harry mused. "My friend Hermione's been wondering about that for years now. She'll be happy to learn where it came from."
Jor seemed amused by Harry's rambling. "We can meet here at sunrise, however often you like."
Harry was very eager to start learning how to shapeshift, so he said, "Can we start tomorrow?"
"Certainly." Jor made his way towards the waves. "I cannot stay out of the water for very long, but I can teach you just fine standing in the lake up to my ankles."
"Wait!" Harry just remembered he had a phone with a camera. He wanted to take a picture of his brother so he could show Ron and Hermione. "Can we take a picture together?"
Jor seemed intrigued by the phone Harry pulled out of his pocket. "I see so many people with those things, but I am unsure how they work."
"It's a phone, but it also has a camera. Move closer to me, so we can take a picture of us both." Harry held the camera at arm's length, and when Jor lowered his head beside Harry's, he said, "Smile!" and quickly snapped a picture.
It came out fine, though Harry was no photographer so he had no clue, really.
"Thanks! I'll send a copy to Loki as well, I'm sure he'll enjoy it." Harry grinned up at his brother, still a little unsure how to act around him. Harry had never had a sibling before, but he really liked the idea of it. And Jor seemed nice enough.
"I'll see you tomorrow, at sunrise." And with that, Jor stepped into the freezing lake and walked straight into its depths while Harry waved him goodbye.
As he strolled back to Hogwarts, his chest warm and his mind much calmer, Harry sent Loki a message. 'Met my brother just now!' He attached the picture.
Within minutes, Loki sent a reply. It was a smiley face with little heart eyes. Harry had no clue what that meant, but it seemed nice enough and that was good enough for him.
With a renewed spring in his step, Harry hurried back to the castle. He couldn't wait to show off his brother to his friends.
00000
Number 29
"Harry, you have to tell someone!" Hermione's face was pale with anxiety as they trooped through Hogwarts' hallways on their way to breakfast.
Harry gave her an incredulous look. "No, I don't."
Hermione huffed in obvious frustration. "Of course you do! Dumbledore's dead and people need to know."
Harry took a few moments to inhale a deep, calming breath. "That's really above my paygrade, Hermione." Harry had heard Clint use that expression a few times over the holidays and he figured the current situation was appropriate to use it. Tony also liked to use it, Harry remembered, though he always claimed things were below his paygrade which always made Steve roll his eyes.
Both Ron and Hermione had responded really well to seeing the picture of Jor and Harry had experienced an odd sense of pride while he showed off his newly found brother. But then he let slip that he'd learned what happened to Dumbledore and ever since then Hermione kept nagging him to tell someone. Who, she didn't say.
"The Ministry hates Harry," Ron pointed out, much to Harry's relief. "They might try to pin it all on him, since he got the muggles involved in our mess in the first place."
"Exactly," Harry said quickly, though it did nothing to calm Hermione down. "I'm just a kid, and I barely know what actually happened anyway. This is government level stuff, Hermione. They don't want a 15-year-old to stick his nose in and bollocks everything up."
Hermione bit her lip and wrung her hands, eyebrows pinched with worry. "I don't know. It just seems that people should be aware of what happened."
"They will be. Just be patient." Harry stuck his hand in the pocket of his robes, feeling if his phone was still there. Somehow his phone had become very important to him nowadays. It allowed him to talk to his parents and Jarvis and Bucky, and it now had a picture on it of his brother Jor. "I hope I can meet Fenrir and Hela sometime soon as well," Harry muttered, trying to change the subject.
"And Sleipnir," Hermione added distractedly, still full of doubt about what she'd learned about Dumbledore's fate.
"Who?" Harry looked at her with a frown.
"Honestly," Hermione said with a huff while she gave Harry a disbelieving look. "You have four siblings, according to the myths. Jormungandr, Fenrir, Hela and Sleipnir."
Harry blinked, sure he'd only ever heard Loki mention three siblings. "Who the hell is Sleipnir?"
"The horse!" Hermione stopped walking so she could better glare at Harry. "He's Odin's horse."
"Ah." Harry's frown deepened. "Tony did mention a horse at some point, but that's all I've ever heard about it."
Ron looked like he was trying hard not to laugh. "Having trouble keeping track of all your siblings, mate? We might turn you into an actual Weasley just yet."
Harry laughed at that and even Hermione managed a small, amused smile, and then they resumed walking and reached the Great Hall in less than a minute. They dropped any sensitive subjects for the time being since there was too much risk of being overheard, but Harry couldn't stop thinking about Sleipnir. He was sure Tony had mentioned him, or at least a horse, but Loki never had, and Jor hadn't said anything about him either.
"You've got to admit that Snape ending up in prison is the greatest thing that's happened since Umbridge self-destructed a few months ago," Ron sighed, voice full of nostalgia as he stared at Snape's empty seat at the head table.
"We've got two hours free today," Harry agreed with a happy little smile. He still wasn't sure how he felt about Dumbledore's sudden demise, but he had to agree with Ron that Snape's imprisonment was a cause for celebration.
"Some of us want to pass our OWLs," Hermione snapped while she glared at Ron. "Some of us prefer our Professors in front of the classroom."
Ron looked at Hermione as though she'd gone completely mental and Harry felt a warm rush of fond affection for his best friends. He really was happy he'd decided to return to Hogwarts because he would have missed Ron and Hermione something awful if he hadn't.
Throughout Charms that morning, the whole Sleipnir debacle kept bothering Harry. The idea he might have an extra sibling that no one mentioned didn't sit well with Harry. Was it because he was a horse? Or because he worked for Odin, after a fashion? Why would nobody mention him, except indirectly for Tony?
Their next class was Potions, which wasn't happening for obvious reasons. They did march down to the Potions classroom, at Hermione's insistence, but there they found a note taped to the door in McGonagall's handwriting, urging them to spend some time in the library for self-study during any upcoming Potions classes for at least the next week.
Hermione seemed perfectly happy to follow McGonagall's instructions, of course, and even if Ron scowled he did trail after her. Harry excused himself, saying he needed the bathroom, but instead he ducked inside the first empty classroom he could find.
Harry considered calling his mother, but Loki's children were a very sensitive subject and Harry didn't want to accidentally upset Loki, so he decided against it. He also considered calling his father, but Thor had the tendency to share his conversations with everyone around him, loudly, so Loki might still overhear Harry's questions and be hurt, so Thor was out as well.
In the end Harry decided to call the only guy who'd ever even mentioned a horse.
Tony looked slightly dishevelled as his face appeared on Harry's phone screen. "Kiddo. Why are you up so late?"
Harry blinked and then he remembered time differences. "Sorry," he mumbled, slightly embarrassed he'd forgotten something so simple. He could tell from the background Tony stood in his lab in Avengers Tower. "It's morning here. I'd forgotten."
Tony waved Harry's worries away. "It's fine. I'm not sure what time it is here, actually. Just putting some final touches on some weapons. We've got a mission coming up." Tony blinked a few times and then gave Harry a wide grin. "What can I do for you, kid?"
"Er…" It took Harry a few moments to come up with the right words. "You mentioned a horse, when we first met. That Loki gave birth to a horse, I mean. But no one else ever did, they all only talked about Jor and Fenrir and Hela. Until Hermione pointed out just now that I should also have a sibling named Sleipnir. Who is a horse."
Tony glanced down, briefly biting his lip before he couldn't hold back any chuckles. "Yeah, that remark landed me in a doghouse for a few days with your mother."
"So it's not true?" Harry asked, utterly confused. "I don't have a horse brother?"
"You don't have a horse brother, as far as I know," Tony said a firm nod. "When I said that, Loki and I hadn't actually talked about any of his other kids yet. He and Thor had only mentioned you at that point."
"Ah." Harry felt simultaneously relieved and disappointed. Relieved that one of his siblings wasn't being forced to live as Odin's personal taxi, but disappointed he didn't have an extra sibling after all. Harry really liked having siblings.
"The whole thing about that famous horse being used in a bet is true. Except Loki never shapeshifted into a horse himself, he simply took one of Odin's prized mares who happened to be in heat or something and used it to distract the stallion. Inevitably, a baby horse was made that day and that turned out to be Sleipnir. But some of Thor's asshole friends spread the rumour that the mare had been Loki and that Sleipnir was his kid, since Loki already had a bunch of shapeshifting kids so what was one more." Tony rattled off the whole story while he tinkered with some objects off camera.
Harry had often heard his mother complain about stuff Thor's friends had done to him in the past, so he wasn't at all surprised they were behind the whole thing. "Okay. Thanks for telling me."
"You're welcome. Anything else?" Tony gave him an expectant look.
"No. Wait. Yeah. Maybe." Harry inhaled a deep breath. "Hermione expects me to announce Dumbledore's death, but I don't think I should."
"And you shouldn't," Tony agreed at once. "Let the grownups handle this one. Official announcements have gone out to Macusa from Shield and the US government. Macusa will let the British magical government know sometime today."
Releasing a relieved sigh, Harry nodded in understanding. That was way over his paygrade, just as he'd suspected. "Thanks for letting me know. What's your new mission?"
"We've got a lead on the missing sceptre," Tony said as he went back to tinkering. "Some Hydra hideout in Sokovia. We'll be in and out. Piece of cake."
"All right, good luck."
"Sure, see you later." And with that Tony cut the connection.
Harry tucked his phone away and quickly made his way to the library, where he had the privilege of letting a shocked Hermione know she'd been wrong. Twice.
00000
Number 30
Ron and Hermione had all but begged Harry to come with him to meet his brother the next morning, even if it was at sunrise. Hermione was also very interested in the magic Jor would be teaching Harry.
"Do you think he'll teach me as well?" Hermione asked, looking just a bit nervous, though why Harry wasn't sure.
"I don't see why he wouldn't," Harry said with a shrug as they all trooped across Hogwarts' wide lawns towards the lake while the sun just crested over the horizon. The air was chilly and the ground covered in frost, but they were all well dressed for the weather with thick scarves and gloves.
"I'm not sure I'm up for learning even more this year," Ron said with a laugh. They had been given enormous amounts of work by all their professors leading up to their OWLs. "But I will help you find a way to free your siblings."
"Thanks, mate." Harry gave Ron a grateful smile, and just then they saw a lone figure standing in the shallow water.
"Wow, he looks just like Loki," Hermione said as Harry waved at his brother, who immediately waved back.
"Harry does, too," Ron said, much to Harry's surprise. "From what I could see when your parents brought headquarters down, you look a lot more like your mother than your father."
"He's not wrong," Hermione agreed.
Harry felt inexplicably pleased to hear that. Just then they reached Jor and Harry made some quick introductions and asked if Hermione could join their lessons.
"I wouldn't mind teaching one of Haraldr's friends," Jor said with an amicable smile. "However, you lack the proper physicality for shapeshifting, since you are human."
"We wizards can learn to shapeshift, though," Hermione insisted with wide eyes, looking rather like someone had just told her the OWLs were cancelled. "We can become an Animagus."
"Ah, but that is only one form, yes?" Jor said with a knowing look. When Hermione made an agreeable sound, Jor continued, "That is how far a human can push their body when it comes to shapeshifting themselves. What I'm teaching Harry is far more complex than that and it requires the body of a Jotun or Aesir."
"Oh." Hermione chewed on her lip and stared down at her shoes.
"I'll still need help learning," Harry quickly said, giving Hermione a gentle nudge with his elbow. "You could still learn the theory and help me practice."
Thankfully, that seemed to cheer Hermione up a bit at once. That was, until Jor opened his mouth again.
"I'm not sure how much use that would be. Harry will need at least a century of practice before he'll master this art. I'm afraid your human friend will be long dead by then."
"Wizards live longer than regular people," Ron said, sounding a bit feeble, his face suddenly quite pale. Hermione was staring at Jor in shock before rounding on Harry looking like she wanted to give him a very long, hard hug.
Harry felt much the same way as his friends looked. He was at once lightheaded with shock and he couldn't draw in enough air, or so it felt like.
Harry had known for a while now that he wasn't human, of course. But until that point, Harry had sort of seen that as an abstract statement. He hadn't yet grasped what it meant for the people around him. For the people he cared about most.
Looking at Ron and Hermione, Harry desperately searched for words to say but nothing would come out of his mouth.
"It's all right, mate," Ron said, voice barely audible. Hermione's bottom lip trembled while her eyes became shiny.
"It's not," Harry finally managed to say. Ron and Hermione would grow old and die while Harry would remain young for a long time still to come. He'd still be taking magic lessons from his brother when Ron and Hermione would pass on from old age. "Nothing about this is all right."
"I'm sorry," Jor whispered, looking properly contrite. "I thought you'd come to grips with this already. I would not have been so blunt otherwise."
Harry couldn't stop shivering, and Hermione grabbed his elbow. "I think it's best if we take him inside the castle for now. Get him some hot chocolate, that will help."
"Very well." Jor gave Harry a pat on his shoulder before stepping further into the lake. "Take care, Haraldr. I'll be here every morning at sunrise. Come back when you're ready."
"Thanks," Harry managed to whisper. He hated disappointing his brother when they'd only just met, but he still couldn't breathe properly.
They went straight to the kitchens where the house-elves gave them all as many mugs of hot chocolate with whipped cream as they wanted. Harry drank two straight in a row and it did help to settle his body a little.
"Want to talk about it?" Hermione asked, also on her second mug.
"No." Harry did want to talk, but not with his friends. He needed to talk to his mother. Thankfully they had History first thing. Once Ron and Hermione got ready for class, Harry lingered in the kitchen. "I'm going to call my mum."
Ron nodded in understanding, and even Hermione, who was usually a stickler for always attending all classes, gave Harry a sympathetic smile without comment.
Once his friends were gone, Harry grabbed his phone and dialled his mother's number. No one answered though. Right after that, Harry tried his father, who also didn't pick up. It was only then that Harry remembered the Avengers had a mission.
Crap. Was there no one to call? Harry really needed to speak to someone right now, preferably a member of his family.
That is when Harry remembered his grandmother and he reached inside his pocket and pulled out the gemstone rose. Harry wasn't even sure how it worked, so he just rubbed it a little and held it up to his mouth as though it was a microphone.
"Grandmother Frigga? I really need to talk to you."
It took a few moments, but then an image of Frigga's head and torso appeared over the rose, looking much like one of Tony's holograms. "Haraldr, my dear, how are you?"
"Not so good," Harry said, and before he even knew what he was doing he blurted everything out. "I met my brother Jor and he is going to teach me shapeshifting magic and my friends came along to meet him but then Jor reminded us that I'm essentially immortal and they're not and they'll be dead before I'm even middle-aged."
Frigga nodded in understanding. "First of all, Haraldr, we are not immortal. We're just very long lived. We can die in battle just as most other beings can." She then took a moment to really look at Harry. "But I understand that the idea of losing your best friends is a difficult one. Here is my advice, Haraldr. Try not to dwell on the inevitable loss. Try to enjoy every single moment you still have to spend with them."
Harry inhaled a deep breath, and then another one. Listening to his grandmother speak, her calming voice giving him sound advice, finally settled him down completely. "I will. Thanks."
Smiling, Frigga gestured at Harry to carry on talking. "Now tell me about your meeting with Jormungandr. How is your brother?"
And that is how Harry spent the rest of the hour. Catching up with his grandmother. By the time Harry had to get to Transfiguration, Frigga promised him to send him some books of the magic she wished to teach him and Harry felt much more at ease with himself and the world.
Ron and Hermione gave him dubious looks when Harry approached them with a huge smile. "Talked to my grandmother. She's really nice and really smart. We should just enjoy the time we have together."
"That certainly is true," Hermione agreed, also perking up a little.
Harry looked between his friends, who he would lose before long, and decided that he would cherish every moment he had left with them.