Harry woke up early. It was one of those warm mornings in June, the sunlight slanting through his white curtains and making the room glow with light. He lay there, blinking blearily for a second, then jolted up, grabbing his glasses.
Monday mornings meant Remus was working on the reserve, studying magical properties of plants and animals, while Harry went into work with Loki.
He stretched, untangling himself from the sheets. Ever since Harry could remember, Loki had been bringing him to different events, introducing him to strange and new people, and trying to teach him magic. Recently, he'd even begun bringing Harry into the Ministry of Magic every day so Remus could work.
Harry finished buttoning up his shirt and ran a comb through its hair- it never did anything, but Remus insisted.
He looked in the old muggle standing mirror, which reflected back a skinny boy with scraped knuckles and glasses with red frames. Above his glasses was a scar of nearly the same color, shaped like a lightning bolt, which had come from Loki and his parents' saving him as a child. Harry frowned- for a moment, he thought there'd been a glint of gold in his reflection, near his scar. He screwed up his face for a second, trying to re-capture it, but it was gone.
He shrugged, looking around for his socks and trainers. It wasn't the first time this had happened. He thought maybe it was Loki's spell, or perhaps one of the pictures on the photoboard in his periphery- his gaze jumped to one Remus had taken of him and Ron grinning until one of the twins flew a broomstick straight into the lens. The one next to it had the four of them tumbling down the hill near Ottery St Catchpole.
Harry blinked off the inertia, reaching to pull out a sock from the drawer and digging around for the second one. He liked the Ministry plenty, but sometimes he wished he could spend his mornings with kids his own age, instead of wrapped up with meetings or at home by himself with Remus. He fervently looked forward to Hogwarts, where he could spend his time surrounded by friends like Remus had. Which, speaking of…
"Have you seen my other one of these?" Harry asked, poking his head through the doorframe and displaying the red sock.
"Mm," Remus said. He was sitting at the table, a full cup of coffee in front of him and another pot of water on the stove, and squinting vaguely into the newspaper.
"Under your hamper," Remus said, far more cognizantly, a moment later. "You really ought to clean up that pile."
By this point, Harry was in the other room, so he just picked up the other sock and busied himself with packing his bag. When he got back, Remus was still staring at the paper.
"Is everything okay?" Harry asked, swinging his bag on his shoulder.
"Did Loki say anything about today?" Remus asked, pulling on the sleeve of his brown jumper.
"No," Harry said, peering over Remus's shoulder at the newspaper. "Why?"
"We're at war with Belgium," Remus said.
"We are?" Harry asked.
Remus grimaced. "According to the Prophet, it happened last night- soldiers on the border were stunned and captured, and we've retaliated by moving in."
Harry glanced at the paper, which had a man with a cane and a woman with a monocle speaking to the papers- the man looking smooth, the woman grumpy.
"I wish he had given some kind of notice," Remus said with a sigh. "They're not going to like me taking off another day."
"He said he would come today," Harry recalled, stretching his memory back to Friday morning.
"I don't think so, Harry," Remus said. "Unfortunately, Loki is an important wizard— he has a lot of priorities…"
Harry opened his mouth, ready to argue the point, but the eggs, which had been set to boil, began bubbling quite violently, and Remus got up to vanish the water. He took out his wand and began peeling them.
"Anyways, try not to be too disappointed, alright?"
Harry frowned, but he ate his eggs and toast in silence, glancing out the window as Remus cast tempus against his wrist.
"Remus," Harry began, a question rising to his mind, "You're going to be working for a long time, right?"
"Why?" Remus asked. "Has something happened? Do you want to stop going to the Ministry?"
"No!" Harry said.
"Harry," Remus said, "If you're unhappy going into the Ministry, or with me going to this job, I want you to tell me, okay?"
"I know," Harry said. "It's fine. It's just…"
A knock sounded at the door and he broke off.
"I told you!"
He jumped up to get the door, but Remus was suddenly there, and opened the door first. "What did you hide five years ago?" he asked tersely.
"Harry's scar," Loki said. "Among other things."
Harry self-consciously touched his forehead, feeling the ridges of the ever-present scar.
"Somehow I find that only mildly comforting," Remus said dryly, stepping aside to let him in. Loki stooped in through the doorway, dressed in his strange green and golden garb instead of his normal wizard robes. He was carrying a golden helmet with horns under his arm and grinning.
"Ready to go, Harry?" he said, and Harry bounded over to the porch, grinning.
"Are we going to fight?"
"Of course not," Remus said, looking at Loki, who had pressed his eyes together and was opening them again, looking pleased.
"Not today," he said. "I hardly think we shall be needed. Harry?"
Harry shouldered his bag and sprinted to the doorway, bursting with questions, and Remus stepped forward too, frowning.
"Are you sure it's okay to go to the Ministry today?" he was saying. "Won't you be busy?"
"Frightfully," Loki said. "Oh dear, is it already seven?" he glanced at the clock behind them.
Remus glanced back and yelped, grabbing his things.
"You have all your schoolwork-" he said.
"Yes-" Harry said, hoisting his full bag.
"And you have a lunch for him-"
"Of course," Loki said, sounding mildly affronted.
Remus took the muggle key and locked the green door, then hugged Harry and waved to Loki, apparating off.
"And how was your weekend?" Loki asked him.
"It was good," Harry said, walking quickly to follow him down the steps. "I saw Ron and Ginny. The twins were cleaning the dishes. They snuck a gnome into the couch."
"Oh yes," Loki said. "Those two are acquiring quite the reputation. Step this way, Harry-"
He moved over a meter to another, identical piece of grass, and took Loki's hand, bracing himself for the momentary flash that sometimes accompanied side-along apparation.
Harry expected them to appear in the ministry, or even somewhere along the battlefield, but they instead appeared on the grounds of a sprawling manor. It was the biggest house Harry had ever seen.
"Where are we?" Harry asked, looking around. There was something vaguely familiar about the house, though it was not a particularly good familiarity. The white peacock strutting around the grounds reminded him of a particularly snobby French dignitary.
"Draco Malfoy's birthday party," Loki said, tapping the black gate, which opened soundlessly. "I believe he's turning eight."
"Oh," Harry said, remembering now. Lucius Malfoy was one of the Ministry workers- the man with the cane in the paper that morning. Harry had met his son a couple of times when they were younger.
He frowned.
"So why am I here?" Harry asked, running his hand along the gate's black curling tines.
Loki raised a hand and a window opened in the air- Lucius, having a heated conversation with the monocled woman. Both were scanning through a long sheaf of parchment, circling things and crossing them out.
"Lucius, a valued associate, is busy today and will, I suspect, remain that way tonight," Loki said. "It is he who arranged the invitation. Do you understand?"
Loki was looking keenly at Harry the way he did when he was trying to teach him something.
"Yes, but-"
"Good," Loki said, patting him on the shoulder. "I have no particular concern for the boy's social life, but I offered to bring you along. Feel free to behave exactly as you desire. Lucius has invited you to every birthday party of Draco's for six years, and of these he has missed all but one."
Harry stopped, frowning.
"That's pretty sad, actually." he said.
Loki shrugged noncommittally, and Harry glanced around at the wide lawn, another question occurring to him.
"But… why are we coming here today, then?" he asked. "If you don't care about Malfoy?"
Loki smiled, and Harry realized this was the question he had wanted him to ask.
"I don't think it is safe for you in the Ministry," he said. "Not with the ongoing war."
"You think it will be attacked?" Harry said, surprised.
Loki shrugged.
"It has happened before," he said, pausing to close his eyes again. "Wizard wars are... pliable that way. Meanwhile, Malfoy Manor is friendly, off the map, and most of all protected."
"Alright," Harry said dubiously. "Should we bring a present?"
Loki glanced at him, looking bemused, then said, "Oh. Of course."
He closed his hand and opened it again, revealing a glass ball. He tapped it twice, and then threw it to Harry, who snatched it out of the air, unthinking.
"Remembralls are all the fashion nowadays, aren't they?" he said. "This is quite similar."
"What's the difference, then?" Harry asked.
"It glows when you've forgotten everything," Loki said idly. "Or when you're lying. Multipurpose."
Harry glanced at the glass ball as Loki pulled the knocker.