CHAPTER 4:

BONDING AND BOOKS

Harry wasn't sure what to expect from a library in Asgard. Then again, he wasn't sure what to expect with Asgard at all. He wasn't expecting a vast city that seemed to be a mixture of fantasy and science fiction tropes, with some surprisingly modern elements.

The library itself seemed closer to what he would have considered for a place like Asgard, with the shelves being all dark wood, and it felt more ancient than Hogwarts. And yet, as Rossweisse led him down the aisles, he noticed shelves of modern books, DVDs and CDs as they passed. You wouldn't see stuff like DVDs or CDs at Hogwarts.

"I'm actually surprised at all the modern stuff here," Harry said, keeping his voice down.

"I can understand that. Actually, they only started bringing in videos and audio recordings in the early 90s," Rossweisse said, even more quietly. "As hidebound as the Underworld can be, they were ahead of us in terms of innovation and keeping up with modern technology. Of course, magical means of recording have been around for centuries, and in some regards, they were superior to technological recordings, even now. But those very recordings can be interfered with in ways other media cannot. True, digital video can be tampered with, for example, but magic and electronics have a bit of a volatile relationship."

"Hermione claims electricity didn't work at Hogwarts," Harry mused.

"That's…not quite true. Older electronics, the types that used vacuum tubes and the like instead of transistors and microchips, are considerably more resilient, as magic can cause a minor EMP effect. However, shielding technology or even getting it to work with magical components is easier than you'd think. The wizards could do so if they applied themselves, but even the wider supernatural world have strongly conservative elements, slow to innovate and change. Just because we did so before the wizards doesn't mean we weren't guilty of similar attitudes. And not just in terms of technology. If you saw the way some Devils act, you'd think they were like the Purebloods back in Britain. Not all of them in a bad way, from what little I admittedly know, but arranged marriages are more common than you'd think. And not just amongst Devils, either. Even here in Asgard, it's not unheard of."

"Sounds medieval," Harry remarked.

Rossweisse chuckled, though there was something wistful to it. She made a beeline to one particular shelf, plucking a massive book off it, and then carrying it to a table effortlessly. She opened it to reveal the diagram of a massive tree with circles showing various lands within them. "How much Norse myth do you actually know, Harry?" she asked.

"Not much," Harry admitted. "I know the names of some of the gods like Odin, Thor, and Loki, probably thanks in part to Marvel Comics, really. I know of the Valkyries. I've heard about your end of the world thing, Ragnarok, and of Fenrir the wolf. I'll be honest, though, that's about it."

Rossweisse chuckled. "Well, this tree is the World Tree, what we call Yggdrasil. While in some ways it's more symbolic about the nature of the world, it's still a very real thing. Yggdrasil is basically what holds the various realms together. Think of them as separate versions of Earth, superimposed over each other, co-existing within the same location, but not quite the same place."

"…Do you mean parallel worlds?"

"No, that's another concept entirely. They are other worlds that exist simultaneously within this timeline, in the same spatial location as Earth, but not actually in the same place. Think of it as being like the TARDIS from Doctor Who, except its entire worlds that can only be accessed from certain points. Norse myth traditionally holds there to be Nine Realms, Asgard being one, and the human realm, what we call Midgard or 'Middle Earth', being another. And yes, Tolkien got the idea for calling Middle Earth that from Norse myth."

Harry nodded. It was actually more interesting than he thought, if a little confusing. "Hermione would love to hear from you. I think you two would get along swimmingly."

Rossweisse chuckled again, though this one sounded a little melancholy. "Maybe. Hopefully, I may be able to meet her one day. In any case, your Jotunn abilities mean that you have an ancestor that came from Jotunheim." Her finger moved to one circle showing something in runes, an arctic landscape. "Of course, between all realms is something known as the Dimensional Gap, a corrosive void between worlds. Rumour has it that the Ouroborous Dragon God Ophis resides there."

"Ophis?"

"One of the most powerful Dragons in the entire world, and I say that without any exaggeration whatsoever," Rossweisse said. "I mentioned Albion and Ddraig before, but they'd be like ants compared to Ophis, or the Great Red Dragon, for that matter."

Before Harry could comment any further, he heard a sneering voice say, somewhat too loudly in the hush of the library, "I wondered what you were doing with the Boy Who Lived in the library, Rossweisse. Too much to hope that you were snogging him."

Harry looked up to see a blonde-haired girl about their age. Her features were beautiful, but her expression was ugly, and she was dressed in jeans and a shirt that seemed a size too small for her bosom. "What do you want, Sanngridr? We're busy."

"Just wanted to see the truth behind the rumours, that's all." She then turned to Harry, and gave a stunning smile that was as false as Lockhart's exploits. "I'm sure Rossweisse is boring you. You wanna have fun, I can take you to get some fun."

"I'm fine, thank you," Harry said as politely as he could. "Rossweisse has been delightful company so far."

"Really? You must have a weird idea of fun. You don't want to go around making friends with the wrong sort of person. I can help you there."

At this, Harry was reminded of Draco Malfoy and that very similar turn of phrase. Gritting his teeth, he said, "I think I can tell what the wrong sort of person for myself. I'm looking at one now. Go away."

At this, Sanngridr scowled. "Excuse me? I don't think some uppity human wizard drittsekk can say that sort of thing to me, and if you think that Spinster Valkyrie is better company than me, then you must be even crazier than those wizards' newspapers are claiming!"

Thankfully, the librarian, a bookish but tall red-haired man with glasses, came up to her. "If you can't be quiet or polite, then get out of my library. Stop bothering Rossweisse, Sanngridr, or I'll have you banned permanently. And aren't you meant to be on latrine duty?"

Sanngridr slapped the hand away from her shoulder. "Stikk av! You don't get to tell me what to do!"

Suddenly, a magic circle appeared around her, and she vanished. "Stikk av yourself, you vulgar little brat," the man said.

"Sorry to be so much trouble, Atreus," Rossweisse said morosely.

"You handle yourself far better than many of those jokes who call themselves Valkyries," the now-named Atreus said. "My father lectured me at length about my temper. Besides, if all they fill their lives with is partying and trying to get boyfriends instead of…well, being dedicated to their work…" The man then looked over to Harry. "So, you're Harry Potter, huh? And you're part-Jotunn like I am. Good luck with that."

"Atreus doesn't sound Norse," Harry observed.

"I'm part-Greek, actually. Long story," Atreus said. "Anyway, I'm sure Rossweisse's orders are to look after you, but look after her, would you? She's like a little sister to me, and while she can look after herself as a Valkyrie, as a person, well…you just saw how Sanngridr treated her."

"…Okay, but…we only just met. Hell, I only met Rossweisse the other day, anyway."

"True, but I know what sort of person you are, Harry Potter. Not the hero those wizards back in Britain thought they could hold you up as, but a decent person. The way you told off Sanngridr showed that. I just intervened because I had the feeling either you or Sanngridr would begin fighting, and, well…I'd prefer not to have any damage to my library. Anyway, see you later."

As Atreus walked away, Rossweisse smiled, albeit sadly. "Atreus is one of the nicest people here. Some Valkyrie I make, though, not being able to do anything about Sanngridr's taunts, or any of the others."

"…They bully you?" Harry asked.

Rossweisse opened her mouth, as if to deny it, before she said, "Most of it's just some teasing. Only Sanngridr and a couple of her friends take it further than that."

"And she called you the Spinster Valkyrie? Even though you're only 15? Where does she get off on saying that?" Harry demanded indignantly, or at least as much as he could manage without raising his voice. "She reminded me of Draco Malfoy for my liking, if he was a girl. Then again, even if he was, he wouldn't be seen dead in those jeans and a shirt like that. I mean, she looked tarted up!"

Rossweisse stifled a snort of laughter, holding a hand over her mouth. "I…if she heard you say that, she'd be utterly furious!" she said. "Of course, she comes from a richer family than mine. Even though my grandmother is Gondül, we're…not exactly rich. Well, neither is she, but she still thinks she's better than me, or anyone else."

"Are you better than her?"

"…In most ways, I believe I am. I'm not trying to brag, but I have studied long and hard in magic and in combat, putting in hours that she never has," Rossweisse said bitterly, even as tears glistened in her teal eyes. "Not that it matters to some people. Success as a Valkyrie often means having an Einherjar, a warrior you have escorted to Asgard, and often one you take as a consort. I mean, some of them were thinking of making Cedric Diggory an Einherjar. Honestly, that's up to his parents, I think Odin discussed that with them."

"But if you can bring back Cedric from the dead…" Harry began, only for Rossweisse to place a hand over his own, silencing his raising voice.

"…Harry, what if Cedric doesn't want to come back? And given that he died not in battle, but to an ambush, he may not be eligible for that anyway," Rossweisse said. "That being said, the final decision is up to his parents. Normally, we don't do that, but we generally go to battlefields where adults fight. Hell, we rookies aren't normally meant to be getting Einherjars yet, no matter what they think."

"…But can he go back? I mean, he has parents and…a girlfriend," Harry said, thinking of his crush, Cho Chang. "Would they accept that he's back from the dead?"

Rossweisse pursed her lips in thought. "…They could come here, but think about it. If we brought Cedric Diggory back from the dead, how would the British wizards react? His parents and girlfriend might, but the rest of them? And things might be made worse. Durmstrang was at the Tri-Wizard Tournament, yes? We…haven't the best relationship with them, and I'm sure they'd cause trouble if we got involved. More than once, its staff and student body have caused trouble for us. Rumour has it that, before he disappeared, Lord Loki had been in talks with the staff there."

Harry nodded, before his brain caught up with what he had heard. "Wait…did you say Loki disappeared?"

"Yes, some decades ago. This isn't the first time that this has happened, usually to cause some sort of mischief or mayhem, but…on previous occasions, Lord Odin or Lord Heimdall has some notion of where he is and what he is doing. But this time, apparently there has been no news, no rumour even of his whereabouts or doings. And Lord Loki has been as much a bane to Asgard as he has been a boon. So his being absent without any word of where he is or what he's doing is concerning."

Harry had to agree. He didn't know how much Norse myths overlapped with reality, but Marvel Comics' take on the character aside, Loki didn't have the best of reputations. Even Harry, with his limited knowledge of Norse myth, knew that much.

A silence fell across them for a time, before Harry asked, "Are you okay? I mean, after that bitch gave you grief?"

"I…I'm okay. Believe me, she's said worse to me before," Rossweisse said quietly. "What about you?"

"She seems like a female version of Draco Malfoy. And I've heard worse from him. Though what did she call me, anyway?"

Rossweisse flushed. "Oh, umm…drittsekk means…well, it means rather literally a 'shitbag', though it is equivalent to 'bastard' or 'wanker', if you excuse my language." But she turned to him and smiled. "But…thank you for standing up for me. I…I find it hard dealing with her barbs at times."

"She's a bully," Harry said bluntly. "I've seen plenty like her at Hogwarts and at home." He then winced inwardly at the slip about the Dursleys. "And the way Odin treated you and Brynhildr earlier…"

"Believe me, his taunts are nowhere near as bad as others I have heard," Rossweisse said morosely.

"He still shouldn't have said that to you two," Harry said. "Rossweisse, you've been genuinely nice to me as far as I can tell. I mean, at times, you could lighten up a little, but honestly, I'm used to that sort of thing with Hermione. And I'd rather be with a girl with a big brain and a bigger heart than some tart who has neither."

Rossweisse seemed taken aback, though whether it was because of the praise or his blunt assessment of Sanngridr, he didn't know. Then again, considering the light dusting of pink on her cheeks, he guessed it was the former. She was quite adorable when she blushed. She actually looked her age. "I, uhh…I think we should check out some of these books for perusal later," she said. "I'll bring out some DVDs too. There's some in English, or with subtitles. Come on…"

CHAPTER 4 ANNOTATIONS:

So, there you have it. Harry and Rossweisse have had some bonding, with Harry managing to connect with her by being him.

Now, before you ask, yes, that IS Atreus from the God of War games, albeit centuries after the events of God of War: Ragnarok. No, he has nothing to do with the Loki of High School DxD canon. Atreus showed up some years after Loki disappeared, Mimir in tow, and while distinctly unimpressed with this world's version of Odin, he at least recognises that Odin isn't a villain like he is in the God of War games, and that his counterpart is a nasty piece of work. So he became a librarian. And he's also a mentor figure to Rossweisse and, as you will see, Harry. We might see Mimir and Sindri later on, and perhaps Kratos and Freya? Who knows?

As for what he looks like, I thought of how Tony Curran looked while playing Van Gogh in the Doctor Who story Vincent and the Doctor. Imagine that, but in a tweed suit.

As for fleshing out Rossweisse's relationship with others, I wanted to explore why Rossweisse has such a major trigger in canon to not having a boyfriend, something which I thought was very cruel of Odin to keep pressing (at least Issei, when he pushes that button, he doesn't quite know how badly it affects her, given how much he reacts to her reaction). I personally felt the way canon did it was histrionic, especially when compared to some of her stronger character traits. So I wanted to explore why that was and, more to the point, cut that off at the pass.

As for Sanngridr, she's basically an amalgam of every alpha bitch you see in fiction. She's somewhere between a genderflipped Draco Malfoy and Emma Barnes from Worm.

Anyway, this is the last of the first set of chapters. There's eleven chapters written so far, and the twelfth will see the start of High School DxD canon, but with a twist. Before I go, though, be sure to check out the other stories I am updating with this mass update.

No numbered annotations this time.