A/N – Ones that waited for what Loki was planning will be happy as he is the focus of this chapter, or of a bigger part of it. In terms of pushing the plot forward, not much happens.
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Beta - eri1551
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Loki stepped out of the portal in the Great Hall of Hogwarts during lunch and frowned when he saw several wizards in red robes scattered across the room. He didn't remember them being at Hogwarts the last time he was there.
"What is the meaning of this?" He asked as he saw them point their wands at him.
"Whoever you are, you are under arrest," one of the aurors said, walking forward with his wand leveled at Loki's face.
"Do you know to whom you speak?" Loki asked, amusement visible in his voice. "I'm Prince Loki Odinson so I really suggest that you lower your wand and get lost. I'm a god and you are just a mortal, a mortal that doesn't even have my respect."
"Nobody will order me!" the auror roared as he pointed his wand at Loki and shouted "Stupefy!"
"They want it the hard way," Loki sighed and snapped his fingers. The red beam of energy fired by the wizard disappeared into thin air and every single auror was flung against the stone walls of the hall. Loki nodded approvingly when he saw them land on the ground and stay there. "Excuse me, but those pests annoyed me," He said with a flourish and turned to look at Dumbledore. "It is time for that thing as we had agreed a few days ago."
"What thing?" McGonagall asked and with a nod he smiled towards her.
"An annual tournament that takes place on Asgard, in the times long gone there was a custom that I invite some of the most promising students from Hogwarts to watch it. Now since we are taking more interest in this planet I decided to invite the whole school," Loki smirked. "So do you accept the offer or not?"
The smirk on Loki's face only widened when he heard the roar that came from the students, and the looks sent his way by some of the more intelligent professors were saying the same thing as the students did. But those looks were far less demanding, they were more of the suggestive kind.
"I will accept." Dumbledore said and Loki smiled, for the first time it was a genuine one.
"Perfect," the Trickster said. "Heimdall, if you could take us to Asgard and get their possessions into the rooms at the Academy."
Before anybody could protest everything was wrapped in a rainbow light that appeared out of nowhere and sucked them into the Realm of Gods – Asgard.
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Oliver looked around curiously at the images that were visible outside of the Bifrost, he had heard a few things about it from Harry, but this was even better than what he heard. As they flew through time and space he could see hundreds of stars and galaxies speed past them. He glanced at the rest of their group and saw that only Loki was focused on the target ahead of them. He has probably seen it hundreds of times and now it's something as common for him as Hogwarts is for us, Oliver thought and as he followed Loki's gaze he saw a bright, golden dot growing with every single second.
"Asgard," he whispered, his voice quiet and subdued.
"Indeed," Loki said, turning to look at him. "It is called the Jewel of the Nine Realms and there is a lot of truth to this statement." Loki shrugged. "Anyways, you will see why in a couple of moments as we are close and will land soon. Even if I told you things, they wouldn't be as truthful as seeing it with your own eyes."
Oliver nodded and with each second he could see the dot grow in size and brightness, he was almost forced to close his eyes as the light was unbearable. Then, it was gone and he could feel his feet touch something solid. He looked at the ground and his eyes widened when he saw that it was some kind golden metal.
He shook his head and looked around, taking into account more and more details, the walls were made out of a gold-like substance and they were standing in a large dome. In front of them stood a massive man clad in a golden armor, a two-handed sword in his hands. "Welcome to Asgard," he said, his voice deep and resonating with power. "I'm Heimdall, Guardian of the Bifrost and Gatekeeper of Asgard."
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"Thank you, Heimdall," Loki said, walking forward and pushing his way past the Hogwarts students. "They are here on my invitation and are to see the Tournament, so don't scare them, too much."
"Of course, Your Highness," Heimdall said before moving out of the way. Making Loki roll his eyes in amusement.
Loki turned and looked at the whole Hogwarts group. "This is Asgard, the Realm of Gods, the Golden Realm, also known by many other names. I had a habit of inviting the very best of Hogwarts students to study here for some time, but this custom was forgotten due to various reasons, from both sides. Though, that is a thing of the past. This invitation is a different one as it is for the six whole weeks during which you will be able to see how we use magic and learn some things, as well as you will be invited to watch one of the most important magical tournaments, that takes place in this realm twice a year.
"While it is an important event, it is just one of many things you will see during your stay here, you will see how wizards your age train, study and live when at school. If you could, follow me and I will take you to the Academy, as the school is called," Loki said and with a flourish turned around.
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Oliver looked around trying to find Charlie, Cedric and Tonks as the four of them had become close friends after their stay at Xavier's. Their stay there was certainly enlightening for all of them and opened their eyes to a couple of things.
"I wonder how many of the things Harry said are true..." Tonks said, appearing at his side, he jumped up and looked at her.
"How did you get so sneaky?"
"My cousin." she said with a weird smile. "He showed me some things, including how to move more gracefully that I normally can."
"Should I know about him?"
"No," she said, he nodded and they joined the stream of students that was walking out of the Observatory and followed Loki. He tried not to gape when he was able to see the city sprawled on the shore of the bay in front of them, everything was graceful, golden and screamed superiority in every imaginable way.
He remembered Harry saying that his family house was a huge one, but this was a something completely else. Bigger, more richly decorated and more powerful than he had ever imagined it to be. When he focused on his mutation, this already incredible building became even more powerful and grace seemed to be flowing from it in waves.
Then, Oliver's gaze swept to the building that seemed to be floating in the air, suspended by some force and his jaw almost dropped to the ground. This was something he hadn't expected to see. "This is the Academy," Loki said, as if hearing their jaws drop. "The main school of magic in this realm and the place where you will be staying for most of the time you spent here. Inside there is everything that you will require and more. All of your belongings were moved by Heimdall to one of its parts, there will be your quarters for the duration of your stay."
They nodded and Oliver's eyes widened when he saw Loki conjure a set of stairs leading towards the Academy as if it was a trivial task, one done by him every single day. The steps were made out of some kind of glass material that allowed them to see through them. Oliver looked at the steps and tentatively placed his foot on one's surface, when it didn't break under him, he started to walk more confidently.
Each step brought them closer to the Academy, bringing out details previously unseen, a ring of domes around the tetrahedron in the middle, hundreds of runes carved into the walls. Statues placed along the edges of the building and an uncountable amount of towers and spires along the central spine of each arm.
"It's beautiful," Tonks said as they climbed the stairs. He arched an eyebrow and looked at her. "I mean, Hogwarts is nice, but this is a completely new thing, one that I didn't expect to ever see."
"Yeah," he said, his voice full of awe. "It is even more interesting than Harry said it would be. He said it was a heaven in Norse myths and in our fairy tales it is described as such, but this is different and much better."
"It looks different and better, but I wonder what is Loki's goal with this," Charlie Weasley said as he joined them. "He always has some goal and I think that he has one here as well."
"Maybe he has, but I don't care about it," Tonks said. "It looks too darn good to care about anything else."
"There is that approach," Oliver said and looked towards the massive arched entrance into the school, that had appeared in front of them. It was placed in a recess in the wall and he could see that every single space around the doors' wings were sculpted and carved. Those decorations were showing various magical arts and their usage, as his eyes ran over them he had trouble believing some of them were possible.
There were six large plates, in total, at the doors that showed that. Going clockwise from top to bottom, on the uppermost right there was a sorcerer summoning massive balls of fire and hurling them in the enemy's direction. Below him someone was summoning winds to create a tornado to use it against their enemies. At the lowest plate a sorcerer was kneeling to the side of a body and healing it.
On the other side of those massive doors were the other three reliefs. The lowest one showed a sorcerer opening a portal for his supporters that were waiting in a far away place. Above it was a sorcerer summoning massive amounts of water to wash away thd enemy troops. Last but not least, the uppermost left plate was showing a sorcerer using his control over Earth to create a new landscape.
Between those stone panels the doors were placed, leading into the Academy, compared to everything around they were plain looking golden doors with a giant sign placed on each wing. It was a sword and a staff crossed behind a large triskelion.
o-0-o
"This is the entrance to the Academy," Loki said turning and looking at the whole Hogwarts group, he could feel their excitement and curiosity about the things hidden behind those doors. "It's full name is Academy of Battle Magic and Sorcery of Asgard, as it's name suggest its main focus is magic used for dueling and battles. However it also provides complex magical education in all fields, it is considered the most prestigious one and you will find here sorcerers from all of the Nine Realms.
"Even if you come from Hogwarts, which in your opinion is one of the best schools of magic don't expect any kind of preferential treatment, you will be treated the same way as everybody else is and you will fall under the rules of this Academy, not Hogwarts," Loki said with a smirk and tried not to laugh, the Hogwarts students were completely unaware of what kind of life was waiting for them.
He fought an urge to sigh when he felt Dumbledore look at him. "What do you mean by the fact that they will fall under the rules of the Academy?" Dumbledore asked.
Loki looked at the elderly Headmaster of Hogwarts, his gaze cool and lacking any emotions. "You are only guests here, nothing else, which means that you will be expected to behave the way everybody is behaving. Also your students will attend the same classes as everybody else in this school." Dumbledore tried to open his mouth, but stopped when Loki's gaze focused on him. "You have no power here so I suggest that you do not do a single thing that can annoy me or anybody from my family. As I said, your students will attend all classes here and will answer to the rules of the Academy, not Hogwarts'."
Dumbledore crumbled and nodded. "I understand, Your Highness."
"Perfect." Loki smiled and touched the surface of the doors with his scepter. They creaked and slowly opened, revealing the inside of the Academy to the Hogwarts students. Exalted halls that saw many thousands of great sorcerers across the ages study inside, each and every single one of them leaving an imprint on them.
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Oliver wanted to gape as he looked at the hall, revealed, when Loki opened the doors to the Academy. The hall was huge and as he looked at it, he had trouble believing it was possible. It was made out of the same golden stone out of which the whole of Asgard seemed to be made of. It's floor was covered in beautiful mosaics that glittered in the sun and when Oliver looked at them, he realized that they were made out of gems. Along the walls hundreds of sculptures of sorcerers stood, in various poses, but the one thing that drew Oliver's attention were the staff in the hand of every single one of them.
His gaze flickered forward towards their apparent destination, a wide staircase with a colonnade in the middle that supported the vaulted ceiling. He felt here like a grain of dust, the scale of everything here was huge. The Hogwarts Great Hall felt like a broom closet compared to this, this was much, much bigger and grander than Hogwarts.
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Loki walked onto the steps and turned around to face the whole Hogwarts group, he glanced for a moment to the side and smiled when he saw Bragi appear at his side. The Lord Commandant of the Academy was in his red robes with light armor visible underneath and a sword strapped to his side.
"I presume those are the Hogwarts students you were speaking about," Bragi whispered, his voice quiet, almost impossible to hear. "They look interesting and there are a few that have a lot of potential in them. Potential to be great sorcerers or sorceresses, they just need to be polished and molded into the proper shape."
"Yes," Loki nodded and looked at the Hogwarts group that looked back at him, shuffling their feet and getting a bit impatient. "They seem eager to hear what I have to say." For one last time his gaze landed on Bragi. "Once I explain things to them and give them a tour, could you find some guides for them to help find their rooms?"
"Of course, Your Highness, it will be done," Bragi said, his fist touching the spot above his heart.
Loki nodded and focused fully on the Hogwarts group and their Professors, he knew that the latter ones or some of them were going to be an issue. How big of an issue, only the future would tell. However he was sure that all of them would have an issue with part of the curriculum and some of the customs.
He cleared his throat and they immediately quietened, focusing on him and what he was going to say. "You have an opportunity, not many of your peers have, as you are allowed to study alongside the very best of the whole Nine Realms for some time. The exact amount of which will be decided in my discussion with your Headmaster. You will attend classes alongside the students of this Academy and you will obey the same rules, they do. Also, you will face the same sanctions as they do for misbehavior and I strongly suggest that you avoid doing something stupid and rash."
"Today you will be given a tour of the building and you will have tomorrow to get used to it. After that you will start attending classes with the other students, so I suggest that you use that time you have well. Your stay here can be a wonderful time or a miserable one, so I suggest that you think well before making any choice."
He paused for a moment to allow them to digest the data, he could see them thinking it over and move their heads forward, as if being physically closer would allow them to hear and understand more. He also wanted to stall so a few of the Instructors from the staff of the Academy could join him. He was in no mood to deal with several hundred excited teens and their annoying teachers, alone.
He saw the robed and armed forms of the Instructors appear at his side and nodded to them. "There are a few hundred of you and it is too big of a group for me to give all of you a tour of the Academy." he said bringing all of their attention to him. "I want you to divide into fourteen groups with one Professor each and we will begin the tour."
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Oliver looked around, trying to locate some of his friends. He tapped Tonks' shoulder when he got to her. "We should join Loki's group, he seems like the best one," he said when she looked at him.
"Yes," she agreed, her hair flashing through several bright colors until they settled on black. "Cedric and Charlie I think are thinking the same."
"Yes," he said, as they pushed through the crowd trying to get close to Loki, who was completely focused on his talk with Dumbledore. They stopped talking the moment a small group formed, as Oliver looked around he could see around twenty people there. Most of them from Ravenclaw, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff.
Loki motioned for them to get closer. "The Academy occupies a massive building, so I want you to follow me closely as it is easy to get lost. I will show you everything important that you will need to know and answer all of your questions. So let's get started, first stop is the Hall of Yggdrasil." They nodded and followed Loki up the stairs and into a massive hall in front of them.
"Yggdrasil as in the World Tree?" Charlie asked
"To be exact it is its sapling, but yes. It is a powerful magical tree and it's wood is used in some of the most powerful artifacts. It's Hall is the most important hall in the Academy."
Oliver nodded and as they entered a large circular chamber his gaze was drawn to the tree in its middle with four pairs of students standing around it. They were standing at attention and it looked as if they were guarding the tree. Around them the chamber was brimming with activity with dozens, if not hundreds of people moving through it.
"The whole Academy is focused around this Hall and every single corridor leads here, so if you ever get lost head for this chamber. It is a nexus of magical power, thus you need to be careful when you get close to the Tree."
"So those eight are some sort of Honor Guard?" Oliver asked and everybody glanced at him. "I mean that they stand there mostly for show. You could have probably blocked everybody with the proper array of runes and wards."
"Indeed," Loki said with a smile. "Being chosen to stand guard here is also a sign that you are good which usually keeps everybody competing with each other to be as good as they can be. Not to mention that runes can fail sometimes and there are people that will do everything to test how far they can push."
Oliver nodded and looked at two first years that were in their group. Fred and George Weasley were troublemakers and a bit annoying. He was kind of curious how they would fare here.
"Anyways," Loki said bringing Oliver out of his musings. "Around the Hall are the most official chambers of the Academy. Further away from it and on the upper floor are the classrooms and the library. Above them are the living quarters and the entertainment area for everybody that lives at the Academy. Training grounds used for physical activities are almost at the top of the building, directly above the dormitories, and above them are the training grounds used for magic. Some of those training grounds are suspended in the air and are located outside of the Academy."
"What do you mean by physical activities?" Dumbledore asked and as Oliver looked at the elderly Headmaster, he had a feeling that Dumbledore was not happy.
"Hand to hand combat, martial arts, weapons handling, those kinds of things," Loki said with a shrug. "I thought that I mentioned that magical education here isn't only focused on magic. Whilst magic is a powerful force, it is one of many tools we have at our disposal and sometimes it is not the best choice."
"Will they be required to attend those classes?" Dumbledore asked and Oliver sighed at those words, he wanted to have some freedom here without their Headmaster telling them what they could and couldn't do.
"Headmaster, with all due respect, we are here to see how do they study magic, aren't we? So maybe you could allow us to do the things they do?"
"Yes, you will be required to attend those classes," Loki said. "They are an important part of the philosophy that is behind our way of doing magic."
Oliver smiled at those words and cracked his knuckles. "It will be fun."
Loki looked at him and the smile quickly disappeared from Oliver's face. "I can assure you that it will be, the question is for whom."
Oliver sobered up and focused on their surroundings, they were climbing one flight of stairs after another and when they finally stopped they were on a large balcony that seemed to be running along the edge of the Academy. When he looked around he could see the whole city sprawled below, with the Citadel in the middle and everything spreading from it in concentric circles. There was a wide, white line leading from the Citadel and running towards the Bifrost, while a second one was running towards the other side of the city and its walls. Those lines looked like the main alleys of the city. Symmetric lines of streets and alleys were spreading from them dividing the city into smaller parts, every single one of them filled with buildings and lush green gardens and parks. It looked like a paradise, too beautiful to be true or real.
"It is real," Loki said, seeing their expression. "After all this is the Realm of Gods and this is its capital, the nexus of power in the Nine Realms and one of the most important capitals in the known universe."
"I know that it is real," Tonks said. "It's just that it doesn't feel that way."
"You will get used to it sooner than you think."
"If you say so, Your Highness," Oliver said and looked around. "So when are you going to show us the facilities inside the Academy?"
"Right about now," Loki said before pulling Dumbledore to him and whispering a couple of words into the ear of the older wizard. Dumbledore crumbled and nodded weakly, his happy expression gone. "Since that is settled, we can go," Loki said with a happy expression and looked at the students.
Oliver had the feeling that he really didn't want to know what were those words whispered by Loki. They descended into the building using the same stairs that got them up there. Though instead of going all they way down Loki stopped them when they were at the crossing of the corridor and the stairs on the first floor.
They walked through a short corridor and entered a large, open area with stained glass from floor to ceiling. Windows and a vaulted ceiling that disappeared in the darkness above. There were hundreds of shelves with books and scrolls, as well as data terminals with large holographic displays suspended in the air. Between them small tables were scattered for the use of those studying and working on their homework or simply conducting research. He could see a few dozens of students pouring over books and scrolls as they seemed to study for something.
"I don't want to say anything, but this looks way better than our library at Hogwarts," Cedric said. "Here I want to learn, at home it looks like a tomb."
Oliver tried not to laugh, but failed. "I like your comparison and this place does, indeed, look great."
"Thank you," Loki said with a small bow of his head. "It was designed to be the best school of magic in this part of the universe. You are going to see the classrooms and the training grounds tomorrow and the last thing that I want to show you, are the living quarters. The rest is not that important."
They nodded and followed Loki up the stairs and after a few moments of wandering they found themselves in an area that reminded them greatly of their common rooms at Hogwarts. It was almost round with furs and rugs covering the floor, a fireplace in the corner and a dozen or so comfortable looking armchairs and sofas scattered across it. Just waiting to be used. Two long hallways extended from the room and in their walls they could see doors leading into other rooms.
"Your dorms are in those hallways, there are two people per room and your personal belongings will be moved into them when you enter the first one you choose. There you will find them waiting for you."
"How did you do it?" Dumbledore asked
"Runes and a couple of other things." Loki shrugged. "This place is great, full of surprises and nice spots so you are free to explore most of this level. The upper and lower ones are off-limits, at least for now."
o-0-o
In the room there was only silence as Scott Summers looked at Professor Xavier, arms crossed over his chest and brows furrowed. Even the light shining in his visor wasn't looking too nicely.
"How long are we going to stay here?"
"Till the end of the Tournament," Professor finally said. "A few still need time to be treated and the rest won't mind some entertainment that will allow them to forget about the world around them as well as about the past events."
"Shouldn't we be preparing for a fight against the Purists?"
"No, Nicholas said that he will deal with them and I'm going to trust him. I worked with him in the past and I know how good he is, not to mention that he helps his allies."
"Since when are we allies with SHIELD?"
"We aren't." Professor shrugged. "But we have common goals and he knows that it was me who helped get Magneto to agree to the agreement before it could change into a total civil war." Professor looked out of the window and at the massive, flying form of the Academy. "They need some normality in their lives and this is the best they can get as the Institute is a ruin and it will take time to get it repaired. So even if you are unhappy, accept this as a something you can't avoid."
Cyclops glared at the Professor, but then he nodded. "I will try, it's just that for me living at someone else's expense is not the best thing."
"I know the feeling," Professor said. "But this is the only place where we can have peace, safety and the best medical care we need until the Institute is repaired."
"Fine," Cyclops said and walked out of the room.
"He isn't the most happy man in the world, is he?" Loki asked as he appeared in the room.
"No." Professor shook his head. "He is a reliable one and bright, but he has issues with his temper and doesn't like it when someone else does the job."
Loki smiled and walked to the window. "Those characteristics are an issue, but even the most capable leader has some flaws. My brother being the best example, he is too brash and temperamental at times and doesn't think before committing himself to something."
"What do you want from me?"
"Dumbledore is an issue, he might not agree with the fact that Illyana who is human is taught magic our way, not his and the fact that my dear nephew also knows our magic." Loki conjured a goblet and drank from it. "He is a good person, but even the best one can be corrupted by power, one of your philosophers said: Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."
"Lord Acton," Professor said and sighed. "I try to see the best of humanity in each man, but power is the most tempting force and when you have nobody watching you and everybody treats you like a saint, corruption happens."
"Exactly. He is a bit arrogant and might think that he is the most powerful person there and can order others around. Someone needs to knock him down a few pegs and keep him there until he accepts that there are forces beyond his limited ability to comprehend the world."
"I see," Professor softly said and looked at Loki. "And you want me to help you convince him that he needs to behave?"
"Yes." The smirk on Loki's face would make a shark swim away in fear and terror. "He is a bit rattled and it shouldn't be that hard to convince him, but I wouldn't mind your help. My means of persuasion are a bit more direct and usually leave their victims scarred and terrified of things to come."
"What about that stone of yours hidden in your scepter?"
"It doesn't work that way," Loki said. "It turns a person into a puppet and while you might be able use it to manipulate him, it is too powerful for it to not be spotted."
"I see," Professor said. "I will help you, I know how much of a problem it can get and the sooner it is dealt with, the better."
"Yes," Loki said and snapped his fingers, opening a portal in the air.
o-0-o
Harry walked through the halls of the Academy with Illyana at his side, everybody giving them a wide berth of space and freedom. "So what weapon are you going to choose for weapons training?"
She was silent for a moment, thinking deeply. "We all will learn how to wield staffs, won't we?"
"Yes."
"I was thinking about some kind of sword," she finally said. "But than, swords are also heavy and bulky."
"That depends on the blade, there is a difference between my bastard or a hand-and-a-half sword. As well as the greatsword used by my grandfather, the kopis used by Atalanta or even the sabres used by some of the cavalry. The only thing that they have in common is that they have a blade and a hilt, the rest is vastly different."
"So what would you suggest?"
"Did you see the armory you have at the Academy?" he asked. "There are examples of all kinds of weapons that we use on Asgard there. It's not the biggest one, but it is rather full and you should be able to find something that will fit you inside."
"We have an armory?" She asked, her eyes shining with light.
"You have, after all it is a military academy, even if nobody admits it," Harry said as he walked to the massive double doors emblazoned with crossed swords. To their side a small access panel was placed. "Let's see if I remember the code."
He pressed a few buttons and the doors slowly opened and allowed them through, the moment they stepped inside they closed behind them again.
"How big is it?" She asked, looking at the hundreds of racks, stands, crates and shelves that filled the room, the wide corridors between them and the lamps hanging from the ceiling. It looked like a dusty storehouse, but not many would house these things.
"Big," Harry said with a shrug. "At the Academy there are something like five thousand students at all times and something like four hundred of instructors, in times of war it also gets several hundred warriors of the garrison and all of them need to be armed and armored."
"Oh," she said as they passed the racks holding the more eclectic or exotic examples of Asgardian weaponry and walked deeper into it. Around them there were hundreds of weapons. Starting from simple bows and quivers of arrows, to daggers, staves, spears, maces, axes and ending with hundreds of other weapons, that even Harry was unable to name, after years of living on Asgard.
Finally they stopped at the end of the corridor and in front of a wall, on which various swords and sabres were hanging. Starting with small and short swords, and ending with greatswords which required immense amounts of strength to lift them of the wall and to easily use them.
"This one might work," Harry said as he reached out for one of the sabres hanging on the wall.
It was a weapon with a wicked blade and a beautifully crafted hilt. It's hilt was made out of wood and at it's top there was an eagle head made out of silver with rubies for eyes. It was placed in a black wooden scabbard with iron bindings. Harry pulled it out of its scabbard with a flourish and the black blade shone in the bright light of the room. "What do you think?" He asked as he handed it to her.
"It's beautiful," she said and moved it in her hand, trying to feel its balance. "It also fits my hand."
"Which usually means that it fits someone's style."
"So, what am I supposed to do with it?" She asked, picking up the scabbard and sliding the blade into it.
"Mention to your instructor that you have your weapon of choice and show it to him," Harry said with a shrug. "You can also take it, a lot of these weapons are for students. After all, they are to be used, not to collect dust on the shelves."
"I see, so how important is this weapons training?"
"Very." Harry laughed. "Especially the basics, Sif was able to keep us going for hours until we were doing something right, and for her right means perfect. Here they won't be that demanding, but will still push you hard."
"Oh," she said as she slung the sabre over her shoulder. "So the Hogwarts students are here, aren't they?"
"Yes," Harry said, distaste in his voice. "Which means that either my uncle is getting senile or he has a major plan in mind."
"Maybe you should get over your mindset and try to think more clearly about them?"
Harry was silent for a moment and then he looked at her. "My answer is to you, is wait and watch them," he said and sighed. "I'm supposed to attend Hogwarts in few years, but if wizards are as bad as they look, well, I think that I might stay at the Institute or here."
"Would you disobey your father?"
"Yes." Harry grinned. "It's my choice, not his and I can be stubborn."
"How much stubborn?" She asked with an arched eyebrow.
"Very," he said as he snapped his fingers and his faithful wolves appeared at his sides.
She looked at him, at his wolves and once again at him. "Why did you summon them?"
"The Hogwarts students are somewhere here and Freki and Geri are good at intimidating people."
"How good? I saw them at the Institute and nobody was paying them any attention there." she said and looked around. "Here too, as nobody freaked out at the sight of them."
"Because they learned that unless provoked they won't turn into a furry buzzsaw that can rip apart anything on its path. I also like their company," Harry said and looked at her. "Today I don't have much more time as Sif wants to teach me more about wielding the hammer, but tomorrow I might show you some of the basics on how to use a sabre."
She nodded and with a smile he snapped his fingers, summoning a portal for himself and stepped through it, vanishing from the Academy.
o-0-o
Loki stepped out of the portal in the Academy and looked at Professor X that joined him moments later. "He might be a bit stubborn so I asked someone to help us."
"Who is this someone?" Professor asked.
"That would be me," Bragi said. "Lord Commandant of the Academy, God of Magic and Poetry, as well as distant cousin of His Majesty." He turned towards Loki. "Can you tell me, Your Highness, why you require my presence here?"
"The Headmaster of Hogwarts needs to be reminded of his place in pecking order and the fact that he is not the most important person in the universe. Also that he can't order other people and tell them what they should and shouldn't do," Loki said as he twirled his scepter, the gem set in it slightly glowing. "So we thought that a nice talk with him is in order and should wake him up, if not, well he might end up with some kind of poisoning or at the bottom of the bay."
"Maybe we should first use less violent ways of approaching him?" Professor X suggested. "I mean, poisoning or murder won't get us anything. Except, probably, causing the wizards to be hostile towards us. Which is even worse than the current state of affairs."
"Hopefully he will see reason before His Highness will need to get creative," Bragi said and stroked his massive beard. "Generally people can understand logical and reasonable arguments."
"Ww will see," Loki said as they walked towards the place where the Hogwarts group was. "Violence is a tool for me, one that I dislike using, but on them it might be necessary."
"Hopefully not," Professor said.
"I hope so, as well" Loki said.
They walked through it, most of the Hogwarts students jumping out of their path and allowing them to pass undisturbed. Loki smirked slightly as he saw them move out of their path in fear and with some respect. He could also feel some slight resentment from some of them, but that could wait.
Finding Dumbledore proved to be an easier task than Loki expected it to be and after few minutes of walk they were standing in front of the doors leading into a room Dumbledore had taken for himself. Loki struck them with the scepter and they opened revealing a large room which Dumbledore had adapted to his needs.
Dumbledore looked up from a text he was reading and Loki could see some of it. "What do you want?"
"We merely want to talk," Loki smiled, conjuring seats for himself and Bragi. "About several things concerning your stay here. A few other things that are important for all of us, too. It would be preferable if you remember about them for your whole stay here."
"What are those things?"
"From where should we start?" Loki mused. "We can start from my nephew, one of Charles' students that is at the Academy, or maybe from the different rules that you need to accept while being here. But I think that my nephew and one of his friends, that is my father's ward, are the most important ones. She is here out of her own free will and I do not want you suggesting to her that Hogwarts will be better for her."
"But why?" Dumbledore asked, arching his eyebrow. "Hogwarts is the best school of magic on Earth and it is more than capable of providing anybody with the education they require."
"It is one of the best on Earth." Loki smiled slyly. "But not the very best, you are probably aware that Strange is training his apprentices and there is also Kamar-Taj. Here there are three equally good schools or academies as we call them and I take apprentices from time to time. So don't even suggest it. Besides that, she chose this school and we really don't like giving away our students."
"Then why did you agree to let Harry come to Hogwarts when he will be ready for it?"
"Because by that point he will be given the basics of magical training and will know how to control his power to an extend, while now he is still developing his mutant and magical powers" Loki said and looked at Xavier. "While Illyana will be most likely staying at the Institute or at the Academy."
"Yes," Professor X nodded. "I spoke with her and she is happy with the arrangement, so I want you Albus to stay far away from her and do not suggest to her any idea about transfer to Hogwarts."
"Yes, that sums it up nicely," Loki said and looked at Dumbledore. "Are we clear?"
"What if I don't agree to your demands?"
"Your stay will become a lot less pleasant than it is, it is not something you want to see or feel."
Loki smirked when he saw Dumbledore crumbling under his gaze. Those were harsh words, but they were true and needed, as well. It also meant that if Dumbledore was able to survive this bitter pill, the next one would pass less painfully. One that was, potentially, even more bitter than this one.
"I will accept those demands," Dumbledore finally said. "I disagree with you, but I'm outmatched here as I know that even Charles on his own would be a problem for me, with you also being present I don't stand a chance."
"Good," Loki smiled slyly and looked at Bragi. "I think it is a good time to explain to him about the curriculum and the other things that his students will need to suffer at our hands. As well as several ground rules that affect everybody that is on the campus of the Academy."
"Yes," Bragi nodded. "I plan to announce it to your students tomorrow, but you should probably know first. As His Highness already said, we place equal focus on physical and magical training so your students for the duration of their stay here will be expected to join the rest of the students in this part of the training."
Dumbledore tried to say something, but Loki's glare calmed him down. It looked as if a glacier was coming towards the elderly Headmaster, beautiful, but deadly.
Bragi nodded his thanks to Loki and turned to look at Dumbledore. "There are also subjects purely academical, not connected with magic and they are supposed to attend those classes, too. Their main focus is the science and history of the Nine Realms and of Asgard, something that might be quite beneficial for them."
"If I agree to those terms, what will they get in return?"
"Full access to the facilities of the Academy, unless restricted to specific groups. They will be treated by the staff as every other student, which also means answering to the same rules and falling under the same punishments. Also you and your staff will have access to all of the libraries of the Academy as well as any other facility that is on the campus."
"Not to mention, that you will be provided with whatever you need or require," Loki added with a sly smile. "So unless you are a fool you will accept this offer and you won't complain."
"I will accept it," Dumbledore said
"Perfect." Loki smiled "I hope that your stay will be as enjoyable as it can be. You can discuss the details with Bragi, while we will leave you as there are matters to discuss for the two of us."
He could see Dumbledore nod and after a look at Professor Xavier they walked out of the room. Leaving the Lord Commandant and the Headmaster to iron out the details and finer points of this arrangement.
o-0-o
Oliver looked around the dorm they were given at the Academy and smiled, it looked good and was much more comfortable than the one they had at Hogwarts.
"That's the kind of dorm I can have," he finally said, sitting down on the bed and looking at Charlie with whom he was sharing it. "Big, nice and comfortable. Only for two people."
"Yes," Charlie nodded, pushing his trunk to the wall and out of the way. "I'm more curious about the creatures they have here and what we will be studying."
"We will see," Oliver said and looked out of the window, at the Citadel. "I wonder if Harry is here at the moment."
"You want to meet him?"
"He is a nice person. Also he is someone that knows a lot and I wouldn't mind seeing him."
"He might be. But I think we better focus more on getting used to being here and studying, than on trying to find Harry."
"You are probably right," Oliver said as he reached out to a bedside table and grabbed a book placed there and written in runes, but when he looked at them they changed to normal text. "Neat," he smiled and opened it. It looked like some sort of a guide as inside it he saw a description of Asgard and even the Academy. Things that he should know.
The next couple of hours until night and curfew came, were spent chatting with each other and trying to learn as much as they could about the things to come. When they went to sleep they weren't tired physically, but magically, they were burned out.
o-0-o
Oliver was sleeping peacefully when the silence of the night was interrupted by a sudden roaring sound of a horn. He jolted up in his bed, almost getting out of his skin in the process and looked at Charlie, a confused expression on his face. "The hell was that?"
"Probably wake up call," Charlie said and winced. "It was painful and not nice, but I guess it is what it is."
The doors of their room opened and through them poked in a Perfect's head. "You have fifteen minutes to dress and wash. After that you are supposed to meet us in the common area."
They looked at each other and sighed as it seemed to be worse than Hogwarts when it came to timing, or lack thereof. Quickly washing and putting on their robes they made their way to the common area while trying to wake up and stay somewhat focused. Entering it they found most of their peers as asleep as they were and trying to catch as much rest as possible. They also saw one of the Professors from the Academy standing near Dumbledore and talking quietly. Seeing their arrival the Professor turned to look at them, he was a tall man, for Oliver, he was easily standing well over seven feet and even if his height wasn't intimidating, then his looks would do the trick, he was a hulking person with blond hair and black, as night, eyes. To his side a sword was strapped. A sword that was obviously used, recently at that.
"Since everybody is here, I have a couple of announcements for you," he said. " The Lord Commandant would be here to greet you personally, but he has other duties to attend to and he asked me to officially greet you to the Academy. I'm Bjarni Ragnarsson and I'm the Master-At-Arms of the Academy as well as Deputy Commandant of it. I hope that your stay here will be a pleasant one. Now I will take you to the Dining Hall for breakfast and after that you will be given a tour of the rest of the campus."
They nodded and as Oliver looked around the rest of his peers he could see them brimming with excitement and eagerness for the things to come. He himself was curious about, how their life at the Academy would look like. They were led through a couple of wide and airy corridors and finally they arrived in the Dining Hall.
The Dining Hall was a large oval room with dozens of long tables placed in it and a high table placed on a raised dais. Dozens of lamps were hanging from the ceiling, lighting the room. If that was not enough there were also windows placed in the walls. It was not an imposing structure like the Great Hall of Hogwarts was.
Looking around, Oliver, could feel more of comfort and ease spread around him. It looked so warm and homey that he didn't even have the desire to do anything hostile towards any of the students that were already in the hall, eating their breakfast.
"Is this Valhalla?" One of thd students asked, making Ragnar laugh.
"No, Valhalla is a completely different place, but it looks similar to this. It is one of the palaces of His Majesty. This here is merely a normal Dining Hall," Ragnar said as he looked at them. "Once you eat you will be given a tour around the Academy, shown the facilities that you will have access to, during your stay here, and be explained the rules that you are expected to follow."
At the mention of rules Oliver and most of the Hogwarts group groaned, but the moment they sat down, hundreds of trays with all kinds of food appeared on the tables. Food that quickly reminded them of how hungry they were and pushed thoughts about the future to the back of their minds.
Once they were done with their breakfast they were led into a large amphitheatre, big enough to comfortably house all of them and onto the stage, in the middle walked the same man that showed them where the Dining Hall was.
"There are some ground rules that you need to know even before you will be shown the rest of the Academy," Bjarni started and they looked at him, their gazes focused on his face. "Showing respect to ones that stand higher in the hierarchy than you is expected and you are expected to do it as well. No matter who you are you need to show respect to your betters and the lack of it will be punished accordingly. Secondly, you fall under the same rules as everybody else falls under and the fact that you are from Hogwarts won't be accepted as an excuse for not knowing rules."
Oliver could feel a lot of unhappy looks around him and even some glares at the Deputy Commandant. It reminded him more of the rules that his cousin mentioned from his time at West Point.
"Any kind of misbehavior will be punished severely and we will know about it sooner than you think it is possible to learn about something. Which leads us to the next point, the fact that you are from Hogwarts means nothing to us and you will be treated as every new student. Your past achievements mean nothing as do your failures, you have a blank slate, so use it well."
Oliver could see that a lot of people gulp in fear at those words, but then nodding their understanding.
"Good," Bjarni said with a weird smirk. "Since everything is explained we will give you a tour of the classrooms and after that there will be time to see how fit you are or how unfit I should say."
"Why do I have a feeling that it will be a disaster?" Tonks asked and he looked at her. "I mean that he feels awfully happy about this thing and it gives me creepy vibes."
"Do you remember Wolverine?" Oliver asked as they walked up the stairs and he had a really good feeling of where they were going.
"Yeah," she said with a wince. "And it is not the best experience."
"I have a hunch that this is going to be similar."
She sighed and looked at him. "By the looks of it Harry was not joking about the amount of training he was given."
"Don't use his name here," he said as he saw a lot of their fellow students focus on them. "Use his nickname or whatever, but not his name."
"Why?" she asked and then noticed stares. "Right, so it will be fun, really fun."
"Yes," he nodded as they climbed the stairs and arrived on a floor where they were supposed to train in martial arts. They followed their guide through the maze of a corridor and were led onto a large arena.
"Since this is your first day here I won't push you as hard as I normally push my students," Bjarni said as he paced in front of their group. "Twenty laps around the arena and once you are done with them, we will see what will be next."
o-0-o
Harry looked at the arena where the wizards were running and tried not to sigh, he was expecting something more than wizards panting and trying to stand upright after two laps. But from his viewing point on top of the stands surrounding the arena he saw them fail miserably. "Pathetic," he finally said. "I knew that at Hogwarts they focus only on magic, but I had higher hopes than this."
"Cut them some slack," Atalanta said. "From what your uncle told me they are used to using magic to solve all of their problems, if not for the fact that one person per five thousand here has no more magic than basics for runes and shape-shifting we could end up in the same place as them."
He turned to look at her. "I get what you are saying, but don't they know that magic isn't the solution to every problem?"
"As if you know that strength sometimes doesn't work."
He sighed and rolled his eyes. "You won't let that one go, will you?"
"No." She smiled. "Someone needs to keep reminding you that there are times when strength won't work, now apply the same principle to them. We are used to the physical approach to combat because we are almost impossible to kill, while their bodies are much more fragile, so they need to use other means of solving issues that they encounter."
"Point taken. It's just that I don't see a reason to be so narrow-minded and focused only on magic."
"It should change," she said with a sly smile. "Especially if Bragi gives Bjarni free reign and will only watch."
"Yes," Harry said with a wince and placed his hand on the pommel of his sword. "It will motivate them really quickly and they won't know what hit them."
"It is not like every wizard is failing so badly."
"Yes," he said, his gaze following four wizards that were setting the pace or at least were able to jog. "They were at the Institute and Wolverine is as vicious as Bjarni or even more. So they were forced to train or they would have unpleasant surprises."
She nodded and smiled. "Are you going to reveal that you are a Prince of Asgard to them?"
"To whom?" He arched an eyebrow.
"To the wizards in general."
A short, barking sound, escaped Harry's lips . "You know what I think about my fame in their community and I'm in no mood to deal with them. But on the other hand, the sooner I'm done with it, the better."
"There's that approach," she said and placed her hand on his shoulder. "I know that you have something planned, what is it?"
"I planned to leave the Capitol to Wolf Hall for the remaining time until the Tournament and take with me a couple of people. You, Ulf, Warren, Jean, Rahne, Danielle, Kitty, Roberto, Anne-Marie or Rogue as she prefers to be called. I want to stay away from the noise of the court and from what I know from them they also have enough of the noise."
"I like your idea." She smiled. "So when are we leaving?"
"I would need to speak with my grandfather, but most likely tomorrow afternoon."
She nodded and smiled as they focused their attention on the Hogwarts students below, again.
o-0-o
Oliver crashed onto the sand of the arena and looked at the rest of the group, he could tell that he was in the best shape out of them all, but he could also tell that the rest of them was even more exhausted than he was. He heard someone laugh and when he looked at the Professor that was standing in the middle of the arena he felt anger burn in his mind. This man was having fun at their expense.
"I expected something more from the students of the supposedly best school of magic on Midgard," he said, walking slowly in front of them. "This was even more pathetic than the worst group I have ever trained. I knew that you didn't train physically, but excluding a small percentage, every single one of you is weak and pathetic."
"We are not Æsir, so we won't be as strong as you are," Oliver said as he sat up and wiped the sweat off his face.
"Yes, you are not Æsir, but even humans can be better than you are. I trained one human and she is certainly fitter than a better part of you."
"Who is she?"
"Her identity is none of your concern," Bjarni said and looked at them. Oliver gulped when he saw a mischievous smirk on Bjarni's face. "Maybe you will learn one day, but you need to prove that you know something. So far you are leagues away from impressing me and I don't think it will change soon. And there is a rule that until you are somewhat fit you aren't allowed to study more advanced magic. Now scram to your rooms and get cleaned, after that we will begin your proper training."
They almost ran out of the arena and to their rooms, not caring about their past exhaustion. Their fear of Bjarni was more than enough to make them run.
o-0-o
Loki walked onto the arena and towards Bjarni. "How did it go?"
"They have potential, but they need to be worked on," Bjarni said, his hand moving through his beard. "I made them run around the arena and in an hour or so I will introduce them to martial arts."
"They are from a conservative society," Loki said with a smirk. "I think that it will open their eyes to many things. I suggest that you let not so best of your students for them to spar with, Illyana, Idunn and several other."
"What about Your Highness' nephew? He should be more than enough for them."
"No, I have my reasons and my brother has even more of them." Loki said and looked towards the stands and the armory hidden beneath them. "Though him and his friend might decide to demolish this arena."
"I wouldn't mind it." Bjarni shrugged. "It will be a good break from boredom and their duels are always interesting to watch."
"There's that," Loki said and looked towards the entrance to the arena to see Harry and Atalanta walk towards them. "We better vacate the arena as they seem eager to go all out."
"Indeed, Your Highness."
o-0-o
A/N:
Harry's behavior, he is used to being around people that are either training various martial arts or are fit, so for him Hogwarts students aren't up to the standard.
Master-At-Arms, he is one of the most important people at the Academy. He is responsible for keeping order, punishing ones that broke the rules, overseeing physical training and the armory.
Reviews:
TimothyB – Harry won't take part in the Tournament for this simple fact that nobody would be willing to fight to win against him, he is second in line to the throne.
randomplotbunny – You should be happy with them and their reaction, but for the Tournament you will need to wait, there's no point in rushing anything.
BarbyBells – Protector of Midgard is job of his father, not his. About being a Prince and warrior, a lot of famous princes managed to combine it, but you are right that he needs to control himself for some time. The moment he has a child or few more, he can do whatever he wishes to as the line will continue. When he is on Asgard and learns about the history of it he almost constantly hears about one ancestor of him or another that did something for the realm or fought in one conflict or another. And you know how such things can influence the imagination of anybody, especially young kid or teen.
Angel Winx – My bad, if you want you can hang me, it will get fixed when I will be making corrections to previous chapters.