Loki gathered himself up from the floor, all elegantly gangling limbs. He couldn't believe that he actually groaned. What's worse, he was forcefully teleported. In a painful manner, as well. It was safe to assume that Hermione's form of sorcery was definitely different from his. He would almost say that it was more primitive, though he was yet to see just what she was capable of.

In front of him, Hermione was glaring, her eyes the sharpest daggers. If looks could kill, he would be dead. Maybe not dead. The glare had more of a 'if you so much as move I will severely maim you' look. Death was preferable over the second option.

"I assure you, I am not a reporter. I would never lower myself to the level of those insects." He said it with a sneer. Hermione didn't lower her wand. If anything, she held it tighter. "What will it take for you to believe that I am merely looking for a friend? I harbour no ulterior motives whatsoever."

"For the past thirteen years of my life, I have been stalked by reporters desperate for that one story," Hermione bit out. "How am I supposed to know that you actually want," she stressed the word, "to be my friend."

"So incredulous, my little minx," chuckled Loki.

"I am not your little anything!" hissed Hermione.

Loki raised an eyebrow. She seemed to be truly angry, though Loki still failed to understand her reasoning for it. All he did was ask a singular question about her job and mention magic. Surely, it wasn't enough to set her off. Then again, if she spent most of her life being hounded by reporters, he could see how a question about her work could be viewed as intrusive. And mentioning magic would make her realise that he possessed the same ability has her. Slowly, he was beginning to see her side of the exchange.

"Fair enough, I concede. It was not my place to call you that. But you're the one leaping to conclusions here, without a second thought. You asked me to question you, yet when I do blow a fuse." The new phrase, picked up from a passing Midgardian, was strange on his tongue. Safe to say that he wouldn't be using it again.

"I suppose that you could be telling the truth."

"I am, for once."

Hermione's eyebrows crinkled. She didn't know whether to trust this strange man who had a wonderful way with words. Perhaps he was using his trickery to gain her trust, though if he was doing that, he most likely would have done it far sooner, rather than sitting across from her and glaring at a book on basic biology.

After a moment, she lowered her wand, though she didn't return it to it's holster. She wasn't going to trust him immediately. Their budding relationship was teetering. Hermione wouldn't hesitate to jinx him, teach him a lesson, if he so much as even snooped like a reporter.

Inside his head, Loki nodded. That was smart. Even though she looked relaxed, she was still on her guard. It would have fooled most people. Fortunately, Loki wasn't most people. He saw right through it. Not that it mattered. He wasn't going to attack the strange, bushy haired magician. Not when things were getting interesting.

Hermione sighed. "Alright, I admit, I was a bit quick jumping to conclusions."

"Too quick, if you ask me."

"Zip it, Loki."

"And why should I do that?"

"This isn't the time for snarky remarks."

"On the contrary, it is always the time for snarky remarks. I personally think they make a conversation just that little bit better. Especially when I'm talking to my boorish brother and his idiot friends."

Hermione, for once, was lost for words. In a few sentences, Loki managed to turn a cautious conversation into one that desperately made her want to forget her suspicions about him and join in. There was something about the way he weaved words. He almost had a silvertongue, a word she had never applied to anyone except her father before. Just like him, Loki could turn a conversation into something fun in seconds with a few simple phrases.

"And why should I trust you?" She asked. It was the only thing left to be asked. "Why should I let you be friends with me?"

"Because we share similar interests? Because we both like books?"

Hermione scoffed. "Oh please, don't try and trick me into thinking you actually knew what you were reading. You were as confused as a troll in a girls bathroom." Loki blinked at the analogy. That was certainly something he'd never been called before. It wasn't even a comparison he'd heard before.

"Alright. I'll be frank."

"Please, be my guest."

"I don't have many friends." Loki bitterly bit the words out. "You were the only person to actually be remotely kind to me, and trust me, there were many people I approached." He saddened slightly, shoulders drooping an infinitesimal amount. Hermione sighed.

"Tell you what," she began. "Let's start again. Sit down on the couch, I'll make some tea. Then we can start again, without all of this kerfuffle."

"That would be nice."

Hermione nodded, moving into her small kitchen. She didn't have need for a large one, as she lived on her own. Most of her cooking was done by magic, so she didn't spend much time in the kitchen anyway. The jewel of her little flat was the not so small library and study room. It was magically expanded, with hundreds of books crammed onto large, light bookshelves. Her favourite place was the desk near the window, overlooking the bustling street below. Next to it was a large recliner seat, where she read her many tomes.

With a flick of her wand and a whispered incantation, she set the tea to brew and pour itself, before floating over to her small but cozy lounge.

With that done, Hermione returned to the lounge to find Loki squished back into her armchair, perplexed about something. He glanced up and she sat down on the couch.

"Good, you have returned. I must ask you, how have you enchanted this seat to be so...divine? There is nothing like this back home. Where can I get one?"

Hermione giggled. "It's just one I bought at a local furniture store. I can show it to you later, if you want."

"Maybe that would be nice. I could take it home with me and be the envy of all my associates." Loki stuck his nose in the air, rather comically. Something about Hermione just made him relax. Like he didn't need to be all proper and brooding. He couldn't remember the last time in his thousand year lifespan that he'd just let go and had a bit of fun.

"A chair will make you the envy of all your 'associates'," said Hermione. "You do realise how silly that sounds, right."

"Certainly. That is the reason I said it. Do try to keep up."

"I think it's you who needs to try to keep up," challenged Hermione. Loki bolted upright at the challenge, eyes gleaming dangerously. Hermione stared right back at him. Their little contest continued, until it was interrupted by the clinking of a floating tea set. Hermione plucked it out of the air and handed a cup to Loki, before taking one for herself. It gently drifted down to the coffee table between them.

"It's a strange form of magic you have." And that was exactly what Loki thought. Using a wand for magic was something he'd never seen before. He'd heard of it. But never seen it with his own eyes, not in all his travels. To say it was strange to him was a gross understatement.

Hermione gave a laugh. "What do you mean, strange? It's exactly like everyone else."

"Not like me."

"What, are you going to tell me you have some different, more evolved type of magic far superior to my own?" joked Hermione. Loki kept a straight face. "You've got to be kidding me. I knew you were a jerk."

"I swear to you, your magic is different from what I know. I've heard stories of your kind of magic, but only in the most ancient of tomes."

"Well, I don't know where you're getting your information, but wherever it is, you're very shut off from the rest of the magical community, aren't you?"

"I'm not even a part of yours, no."

"Okay, then. If you've got such a different type of magic, show me. Surely, there must be something you can do to impress me," Hermione pressed. Her curiosity was beginning to peak. Of course, she doubted that his magic was different. He seemed the sort of person to make himself seem grander than he actually was.

Hermione watched, skeptical as ever, as Loki cupped his hands together. For a second, nothing happened. Then, a soft, green glow began filtering through the gaps between his fingers. Suddenly not so skeptical, an enthralled Hermione gasped softly as a small bird, made up of green light, poked its head through Loki's hands. It chirped softly, before taking off.

It flapped around the room, leaving glittering green trails hanging in the air wherever it flew. They looped around, creating intricate patterns as the bird twisted and dove. Hermione couldn't keep her eyes off the ethereal creature. Soon, it landed on her shoulder, burrowing into her hair. She laughed lightly, unable to believe what she was seeing.

With just his hands, and no wand. Loki had created something that Hermione had never seen before. A piece of magic that was unknown to her. And the small bird, in so many beautiful jewel shades of green, now nestled in her hair, was the result. She couldn't quite believe it, though she was beginning to. There was no trickey involved in what Loki just did. He didn't have a wand, at least not one that she could see, and creating birds of light with your hands was not something that was possible in the wizarding world.

Maybe it wasn't such a drastic conclusion to come to, that Loki was from another community of magical people. Maybe they wielded magic in a completely foreign way to her. And maybe it was possible that Loki was telling the truth about it being different. There was a different feel about the magical bird on her shoulder. Something that she couldn't quite pinpoint. It was in the way if felt, she knew that much. There was only one way to find out about this mysterious brand of magic. A devious grin passed over Hermione's face.

"Tell me everything."

Loki chuckled. "So you believe me now?"

"That's still up in the air. When you tell me about your kind of magic, then I will decide whether I believe you. So, first things first, how did you channel it? You're obviously not using a wand or a focus of any type. Is there a specific ritual you undergo to be able to do it? Are you able to―" Hermione's babbling was cut off by a hysterical Loki.

He was almost doubled over with laughter, great tremors wracking his body. He gasped for breath, before continuing. He sat up and pointed a finger at Hermione, before gasping out, "You―" He could barely get one word in before collapsing again.

All the while, Hermione just stared on in shock. This was very unlike the quiet, arrogant man. She certainly didn't expect him to fall into a fit because of a few questions. She really didn't know what was so amusing about her questioning. It was one of the only ways to get information off someone, wasn't it? So why did he find it so funny.

Eventually, Loki stopped his ridiculous display, wiping tears from his eyes. A second later, he seemed to realise what he was doing. His posture straightened immediately, eyes losing their mirth.

"If we could just forget that ever happened, please."

"Nope. Never going to happen."

"Oh, alright then. But it stays between us. No one else shall ever know."

"Now that is something I can work with. If I may ask, what exactly did you find so hysterical about my questions?" Hermione needed to know.

"It was the sudden change in mood. One minute you're skeptical, the next you're dishing out questions faster than Volstagg can eat a boar. And that is saying something." Loki noticed the way Hermione's eyebrows knitted together, before her face cleared. It was like she had discovered something but wasn't willing to divulge it yet. He would find out eventually, that much was for certain. But for now, let her have her little secrets.

Loki clapped his hands together. "Now, I think it's only fair that you show me a bit of your magic." He sat back in his chair expectantly, crossing his arms. "I'm waiting."

"I suppose that's fair. Just don't make this little guy disappear." Hermione glanced fondly at the little bird still on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, I won't. He's yours, if you want."

"Cool. Guess I'll show you my magic now." Hermione stood back a little, mulling over what she could show him. There were so many possibilities for what she could show him. Maybe there was something she could do that was similar to his bird. Something to do with light. Something that made her feel warm.

A sudden thought thundered into her head. A patronus. Of course. What better thing to show him? Hermione plucked her wand out of the holster and held it tight in her hand. She closed her eyes and sorted through her memories, finding that golden gem of a memory. She knew it was there. She knew what it was. It was of when she was given her new position within the ministry.

She raised her wand upwards and whispered the incantation.

"Expecto Patronum." There was second where nothing happened, before a silver otter leaped out of her wand, gently landing on the floor. A sense of happiness began emanating around the room. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn't been sure if it was going to work at all. The Patronus charm was one that she always had difficulty with. It wasn't as prevalent now, but if you asked her to perform one on the spot ten years ago, the result would have been drastically different.

The Patronus locked eyes with Loki, before leaping up onto his lap. It curled up into a ball, squeaking slightly, before closing its eyes. Hermione sighed softly. There was something about her Patronus that always calmed her down. It was easy to know why, but it was something about hers. Never anyone else's. Always her own little silvery otter.

Loki, on the other hand, wasn't sure what to do. Sleeping on his lap was a divine creature made of soft silver light. But that wasn't what was so strange, what had him almost disabled in curiosity. The creature was emanating calm and happiness. He felt light, lighter than he'd been in years. Like there were no worries in the world.

"This is amazing," he breathed, not daring to disturb it. "How could you create something so beautiful? And what is it?"

Hermione sat back down on the couch. "It's a patronus, made up of my happiest memory. It's the counter to a foul magical creature called a Dementor. It's lovely, isn't it?"

"You could say that." Loki's eyes were drooping. Hermione glanced out of the window. The sun was beginning to set. Time had flown by, unbeknownst to her. She was beginning to feel a bit drowsy herself. Probably the Patronus, she mused.

Suddenly, the Patronus leaped up and ran over to her lap. Hermione barely noticed as sleepiness overtook her and her eyes closed.

Loki slumped slightly, before standing up and moving over to where Hermione was sitting on the couch. He flopped down next to her, deciding to put his pride to the side for one evening. It felt nice to be friends with someone who accepted him for who he was, no strings attached. Add in the fact that she was able to produce the magnificent Patronus now resting on her lap, and he knew that they would stay friends for a long time.

And though today had been a rollercoaster, and completely out of character for him, Loki leaned back on the strangely comfortable couch and closed his eyes, reveling in the calm of the silver otter and sleeping woman beside him.

Hermione Granger.

A strange name for a strange woman.

And yet he wouldn't trade this strange week and strange day for anything.

That took a little longer than expected. I know that there's a lot of talking and not much doing, but that's coming next chapter, which is also the last. I will be leaving a possibility for a sequel in case I want to write that, though. Hope you enjoyed reading.

Mariadoria.