11
Thank you to everyone who has been reading so far and for the two that have commented so far. Please review/comment! Whether it is good, bad, or even just an emoji, it would bring me so much joy!
''''
Once winter break was over, Rose truly kept her distance from Loki. She avoided him the same way he was ignoring her. However, in this aspect, she was staying away from Arabella as well. Which, Arabella eventually noticed and tracked Rose down. One morning, while Rose was eating breakfast in the Main Hall, Arabella joined her at the Gryffindor table, pushing into her softly to get her to move over.
"I haven't seen you in forever. First, Loki has no time for me, and now you. What is going on?" Arabella asked, scrunching up her face. Rose was in the middle of finishing her porridge, so she took her time swallowing to think of a lie.
"Well… I've been so busy with homework and I thought to give you and… Loki some time to spend together," Rose said, stumbling over the words. "What do you mean Loki has no time for you?" Arabella sighed dramatically, pushing back her long, brown hair.
"He's just been very distant lately, I don't know. We still hang out, but it's mostly to make out. I want to actually go on a date or something. Get to know each other," she said, pouting in her seat. Rose tried not to look uncomfortable, attempting to be empathetic to her best friend.
"Well, Hogsmeade is this weekend. Maybe you guys can go there," Rose said, patting her friend on the shoulder. Arabella shrugged sadly, obviously wanting more. Just then, the morning mail arrived, with multiple owls flying through the air and packages dropping from the sky. The Daily Prophet and a letter dropped in front of Rose, almost landing on her food if she hadn't moved it quick enough. Upon seeing the letter, Rose's face fell into an annoyed look.
"I would have never bought an owl for my mom if I'd known she was going to send me stuff every day," Rose mumbled, picking up the letter. She read it quickly, surprised by its contents and her eyes opening wide.
"What does it say?" Arabella asked, leaning in close to see. "Is she sending you more care packages? Tell her I want more mars bars; muggle candy is my favorite." Rose set the letter down, sighing softly.
"My oldest sister is engaged and getting married next year. To the Prime Minister's grandson. And I'm a bridesmaid," Rose said, her face deadpan, massaging her temple. "God, I really don't want to go. Grace hates me, I know my mom forced her to include me."
"But to the Prime Minister's grandson? I bet it's going to be big and beautiful, I'm sure they have money to really party," Arabella said, trying to lighten the mood.
"Yeah, unlike my family," Rose muttered, pushing the letter aside to grab the Daily Prophet. She paused though when she saw the headliner for the front page:
A MUGGLE-BORN WITCH MURDERED WITH THREE MUGGLE FAMILY MEMBERS IN LONDON.
The picture showed a semi-attached, two-story brick house, with a picket fence in the front and shrub hedges wrapping around the rest of the home. The place was partially damaged, with both front windows blown out and burnt spots in the hedges and brick. The front door was completely gone, giving the viewer some sight of the living room. The picture moved around the house, showcasing the destruction. The hippogriff wind vane was twirling at high speed, indicating that a storm was soon to come to this destination when the photograph was taken.
Rose snatched up the newspaper, quickly reading the article. It told of a middle age witch visiting her muggle brother and his wife and child. During their dinner, the front door was blown open and the attackers immediately killed the muggle family. The witch was able to escape to outside the house in an attempt to flee and then fight back but was over powered. The article continued, stating an investigation was ongoing at the moment, but the attack was similar to ones that were going on across Europe. The writer stated they suspected the group calling themselves "Death Eaters' were behind the invasion.
Rose dropped the newspaper back on to the table, fear running through her thoughts and body. Arabella did not stop to ask Rose what she had read, instead grabbing the front page and read quickly.
"What did I say before Winter Break? What are the Aurors doing?! They need to catch these crazy people!" Arabella almost shouted, getting angry and scared all at once. She looked over at her friend, sensing her fear as well. She grabbed her hand, squeezing it.
"It'll be okay, Rose. You're safe here. Hogwarts is one of the safest possible places to be, it'll be okay," Arabella repeated. Rose nodded, coming out of her own thoughts slowly.
"Plus," Arabella continued. "You're with Thor, right? Is there a more powerful wizard to be with?" Rose's frown deepened.
"I'm not so sure…" Rose said, leading off when she saw the person they were talking about walk through the door. Both of them watched him walk over to his friends, all laughing together almost instantly.
"I'll talk to you later." Rose got up and went over to Thor, leading him out of the Main Hall.
''''
Since finding out what he was, Loki had been spending even more time in the library. He never knew there were so many different types of giants, figuring that just knowing giants were a race was enough for him back in the day. There were Storm Giants, Fire Giants, Mountain Giants, and even Ice Giants. They all lived in different areas depending on their need for weather and agriculture, with Frost Giants living in mostly unpopulated parts of northern Europe, such as Norway, Sweden, and Finland.
Upon seeing pictures of these creatures, he cringed but a pleasant shiver also went down his spine, seeing the resemblance immediately. He flexed his hand instinctively, opening and closing it. He wasn't going to transform while at Hogwarts, he knew better, but the thought had occurred to him. He dropped it back into his lap and continued reading.
He read about the Casket of Ancient Winters, with textbooks' stating it was a weapon and relic that ancient Frost Giants created to further their expansion of territory and resources. The relic was taken from them decades ago and was relocated to a muggle museum in Norway before it was stolen. The casket is useless to muggles and even wizards but can be a deadly force of nature in the hands of any creature with Frost Giant blood.
Knowing that such a powerful weapon that only he could use was within his reach made him smirk and tucked that information into the back of his mind. He made a mental note to move it later on, to somewhere he would only know. He also wondered though if the professors at Hogwarts had taken the relic to be stored at a safer location or if it was here for a more important reason.
Once he learned all he could about the giants, he went in search of any family related to them. Any that talked about having Frost Giant in their blood or even using the monsters as their family cress. However, his search ended fruitlessly. He could not say he was surprised, not very many wizarding families wanted to be known as half-bloods.
His investigation came to an end when he could no longer find any new information. It frustrated him to no end, but what else could he do? He tried letting go, deciding he'll ask his mother when this year was over and he could talk to her in private, something he should have done in the beginning of this fiasco. Instead, he threw himself into his school work, which he was desperately behind on.
Thankfully, Arabella was constantly looking for time with him, so they studied together and snogged in the Ravenclaw common room. It was during one of their actual studying sessions that she talked him into going to Hogsmeade to grab some ingredients for their classes and to go on their first official date.
It was during their exit from a store called Dogweed and Deathtrap, which sold dragon manure that Arabella needed for Herbology, that Loki realized it was Valentine's day weekend. Near the shop was Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop, which displayed multiple heart decorations, pink and red pastries, and little cupid's flying around the entrance. It was a popular spot among Hogwarts student couples, especially during this time of year.
Realizing he had messed up, he quickly conjured a bouquet of red roses and a box of chocolates, holding them behind his back.
"Where would you like to go next?" Arabella asked, looking up from her list of supplies. He quickly pushed the roses and chocolates into her arms, flashing her a smile.
"Oh!" Arabella exclaimed, a smile breaking out from her face. "These are beautiful! And you remembered my love of candy! Here I thought you had forgotten."
"I would never forget," Loki lied, smiling back at her. "I apologize for being so distracted lately, I'm going to try and make it up to you." Arabella threw her arms around Loki's neck, giving him multiple pecks on the cheek.
"You're the sweetest! Here, I'll buy us lunch as my gift to you. Let's go to the Three Broomsticks, I'm starving," Arabella said, pointing in the direction of the pub. Loki nodded, still smiling. Despite how he'd been feeling lately, alone and unsure of who he really is, it was nice to know his girlfriend was by his side. It took the edge off of his shoulder, even a little.
The couple headed into the pub, with the place being crowded, somewhat foggy, and filled with loud noise. With little space, they were placed at the bar, ordering fish and chips and butterbeer for the both of them. While eating, they made small talk, mostly about their classes, when suddenly the wizard behind Loki bumped into him, sloshing his firewhisky over his shoulder.
"Watch where you're pouring that," Loki snapped, attempting to brush off the stench of alcohol off his robe. The wizard hiccupped, frowning in Loki's direction, not completely seeing him, then turned back to the conversation he was having with two other wizards.
"How rude! You're a student, he should know better than to spill alcohol all over you!" Arabella said, fuming. Loki shrugged it off, clearly irritated, but wanting to get back to his lunch. The two ate in silence, with Arabella continuously looking over his shoulder to listen to the group next to them, glaring, while Loki picked at his chips.
"Like Ah we sayin', Ah don' think it be a bad thin' that this Dark Lord is killin' off these mudbloods. It helps clean the wizardin' world a little, makin' sure they know their place," the wizard said, clearly drunk, while his company added a "Here, here!" as a response. Arabella slammed her hands down on to the table top, startling Loki who had barely heard the conversation. It also got the attention of a few people around them.
"Are you so bigoted that you are promoting the deaths of thousands of muggles and muggle-borns to make sure they can stay at the bottom of our society?" Arabella yelled at them, walking around Loki to face the group. The three wizards glared at her, then the one closest to Loki turned to him.
"Ye might want to keep ye witch in line," he slurred, which made Arabella see red. She pulled out her wand, standing in a fighting stance. The three wizards quickly did the same, with spells going back and forth quickly. Loki jumped up, barely registering what was happening, but knowing he needed to be by Arabella's side.
He jumped in front of Arabella's, throwing out a counter-curse just in time. However, despite how intoxicated the three wizards were, it was still a three on two fight, with the couple spending most of their time throwing out counter spells. Loki grabbed Arabella by the wrist, pulling her close and behind him slightly as he continued to defend, hoping to buy some time until the fighting ceased.
However, it was during this time a stinging hex hit Loki in the shoulder, causing him to curse loudly and be pushed back. He glared at the wizards in front of him, instinctively flexing his left hand and squeezing Arabella's wrist in the other. His power surged through him, with Loki only realizing it when Arabella screams out in pain. He quickly lets go of her, still facing the wizards, when staff was finally able to get through the massive amount of people crowding around them.
He then turns back to Arabella, seeing her holding her wrist in pain on her knees. Loki rushes over, casting focillo to warm her up. Once Arabella's pain subsides slightly, he helps her to her feet slowly.
"What happened?" she asks, still gripping her wrist.
"They must have cast some kind of curse, I'm not sure," Loki says quickly, keeping his eyes on her reddening wrist.
"I didn't see or hear anything… But what else could it have been?" she asks, mostly talking to herself at the end. Loki pulls her close, guiding her out of the pub and rubbing her shoulders to keep her warm. His mind races as they walked back to Hogwarts together. This was the first time his Frost Giant powers had come into contact with another person, which in turn, he hurt Arabella.
Truthfully, he wanted to push her away when he was holding her close as they walked, afraid of himself around her. But, he knew that it would be suspicious, so he stayed as he was. He made minimal small talk on the way back, keeping a calm façade and comforting exterior, but his thoughts were going crazy from the events of the afternoon.
He felt ashamed and angry at himself, he should have known better, he should have stayed calm. But, worst of all, he felt more alone than ever. The few times people had seen what he can truly do, he had frightened or hurt them. He knew for sure he would have to stay clear of Arabella until he got himself under better control.
''''
Rose bit on her thumb nail, deep in her thoughts, conflict running through her head. Her mouth tasted of fresh nail polish, but the chemical flavor was ignored. Arabella had told her about her trip to Hogsmeade, her triumph with some prejudice wizards, and lastly, her battle wound she had obtain during fight. When she had described how she got it to her, Rose froze, her mind going crazy with what Loki did and how he lied to Arabella. Throughout the rest of their conversation that night, Rose was tense and angry, unsure if she should tell her friend about Loki or not.
Finally, they parted ways, with Rose realizing late into the night she had forgotten all of her notes and homework assignments from Defense Against the Dark Arts class that afternoon. So, with her head continuing to spin, she made her way back to the classroom to retrieve her things.
She knocked on the door, not bothering to wait for an answer before walking in. Heading to her seat quickly, she searched for her things, but found nothing. Sighing, she went towards the professor's office, figuring he must have grabbed it and put it in there.
Before being able to knock and head in, she heard a slam from the other side of the door, completely gaining her attention and snapping her out of her thoughts. She suddenly heard a man yelling, which she recognized as Professor Yaxley, and stuff clattering to the floor. Stepping forward cautiously, she peaked into the stained-glass window on the door.
Behind the door, Professor Yaxley was shuffling through his desk, throwing things left and right, trying to find whatever he was looking for. It was then Rose heard another voice, which directed her attention towards a mirror that was placed on a chair in the corner. There was a head in the mirror, but, from where Rose was, it was difficult to make out any details besides a dark exterior.
"Forget your stupid elixir! We have more pressing matters to discuss!" the person in the mirror shouted. Professor Yaxley turned around towards the mirror fast, glaring, which had Rose stepping back, stopping herself from gasping. While the stained-glass had stopped her from noticing sooner, when he turned around into the one clear view, she could see that he had rough, blue skin, and blood red eyes.
"Yes! Matters that you and your group caused!" Rose heard him shout. The voices broke out into an argument, however, Rose could no longer understand them since she was fast walking to the exit. She left the classroom and practically ran back to the Gryffindor common area. Once there, she let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, glad that for once she had not been found out about. She needed to stop eavesdropping on people, especially dangerous people.
She realized she never got her homework or her notes back, which was what her weekend plans were, but she no longer cared. She would just go back tomorrow to retrieve them, during hours she knew her teacher was not stalking around as a monster. At the thought of Professor Yaxley being part Frost Giant, Rose started biting her thumb nail again.
A new conflict was on her mind, and, as usual, it seemed to involve a certain obnoxious Slytherin. While she had no idea if Professor Yaxley was his father, or even a relative, should she tell Loki about him? She wasn't sure, so she continued in thought while her freshly painted nails suffered.