10
Rumors spread throughout Hogwarts about Thor Borson getting back together with Jane Foster, with multiple different versions about how they became an item once again. One had Thor cheating on the muggle-born Gryffindor behind her back, another saying that she just randomly broke up with him. But, most knew that Thor had simply proved his point to Jane, dumped Rose Bennet, and earned Jane back.
Rose did not really care about the rumors, with more important things going on in her head, but Arabella would not leave her alone about it.
"These people need to mind their own business! I'm sure it was mutual break up, right? And, Thor would have never cheated on you!" Arabella said, patting her friend on the shoulder. Rose suppressed the urge to roll her eyes, not understanding why people thought they were a real couple in the first place. Her and Thor had never even held hands in public, let alone kissed.
"I'm fine, the rumors don't bother me," Rose said, trying to eat her dinner. Arabella patted her shoulder again.
"Sure they don't, sweetie, that's the spirit," Arabella said. "By the way, you really need to stop biting your nails when you get upset. It's unsanitary." Arabella made a face. Rose wanted to snap at her that she wasn't stressed from breaking up with Thor, but rather his brother. She hadn't stopped thinking about Professor Yaxley and his connection to Loki.
Getting tired of Arabella's constant attention and pity, she excused herself from dinner early and headed back to the Gryffindor common area. However, she decided half way through the trip back to stop somewhere first.
Finding the room again became a more difficult task than Rose thought, none of the rooms were open or had a blue glow from the other side. She had to open each, individual door with an unlocking charm. Finally, she found it.
"Alohomora," Rose muttered, opening the door to reveal the casket in the same place as she had last seen it. Walking in, she also felt the same chill, but she had on her robes this time, hugging them close. She pulled up a chair and sat down next to this mysterious object.
While she wanted to know more about it, and about Loki's family history, she had stopped herself from looking through the library. She continuously told herself she did not care, about this casket, or Loki. He was just a rude, pompous git that happened to be dating her best friend.
So, why did she come here? Why was she even thinking about telling him what she had seen? What did it matter to her? She didn't have the answer to those questions, so, instead, she stared into the casket's blue swirls.
She stayed there for a long time, just staring and entranced by it. She had not come any closer to her decision that night when she finally left. So, she decided to come the next night as well. While finding the place was easier, her heart sank slightly in disappointment when she saw the casket was missing the next day.
She looked around the room, hoping maybe someone had moved it somewhere else in there. But, no such luck. She pushed that her disappointment was from the hope of this casket helping her with her decision. Defeated, she headed back to her room.
She needed to get a grip on herself and make a decision. What did it matter if she told him or not? Her life would not change. It really was not her problem. But, she felt massively guilty, and she had no idea why. Loki was an awful person, to her and to others around her. He lied, deceived, and caused harm.
However, Rose knew that he was also trying to find himself in a world that was turned upside down. He was coping in maybe the only way he knew how. Not only was he adopted but he found out he was magically inclined in ways others around him did not understand. Rose could relate to this, being a muggle-born witch. Though, when she found out, it was a blessing. To Loki, it seemed to be more of a curse.
The next day, she finally took a deep breath and went into the library, knowing Loki would be there during this time of the afternoon. Finding the courage that her house was known for, she went up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned, realized it was her, glared and turned back around to look through the book shelves.
"Loki, I need to talk to you about something," Rose said, somewhat irritated about being blown off so quickly. Loki continued to ignore her, scouting away to search through the shelves in the direction away from her. Rose huffed and continued after him, not letting up.
"Loki, this is important. I'm only going to say this once, so you need to listen," Rose said. When he continued to ignore her, picking up a book and heading towards a table, Rose jumped in front of him. She placed her hands on her hips and glared back at him.
"Loki, listen to me!" she hissed, gaining his full attention.
"Fine! What do you want?" he sneered back at her. Happy to be in his spotlight, she gestured to the chair he was heading towards. He sat down with a thump, clearly annoyed. Rose sat down next to him before starting her tale.
"Okay, so I'll make this quick so we don't have to talk to each other long," Rose started. "The other night I forgot my homework in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class, so I went back to get it. When I got there, it wasn't anywhere to be found, so I made my way to Professor Yaxley's office. I figured that he must have taken it-" She was cut off with a long sigh from Loki.
"Only you could start off with a sentence saying you'll be quick and then ramble on for hours," Loki said, leaning his arm on to the table and placing his head on his fist. Rose bristled.
"You don't need to interrupt me. Okay, okay, I'll get to the point. When I went over to Professor Yaxley's office, I found him destroying his room looking for something. He was talking to someone in a two-way mirror and when he turned around, he was blue!" Rose popped her hands in a dramatic fashion. Loki stared at her as if she lost her mind.
"What on earth are you talking about?"
"Professor Yaxley! He was blue and he had red eyes. Loki, I think he's either your father or a relative, or something. I'm not sure, but I do know what I saw. He looked just like you… when you change." Loki sucked in a breath so fast, Rose was worried he would choke on air. He got up suddenly and left, not waiting around for her to say anything or follow him.
Rose figured that he must have finally understood her. She had done her part, she should not care what he did or what happened next. Though, in the back of her mind, she hoped everything worked out for him.
''''
Loki had become a creature of habit, going to both the library and the room with the casket every day. Even though he had not been able to find out any more on the Frost Giants than what he previously learned, he still kept on it. He hoped he would find something on someone that was like him, if only to gain some knowledge of control.
However, he had no such luck. He had been avoiding Arabella as much as he could without her thinking they were no longer together. He eliminated their studying sessions, taking to only having every other meal together and not for very long. They made small talk and barely had any physical contact, with Loki staring at her healing wrist every time an urge came up.
He was not sure why he cared about their relationship so much. He had plenty of girlfriends before, each one as beautiful as Arabella. However, this seemed different. He figured it must be connected to this new discovery about himself and his need to connect to someone. He just did not want to lose her, not right now, not when he needed to cling on to this relationship as an anchor to a life before becoming a monster. Even if it meant lying and deceiving her to keep her his. He needed at least one stability.
When he went to the room that held the Casket of Ancient Winters, instead of soothing him, it mostly just frustrated him. He had all this power, but barely any knowledge on how to even use it. The worst part, Loki knew Odin had multiple answers to his questions, but had refused to tell him.
His 'father' had been distant from him for a long time, Loki would even trace it back to when he was sorted into house Slytherin. Finding out that he was adopted just made Loki's mind jump to the fact that Odin must have known his blood father, who was also in Slytherin at one point, and hated him for it. Odin must see his father every time he looks at him, especially in the green and silver uniform.
Being adopted also sheds some light on the favoritism that is bestowed on to Thor. Despite his brother constantly running to trouble and fighting, along with being dimwitted, he was always treated like a king. He could only guess back in the day that Odin must have seen his younger self in Thor, but Loki knew better now.
Between his contemplation of his family and Arabella, he had not thought about Rose since Winter Break, when he pushed her away. That was, until he found her in the room with the Casket of Ancient Winters. When he went to see it one night, he found the door adjacent. Worried someone had found his only connection to his past, he turned the corner slowly, only to find Rose sitting by it.
From Loki's point of view, she seemed cold and out of place. Pulling her robe close, she seemed lost in thought and unaware of his presence. He left the room, but stayed nearby, waiting for her to leave. It felt like hours, but eventually she did. He made work quickly, moving the casket out of there and into his bedroom, hiding it in one of his chest, wrapped in blankets. He felt like this ancient relic deserved better treatment, but he had few options right now.
He went back the next night to see Rose go back into the room, searching through it to find the Casket of Ancient Winters, just as he suspected. It infuriated him for multiple different reasons. He did not understand why she had started coming to his spot, where his family relic was; she had no right to be intruding. She left fast that night.
It also angered him because after that, she was on his mind the rest of the night. Loki did not understand the game she was playing, acting like she cared about him at his home. It gave him pause when she offered her help, but she couldn't have meant it, not really. Even if she had, he had put a stop to it quickly. Thankfully, she finally got the hint and was leaving him alone. But, now she was going to a place she knew only him and her were aware of. Did she have some weird infatuation with him?
Not that he could blame her, he was known as a heart breaker at Hogwarts, with flirtation skills to match his good looks. But, he had known from the first day of school her attraction was elsewhere. He heard the rumors, with the muggle-born and his brother finally separating. He had no doubt that his brother must have ended it.
If not attraction, then he guessed that she must have some ulterior motive, probably debating about turning him in to the Headmaster. Not that he was doing anything that mischievous, but he would rather not have anyone else knowing about his genes. At that thought, he was glad for his movement of the casket.
Rose was still on his mind when he went to the library the next day. So, when it was her who wanted to talk to him, he was even more off-put than usual. Finally pushing her to get to the point of his useless conversation, she said something that would change his life forever.
"…Loki, I think he's either your father or a relative, or something. I'm not sure, but I do know what I saw. He looked just like you… when you change." His mind went crazy, taking a sharp intake of breath. He did not care what other information she might have had, he just got up and left, his movements on auto mode as he made his way to the DADA classroom.
When he got to the door, however, he stopped himself. He needed to think about this, sit on it for a while. Rose could be messing with him and he could be revealing himself to a professor for no reason. There could also be other explanations for what Rose saw, if she was telling the truth.
''''
Loki pondered his thoughts while sitting in Divination class. He was paired with one of his Slytherin classmates, but he didn't talk much or contribute to the discussion on what the leaves left in their tea cup meant. Sensing his preoccupation, his classmate turned to another table, talking with them.
Loki was awoken from his thoughts when the teacher, Professor Velez, known around school as just Heimdall, stopped right in front of him and picked up his cup. Loki's face was neutral when he looked up, attempting not to show his dislike and lack of conviction about the subject of knowing the future.
"And, what do you see here, Mr. Borson?" the professor asked. Loki glanced at the cup, trying to recall what his book said about the leaves all clumping together into a ball, maybe an acorn.
"Something about gold, I believe. And windy weather?" Loki tried. Professor Velez shrugged and placed the cup down.
"I'm not a fan of this kind of prediction, but it is part of the curriculum," he said. "I prefer other methods."
"And what might those be, Professor?" Loki asked, trying to make conversation, though he regretted his inquiry when the Professor placed his hand on Loki's shoulder. While Loki leaned back, Heimdall's already yellow eyes became a full gold glow. However, the experience did not last long, with Heimdall's hand jumping off him almost immediately. The demeaner he gave off before changed into something more serious.
Heimdall had on multiple occasions used his divination abilities on many people, including students. He enjoyed telling them exciting experiences they were to have, along with decreasing any anxieties they might have with school or relationships. But, this was the first time he hesitated on telling a prediction. Loki saw the hesitation.
"What did you see?" Loki whispered, leaning forward with interest. Heimdall stared at him for a moment before speaking, his face emotionless.
"I'm not sure if you are aware of this, but I have known your father for a great many years. His friendship is one of the few I hold dear," Professor Velez said. "I have kept his secrets, and him mine." As he said this, Loki swore a shine glazed over his yellow eyes.
Loki leaned back, irritation crawling under his skin. He knew Odin had allies in many places, including the academy where his sons went. But, he did not know about Heimdall. Not that Loki practically cared, a washed up, old seer was of no interest to him. However, he still wanted to know what the old man had seen.
"I did not know," Loki started. "My father is busy most of these days and we do not talk much. Though, I'd be happy to say hello for you next time." Heimdall frowned, continuing to stare at him as if he was trying to find something within him. Loki was becoming increasingly inpatient.
"Speaking of things I do not know, what did you see in my future?" Loki asked, once again, trying to smile and make light of the conversation, but it came out more forced. Heimdall cocked his head to the side, thinking, not taking his eyes off him.
"Are you sure you want to know?" he asked. Loki nodded eagerly.
"I saw a darkness walking over you, leading you down a place that will destroy many. A weapon of immense power is held in your hand. While determined and mourning, you are relieved to have finally found what you have been searching for."
Loki's eyes widened as the bell rang, singling for class to end. Heimdall walked away then, finally taking his eyes off him. His classmates hurried around him, with Loki moving in slow motion, processing what he had heard. What weapon could he possibly want that badly? His thoughts were interrupted by Heimdall once again.
"It's best to move along to your next class. Try not to think about the future for too long, Mr. Borson. I'm going to tell you what I tell every student whom I see the future for. Take it with a grain of salt, nothing is ever permanent, and every second is anew." With that last word, Loki got up and left.
''''
I know things are moving slowly, but next chapter really starts to pick up! Now that all the set up is done, we can finally move forward! Thank you to all who has read and please fav/comment!