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Chapter 7

"Here," Athena said, handing the glass of red wine to Hermione, before giving another to Thor.

Thor thanked her before sitting down beside Hermione, who was drinking deeply. "Hermione, you need not worry so much. These mortals do not stand a chance. Loki plans to place wards around the House of Night and around yours and Asta's rooms. We will both be here regularly. Especially so, now that we know of your powers."

"You can help us learn to use them properly?" She asked him.

Thor smiled. "Of course. I use lightning and storms all the time in battle. It is a formidable power. Asta's powers are very close to Loki's, no doubt he will teach her much."

"That is good. We have been unable to find anyone to tutor them so far. No one quite has powers like theirs. Had their abilities manifested as visions or an affinity for one of the five elements, we would have had an abundance of knowledge to help them with," Athena said.

"I will have Brutus increase his warrior's patrols and inform them of the situation," Morgana said. "This has not been the first time the House of Night, or its residents, have been threatened. This castle was built to withstand an attack, and the first High Priestess here embedded protective spells into the very stone. We will not be idle ourselves, so when you are not here, you need not worry."

"Thank you, Priestess," Thor said. "I will inform my brother. Would you mind if I spent some time with your warriors? It would help if I knew their skills."

"Of course. I am sure Brutus would be happy to explain things with you."

Thor looked at Hermione and reached out and placed his hand on hers, which was still trembling. "I give you my word, I will protect you, Hermione. What happened in your past will not be repeated," he told her.

"Thank you," she said, smiling.

Just then, the door opened and Asta and Loki entered. Asta went straight over to Hermione and hugged her. "You feeling ok, Mya?"

Hermione nodded. "I'll be fine. You?"

"Same," Asta replied.

Before Loki could close the door, Crookshanks and Fade darted in, going to their fledglings. He smiled slightly as he closed the door. "If only they were bigger. They would be ideal protectors," he told them. Fade and Crookshanks looked up at him as the silver flecks in their eyes began to glow.

"I think we're about to find out what Nyx did to them at Mabon," Asta said.

The silver light enveloped the two cats and they grew. The group stared as the light faded, revealing that the two were no longer house cats anymore. Crookshanks had become a tiger and Fade had become a panther.

"Who would guess that a cat that could transform into a tiger slept on the end of my bed every night?" Hermione asked, while Asta just made a strangled noise in the back of her throat.

Fade looked at her and placed her head in Asta's lap, prompting an ear scratching from the startled fledgling. "You're still just Fade, aren't you? Just bigger," she realised aloud.

"Well, now you have protectors who will remain close to you at all times," Thor said, grinning. "That is good news."

"Yes, but I still wish to place protective spells of my own," Loki said. "Would it be alright if I entered your rooms to place them, and then wandered around the grounds to add more?"

Asta looked at Hermione, who nodded at her. "Sure. We'll show you where to go," she said, standing. Fade and Crookshanks began to glow again, but this time they shrunk.

The group headed out of the office then, and Morgana decided to ask a couple more questions. "Apart from what you have already told us, what are the plans of these wizards?"

"They plan on using a tracking spell to find them. They believe Asta and Hermione are both together somewhere. Once they have a positive result with the spell, they will apparate to find the girls, stun them and take them. That is the plan at least," Loki explained.

"And if it failed?" Morgana asked.

"They would no doubt either try again or form another approach," Loki told her.

Asta led the way into the girls' dorm and to the room she shared with Hermione. The moment he entered, Loki began moving round, green light forming round his hands as he cast spells, the light seeping into the walls and disappearing. "You sharing a room makes this easier," he said as he worked. Loki spent a bit of extra time at the window, reinforcing it, and adding enchantments so that only those with friendly intentions would be able to see whoever was sat looking out.

"I need to meet with your warriors," Thor said to Morgana.

"Yes, of course. I will take you to see Brutus," Morgana told him.

"I can take him," Hermione said.

Morgana smiled and nodded. "Very well. Asta, will you show Loki around the grounds, so he can add those other protective spells?"

"Sure," Asta replied.

"We will leave you to it then," Athena said.

When they had left, the two fledglings led the two Aesir out of the building, then going their separate ways. Hermione walked in silence for a few minutes, but there was something she really needed to know. "How much did you see exactly? When you were scrying?"

Thor watched her for a moment, easily guessing what she meant. "Only enough to guess what happened. On the three... occasions," he ground out the last word. Hermione could see his anger simmering in his eyes, but sensed it was not at her.

"Was it the same for Cassia?" She wanted to be able to reassure her sister that they had not seen, just knew what had happened. Had context.

"Yes it was. I promise you, Hermione, we only saw enough to know what had happened. Would you mind answering a question?"

She shrugged, looking down at the ground. They had come to a stop. "It depends on the question."

"The ones who... assaulted you, have they been punished?"

Hermione did not answer immediately. Thor was startled to see her shoulders start to shake and then a sob broke out of her. Hermione covered her face with her hands as another sob came out of her.

Thor gently placed his hands on her shoulders. "Hermione? What is it?"

"They... My boss was a pureblood wizard. I was just a muggleborn. Now I'm a fledgling. In the eyes of the wizarding world I should be flattered to have his attention spent on me." The sobs increased and he had the urge to pull her into him. She looked so alone.

Thor drew her into him and wrapped his arms around her, his hand came up and started stroking her hair. "No more harm will come to you, I swear. And that mortal will not go unpunished for what he has done. Allow me to deal with him. I know Loki wants to punish Vernon Dursley. Let me ensure he will never have the chance to torment you or another again."

Hermione did not know what he planned. But the idea that her rapist could hurt other innocent women disgusted her. She may want to put it behind her, but she could not go around, knowing he was still able to hurt others and get off without punishment. She nodded against his chest, hands grasping at his armour. He held her until she stopped crying and pulled away herself, brushing away the tears. He felt loathe to lose contact with her, though would have preferred it being under better, happier circumstances. He offered her his arm. Hermione accepted it and they continued walking.

"So," she asked after a moment, "how long have you been a warrior?" She internally winced at the question. Had she not been so shaken, she would have asked a question with a far less obvious answer.

Thor smiled, noticing the attempt to get back to easier waters, and happily obliging, ignoring her embarrassment. "I have been training since I was old enough to hold a blade. Loki as well. My first battle came when I was forty."

Hermon frowned in confusion. "Wouldn't it have been sooner?"

Thor shook his head. "Up until our maturity, it takes two years to age where Midgardians only age one. So, at forty, I would be considered twenty here."

"I see," Hermione nodded, understanding. "How do you keep fighting all the time? There were plenty of times in the war where I found it very hard to keep going. It would have been very easy to just disappear."

"There are times where it has been hard," he told her honestly. "But I grew up knowing it was my duty to fight to protect my people. If you had disappeared, what would have happened to those you left behind? Your friends? Asta? I do not doubt that idea entered your mind. That kept you going, yes? Thoughts like that keep me fighting as well. I cannot allow my people to fight alone."

"I guess it's different, growing up learning to and knowing you'll be fighting, compared to growing up as a dentists daughter, believing the most exciting thing you'll ever do is learn to become a witch."

"Different situations produce different people, you are right. Hopefully, when you learn how to fight, it will be no more than simply something for you to put your mind at ease, that you know how. If I have my way, Hermione, you need never be in a real battle again. After your war, your struggles, both you and your sister deserve peace. I shall endeavour to give it to you."

Hermione smiled up at him. "Thank you."

"How long until they come, do you think?" Asta asked Loki as they walked.

"A few days at the most. Three, I think. It will take them a while to start tracking Hermione, when they realise Sophia Potter cannot be tracked. If you wish, we could ask for rooms here and remain until they come? We have been gone longer before, so it would be no trouble."

Asta felt a sense of safety well up inside of her. Despite her past, she was finding it easy to trust him. Was it the bond? Nyx's words? His promise? Or her lifelong want of love, family? Perhaps a mix of all of them? One thing was certain, she did not want him to leave just yet. Not while there was a threat, at least.

Asta nodded, a small smile on her face as she nodded. "That sounds good," she said to him.

"Very well, I will ask for rooms for my brother and I."

"So, what are you doing, exactly? Magic wise, I mean?" Asta asked gesturing at the walls, which he had begun casting spells at.

"It is a ward net which will prevent people teleporting in and will inform me should anyone enter with malicious intent. It will force those teleporting in to rebound, at least a mile away. They will only be able to walk in, and the moment they do, I am sure they will be surrounded by warriors."

Asta watched intently as he worked, describing each step as he did so, and the spell work involved. Asta felt a small smile appear. She felt that everything would be fine.

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