Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all other characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this version of the Mask belongs to New Line Cinemas; I'm just using them for this story. Oh, and 'Crush (1980 Me)' belongs to Darren Hayes
Feedback: I'd appreciate it, believe me
Never Odd Or even: Well, glad to hear it's going well; quite frankly, I'm not sure this kind of story's been done before either
ApocSM: That's a relief; I was getting a bit worried at the lack of reviews I was receiving recently…
Sean Malloy-1: Well, strictly speaking, the Mask is at the wedding reception, but nobody's going to realise who he is at the moment…
Bandgsecurtiyaw: Thank you; here you are
neostar: Thanks for both of those comments; I've been worried about this story and that one ever since I started, and it's good to hear that they're both appreciated
Destiny's Dragon: Hope it continues to live up to your expectations
Harry Potter and the Mask of Loki
"Damnit…" Fred commented, as he glanced at his watch- still half an hour to go before the 'bouncers' changed shifts- and he glanced over at George. "Once and for all, you're sure you didn't give someone the wrong time for the party?"
"Nope, sorry," George said, looking back at Fred with a groan. "Honestly, why did we ever agree to take door duty? I mean, who the hell gets to a party two whole hours-"
There was a brief blur, and suddenly a strange figure was standing in front of them, dressed in dark red robes, with oddly plastic-looking hair, and…
Fred blinked in confusion.
Was he wearing a green mask of some kind, or was his head meant to look like that?
And why did he look slightly familiar…
"How do, guys?" the man smiled at them, revealing teeth that were so large that Fred briefly wondered how he could even talk with them in his mouth.
"Um… are you on the list?" George asked, looking at him inquiringly.
"Nnnnoooooooo…" the man said, drawing the word out as he shook his head once, before smiling at them and producing an invitation from his sleeve. "But I was given this by a friend of mine; I understand it lets me in anyway. By the way, am I late?"
Fred took the offered ticket, and glanced at it. It was all right; evidently, whoever had given this guy a ticket had done so of their own free will.
And, since he and George were the only people who'd invite anyone who might be considered too wild to a party like this, he was prepared to take a chance and let this guy in.
"Not too late to get in; there you go," he said, reaching out and opening the door. "Just… don't go too far and don't do anything too outlandish, OK?"
The man smiled. "I assure you, Fred m'boy, that I am the very picture of discretion!" he said, patting Fred affectionately on the shoulder as he walked through the door.
It was only after Fred had shut the door that he realised he hadn't told the man his name.
As the door opened, Ron and Hermione- who were still shyly dancing in the middle of the room- looked up curiously to see if Harry had come back, but turned away when they saw that the figure wasn't anyone they recognized. They were just about to start dancing again, when suddenly they found themselves with a green-headed, red-robed figure pulling them apart, his head between theirs and a wide grin on his face as he looked at the two of them.
"How do?" he inquired casually.
"Wh-what?" Hermione said, looking over at the man in confusion. "Who are you?"
"Oh, how rude of me; I do apologise," the man said, smiling at them as he guided them over to a table and sat down in between them. "You can call me… uh… Mark!" he said, looking around at them as he sat them down and raised a hand to beckon over one of the waiters. "Firewhiskey, please," he said, before turning back to Ron and Hermione. "Mark… Tiller, yeah that's it…" he said, before grinning at them again. "You'd be Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, yeah? Harry told me all about you-"
"Wait a minute; Harry?" Ron said, looking at 'Mark' in confusion. "Are you talking about Harry Potter?"
"Do you know another Harry?" 'Mark' smiled, looking over at Ron with a grin on his face, while inwardly whatever part of Harry that was left was trying to come up with a decent cover story; why would he not have mentioned 'Mark' to Ron and Hermione, and where could they have met that meant that Ron and Hermione wouldn't know him, but Harry would…
Then it hit him. It was a bit of a long shot, he had to admit, but at least it might help him provide a credible explanation for the moment.
"I met him in Diagon Alley a few years back," 'Mark' said, looking casual despite his current fears that his story would be seen through. "I'm mostly privately tutored by my parents- they don't believe in public education, but they often have to help me pick up some equipment for the lessons; Harry and I run into each other now and again when we're down there, and we've always hit it off rather well."
"And he never mentioned you?" Hermione asked, looking at 'Mark' curiously.
"Well, I always liked my privacy," Mark said, shrugging. "You know, the mask makes it all a bit awkward; I don't like the questions it- whoa MAMA!" he cried out, as his eyes fell on the pale gold–clad form of Ginny Weasley, currently dancing with Neville Longbottom, although she was still wincing with pain when he trod on her feet. As he took in the sight, Mark's jaw dropped down onto the table in front of him, his tongue rolling out even further, and his eyes literally popped out of his head, in a manner that gave him the appearance of a lovesick cartoon.
"O-kaaaaaaaaaaaay…" Ron said, looking at the suddenly changed form of Mark in confusion before looking over at Hermione. "Is there any precedence of something like that happening to somebody?"
"Not that I can think of…" Hermione said, as Mark shook his head and it returned to normal, apparently unconcerned about explaining what had just happened.
Standing up, he casually dusted his hands and smiled at the two of them.
"Excuse me, but a beautiful woman requires my attention," he said, grinning, as he suddenly drew his arms back and ran off towards Ginny.
One glance at Hermione told Ron that she was as confused as he was; how could this guy move that fast?
Ginny was just starting to wonder how she could let Neville down without hurting his feelings (And she still wasn't clear on who had invited him, although she was guessing Ron out of a lack of anyone else to give an invitation to), when she felt a polite tap on her shoulder.
"Pardon me, m'dears, but I'm cutting in," a voice said. Pulling away from Neville, Ginny turned to look at the source of the voice…
And stared in surprise at the man standing there. The red robes he was wearing managed to make him look both smart and dangerous, and- weird though it was- his green head, with its almost fake-looking hair was, in a way, rather charming…
Realising what he'd just said, Ginny smiled.
"Oh… sure," she said, glancing back at Neville as she took the stranger's hand. "Sorry, Neville, but-"
"It's cool, Ginny; I understand," Neville said, raising his hand reassuringly. "I'm not much a dancer anyway; might as well give other people a shot at having you for a partner."
"Thanks, Neville," the stranger said, smiling briefly at him before taking Ginny in his arms and beginning a new waltz.
"Um… who are you?" Ginny asked, looking at him curiously as he looked around himself with an almost serene expression. "And how'd you know who Neville was?"
"Oh, sorry; call me Mark Tiller," the man said, smiling at her, showing abnormally large white teeth as he did so. "I'm a friend of Harry's; we've met each other around Diagon Alley a few times in the past, and he sent me an invitation to come here." He smiled down at Ginny. "And I have to say, I'm glad I did; Harry definitely wasn't exaggerating when he said you were beautiful."
Ginny felt her cheeks flush, and she looked away from Mark's face, focusing instead on his shoulder.
"You're just saying that," she said.
"No, I'm serious, he really did say that you were beautiful; you're pretty much all he talks about when we meet these days," Mark assured her, smiling slightly at her shyness. "Although, I have to admit, he was understating it a bit; probably couldn't find the words to give you justice."
As Ginny turned around, trying to find something else to look at so Mark wouldn't see her blushing, Mark rolled his eyes and sighed.
"Sorry, but this music is not really doing it for me," he said, indicating the wizard 'DJ'. "Excuse me, please; I have something to do."
And, before Ginny had even realised he'd gone, Mark was standing beside the DJ, grinning widely at everyone before him…
And, all of a sudden, wearing a yellow suit with a wide-brimmed, identically coloured hat, a white shirt, and a white tie with black spots.
What the… Ginny asked herself, as she stared at her partner in shock.
What the hell am I doing? some small part of Harry's mind- the part that wasn't fully engrossed with the powers Mark seems to possess- asked the rest of him as he took in his current situation. He could barely dance to save his life, and here he was, preparing to put on a song to dance to…
And with Ginny! Bad enough he couldn't be with her, but he now had to embarrass himself in front of her…
But, evidently, the rest of him knew what he was doing; as Mark smiled, a spotlight suddenly appeared on him, and he grinned widely as everyone in the hall turned to look at him.
"Let's rock this joint!" he said, grinning at them again.
Then he raised his arm, clicked his fingers, and suddenly new music was blaring from the speakers. Everyone else just looked at each other, trying to figure out what had just happened, but Mark, as confident as ever, leapt back onto the hall floor, spun briefly to 'change' back into his dress robes, and then slid (Literally slid) across the floor to Ginny, just in time to begin to dance again.
Cyndi Lauper (Mark's left hand clasps Ginny's right)
Jackson (Swap which hands are being held)
Simon Le Bon (Swap back)
I put Eurythmics On (Mark holds out his left arm, Ginny clasping his hand)
Poppin' and Lockin' in the U.S.A (Mark bends down and under the arm, popping up on the other side)
Day Glo sweater tied around my neck (Mark lets Ginny go and spins once before grabbing her hand again)
Studded Denim
Big Hair
Acid Wash
Rubik's Cube
My Boom Box (Continually exchange hands through the course of the last few lyrics)
You know it's alright (Mark pulls Ginny close to him and stares directly into her eyes)
I promise you tonight (He grins at her)
All you gotta do (He moves as though picking something out of the air)
Is choose Life (He holds a closed fist before her, indicates it with his other hand, and then steps back, now standing in the middle of the floor)
Got a little crush (Fists clasped before his face, almost like he's begging)
I just can't get enough of that stuff (Holds out one hand, palm wide, as though asking someone to grab it)
It's such a rush (1980 Me) (Reels sharply back, like Neo dodging a bullet in The Matrix(Except he actually bends a full ninety degrees), before standing up)
Got a little crush (Spins around, arms out wide)
I just can't get enough of that stuff (Stops spinning, but sweeps one arm off to the side)
It's such a rush (1980 Me) (Both his hands swoosh past his face, as though miming wind in his face)
Frosted Lipstick (He steps back up to Ginny, clasping her hands again)
Parachute Pants
Doc Martins
Dead Can Dance
Culture Club
The Go Go's
Pretty In Pink
PacMan Asteroids
Miami Vice
Too early for Vanilla Ice
Crimpin'
The Poodle Perm And Blond Highlights (Mark spins Ginny around a few times during the course of this verse, pulls back at the end to smile at her through her dizziness)
You know it's alright (Moves in closer, raising his right arm)
I promise you tonight (Pulls a rose out of his sleeve)
All you gotta say is (Ginny takes the rose as Mark smiles at her)
Have a nice day (Winks and then pulls back into the middle of the dance floor)
Got a little crush (Holds out one hand like a theatrical agent introducing an act, and a spotlight suddenly appears on Ron and Hermione)
I just can't get enough of that stuff (Smiles at them as Ron blushes and Hermione looks away)
It's such a rush (1980 Me) (Mark appears beside them, grabs their hands, and spins them around before they're face-to-face once again)
Got a little crush (He's facing Ginny again)
I just can't get enough of that stuff (Shakes his head emphatically as he points one hand at Ginny)
It's such a rush (1980 Me) (He leaps into the air, spinning rapidly in a circle before he lands on his feet in front of her)
Got a little crush (He holds out another hand to indicate Bill and Fleur, also in a spotlight)
I just can't get enough of that stuff (He appears between them, grinning as he pats them both on the back)
It's such a rush (1980 Me) (Spins them around once before heading over to Ron and Hermione)
Got a little crush (He pushes them closer to each other)
I just can't get enough of that stuff (He pats Ron reassuringly on the back as he jerks a thumb at Hermione)
It's such a rush (1980 Me) (He's back in front of Ginny, holding her hands as he prepares to dance)
As the music played, Mark and Ginny span briefly around the dance floor, hands joined in the centre of their makeshift circle, before Mark stopped and, grinning, pulled Ginny closer to him, her back to his front. Ginny, caught up in the moment, shimmed down Mark's body and back up before she realised what she was doing, but before she even had time to be shocked, Mark had already taken her hands again and bent forward. He briefly smiled at her as he held her just barely above the floor, before he pulled back and let go, staring at her throughout as the music slowed slightly and he stepped back from his partner.
I wish that I could be eleven again (Mark stands in the middle of the hall again, looking forlornly at Ginny as he mouths alone with the song)
That E.T was my friend (He pulls a poster of E.T. out of his pocket and discards it off to one side, where Charlie grabs it)
You know that life was so simple then (Marks pulls out a small blackboard and scrawls '2 + 2 4' on it, before tossing it across to Gabrielle Delacour)
Times have changed (An alarm clock pops out of his pocket and changes into a digital watch before it clamps onto Ron's wrist)
Never be the same (Mark shakes his head, a slightly saddened expression on his face)
The memory remains (He taps his head)
And the melody inside my heart (A slight smile now on his face, Mark holds one hand over his heart as he reaches out to Ginny)
You know it's alright (Ginny takes his hand and hold it up to her face, Mark gently caressing her cheek)
No matter how it goes (Mark and Ginny lock eyes and smile at each other)
All you gotta do is just say no (Mark raises an eyebrow, and Ginny smiles as she pulls him towards her)
Got a little crush (The two of them spin as Mark grins widely at Ginny)
I just can't get enough of that stuff (Mark and Ginny smile at each other)
It's such a rush (1980 Me) (Ginny spins around so that her back is to Mark's front and the two of them bend back like Mark did earlier before standing back up)
Got a little crush (Mark grabs Ginny by the waist, and, smiling at her, tosses her up into the air)
I just can't get enough of that stuff (Holding out his arms, Mark catches Ginny)
It's such a rush (1980 Me) (As the music fades, Mark leans over and kisses Ginny on the lips)
As the music faded, Mark pulled back slightly to smile at Ginny. Ginny, although still dazed and more than slightly exhausted by all the dancing she'd just done, smiled weakly back at him.
But still… as she shakily got back onto her feet, looking curiously at Mark, she couldn't shake the feeling that his kiss had been somewhat familiar…