Hermione slept in the next morning, causing her to miss breakfast that day. It was about 11:00 AM when Hermione finally got out of bed. She stretched before standing up and going to the bathroom. Hermione heard the door to the bedroom open and knew that it was Faye. The maid had told Hermione that she would be there in the morning to help Hermione. She was a bit hesitant when Faye told her to undress. "Don't worry, Ms. Granger. There's no need to feel uncomfortable," Faye had said. After being persuaded, Hermione was cleaned up and made to look like a goddess again.

Hermione was put in an olive green gown that touched the floor. The sleeves were short and fell off of Hermione's shoulders. Hermione's makeup was a bit darker today, but she didn't mind. Her lipstick was now a dark red and she was absolutely in love with it. Her hair was extremely soft and shiny. Faye had used some curlers to make her hair bounce. She couldn't deny that she looked incredibly beautiful. Hermione picked up her wand and admired the design on it. She had always liked the design on her wand. It was so unique and she couldn't deny that she had always been curious about how it was made.

Back at Hogwarts, Hermione hadn't really been interested in the creation of wands, which had surprised Harry and Ron. The smile on her face fell as she remembered her friends. Ron was alone now. Harry was dead and Hermione had been gone for days. She realized that Ron was probably worried sick about her. Ginny, Luna, and Neville, too. Hermione sighed and decided that she needed some fresh air. She still had no idea where the gardens were, but she was determined to find them.

The witch walked out of her room and down the long, golden hallways of the castle. And she had thought that Hogwarts was confusing to get around. She had thought that there was no place in existence as confusing as Hogwarts. Boy, was she mistaken. A few more minutes of walking caused her to roll her eyes. This was ridiculous. Hermione groaned and closed her eyes, trying to calm down. She was irritated. The sound of footsteps caused her eyes to open. A figure turned the corner and appeared in front of Hermione. He was a very fit guy with big muscles and blonde hair.

In his hand was a hammer, Mjölnir. Hermione remembered reading about it in the Norse mythology book Luna had given her. She recognized the designs on it. There was only one person who could wield the hammer. This was Thor, Loki's brother. Well, adoptive brother. Hermione hadn't realized that she had been staring until her eyes began to sting. She blinked a few times before looking at the god. He hadn't said anything, though he had definitely noticed her.

"You must be Ms. Granger," Thor said, a smile on his face. He stuck his hand out to her. "Hermione," she replied, sticking her hand out as well. Thor took her hand and planted a light kiss on her knuckles. She hadn't expected that. The last time she had had a kiss like that was the yule ball with Viktor. "Hermione," Thor repeated. "That's a nice name." Hermione smiled slightly. He was handsome, but not as handsome as Loki, though she supposed that she didn't have much to go off of. After all, she had only seen Loki through the mirror of Erised.

"My name is Thor. Perhaps you've heard of me?" Hermione nodded. She hadn't read much about him, but Frigga had mentioned Thor during dinner last night."You're Loki's brother, the god of thunder." Thor's smile slightly faded at the mention of Loki, but returned once his title was said. "Indeed, I am the god of thunder... and Loki is adopted, but yes. He is my brother."

"I take it you're not fond of him?" Hermione asked. Thor shook his head. "No, it's not that. Believe me, I love Loki no matter what. We grew up together. We were raised together. It's just that... with the things he has done,mit's hard to think about him as my brother, knowing of all the trouble he has caused." Hermione nodded.

"Anyway, where are you off to?" Hermione clasped her hands together. "The gardens. I needed a bit of fresh air. I'm just having some trouble finding them." Thor chuckled. "I'm not surprised. Asgard is a big place. As a matter of fact, I'm in need of some fresh air as well. Mind if I join you?" Thor offered Hermione his arm. Hermione wasn't really wanting the company, but she couldn't say no. After all, she didn't even know where the gardens were. "Of course," she said, taking his arm.

The two walked through the halls of Asgard and soon came to a large archway covered in beautiful flowers. Hermione couldn't believe that she had missed this. Hermione closed her eyes, breathing in the oxygen and hints of the many flowers. "This... this is incredible," Hermione said, her eyes scanning over the different colored flowers. "It's nothing special. They're just flowers. I'm sure there are many back at... Hogwarts, was it?" Hermione's smile faded. "Actually, Hogwarts used to be a beautiful, magical place until the headmaster was killed. Then there was a war. Hogwarts is in pieces. Many people died, including one of my best friends."

"I'm so sorry," Thor said. Hermione shook her head. "Things will get better. I'm just worried about my friends. They're probably worried about me as well. I've been here for what? 3 days?" Thor looked at the ground. "Actually, time has barely passed. While days have passed here in Asgard, you've only been gone for maybe an hour or so back in your realm."

"Really? Time is strange," Hermione said. Thor chuckled. "Indeed, it is." The smile on his face disappeared. "There's something I have to tell you. I'm not supposed to say anything, but I can't help it." Hermione looked at the god with confusion on her face. "My mother believes that there is a reason you came here. Loki has denied doing any kind of mirror magic and claims that he has never seen or heard of you. My mother believes that you might be what Loki's missing. She thinks you might be able to help him... to change him. I think she's right."

Hermione understood and she became angry. "I'm sorry, but I cannot help you. I'm in a relationship already and I'm quite happy. Your brother does need help, but the kind of help you and your mother believe I can provide is not the kind that I can offer." With that said, Hermione stormed off, leaving the god alone in the gardens.

Author's Note: This chapter was originally longer, but once again, wifi issues caused it to not save so, I had to rewrite most of the chapter. Sorry that it's not exactly the way I had originally had it, but you can blame the stupid wifi and dumb school laptops.