Ch3 - The victim

The headmaster decided to first take the trickster to the scene of the crime, but once they left his wondrous office, Loki became overwhelmed by something else. Huge columns towered above them connecting all the stone walls, stairs, hallways and ceilings. What seemed to be hundreds and hundreds of students dressed in black robes of various ages from children to teenagers filled the magnificent hallways of the castle like water droplets flowing down their own paths. It wasn't nearly as metallic or shinny as Asgard, but the castle reminded him of the palace and its many inhabitants also decked out in their flowing Asgardian attire. Loki felt at home yet oddly out of place with his branded, Variant jacket. He would much rather be here than the drab, nonmagical TVA. "Mr. Laufeyson?" said Dumbledore. He could see that the trickster was a bit starstruck. Dumbledore put a gentle hand on his back, waking him from his shock.

"How … have I never heard of this place?" he breathed.

"Because you've never needed to, not till now … come," the headmaster as they pressed onward. Loki kept looking all around him, up at the ceiling, the moving pictures on the walls, he nearly ran into a couple of students who threw him some odd looks, but he did not have the focus to care. They ended up in an isolated part of the hospital wing, where no one could disturb them. A body lay on a table with a sheet over it.

"He was found at night, leaving the library, laying face down," the headmaster began. Loki peeled back the sheet delicately. The young man's appearance threw him off. He was expecting to see a ghastly mess or a dirty figure, but the person was incredibly pale, yet pretty, even with his eyes closed. He peeled back more of the sheet revealing the young man's school clothes and a black robe similar to the ones he saw on the lively students. Loki noticed an emblem on the side of his robe with a furry creature on it in gold and black. The trickster scanned the body further, looking for the entry wound. A single deep strike could be found just under the rib cage.

"What was the determined cause of death?" asked Loki.

"Stab wound."

"I can see that, I mean, did he bleed out or die instantly?" he corrected him. The headmaster paused.

"Instantly," he answered. The trickster sighed.

"That … does sound like a Loki …" he said pondering. Something about this attack did not seem right. Loki had fought many battles, and caused a few unnecessary murders, but to blatantly kill a child … was not in his M.O.

"Any reason as to why?" Loki asked gesturing to the fatal wound.

"I believe … that's where you come in," said Dumbledore honestly. Loki walked around the body thinking.

"A Loki wouldn't kill without reason … not unless he absolutely had to … " he began, "Was there anything found on him at the scene of the crime?"

"Found and lost, a time turner was taken from Cedric Dickery after he was murdered and this was found in its place," said Dumbledore taking Loki to another table where a peculiar item laid. "I believe you are familiar with it," the headmaster added. "Indeed," said Loki, his eyes aglow with mischief looking upon the TemPad. He picked it up. He could easily escape with this, just like his variant, but it had no power.

"I believe now you can see how we contacted you and why this matter is so urgent. Unfortunately, I may have used the last of its charges to find you … A time turner is not too different from this device except it can only reverse time for its wearer, not go any place at any time," explained the professor.

"Then why would the variant take it and leave the TemPad?" questioned Loki.

"It may have been a lapse in judgement, you see, the delinquent was seen escaping the scene of the crime and dropped it right before they escaped."

"A Loki would never be that clumsy," declared the trickster offended.

"Perhaps," said Dumbledore smiling.

"And this … Time turner? You just give them out like candy?" questioned Loki.

"No, they have only been giving to a select ambitious, and trustworthy few … but it has come to my attention as well as our ministry's, that they should all be destroyed given how dangerous time travel can be," the headmaster said peering over his glasses. Loki narrowed his eyes at his gaze.

"I believe you can relate to this," he added slyly.

"Hmm," hummed Loki suspiciously, "and who was this witness?"