Disclaimer: I own nothing!

A Trip Out

Willow sighed as she looked through her potions ingredients. She was almost out and would have to make a trip to the apothecary. She supposed she could order, and avoid the hassle, but going out and visiting the Alley would do her some good. She'd only really been to the ministry for quite a while, and that wasn't the most cheery of outings, even if the result was very good. She glanced up at the ceiling as if she could see through two floors to the attic, the library. It would do him good too. He had hardly been out since he had landed in the garden of her town house, battered and bruised with his lips sewn shut. Those stitches had disappeared within minutes, but it still made her stomach roll horribly at the thought of them. Yes, it would do him good to get out. He may not be overly fond of mortals, but he needed to know more about them than watching her and Hermione, and asking her questions about her people. That was, if he wanted to end this banishment of his.

With that, Willow headed upstairs and found Loki in the library, where she had known he would be, a book in his hands. "I'm heading out for Diagon Alley. Do you want to come?"

"You did not wish for me to accompany you the last time you went out."

"The last time I went out I was filing for my divorce. It's been weeks since then, and neither of us has gone further than the park and that is only at the end of the street, at which point we turn around and come right back. I think we both need to get out of here. And I need to get potions supplies, so we may as well go to Diagon."

"Then I will accompany you."

"I take it this time you won't put protection spells on me then?"

"I do not need to. I will be there with you." When she had left to go to the ministry, he had placed protection spells around her. Apparently, because she had taken him in, and he had to remain with her, or lose his magic, she was now under his protection. If they were apart for more than forty eight hours, his magic would apparently be stripped from him. He obviously did not want that.

"Come on then. It's not too far to Charing Cross Road. We'll walk." The two were soon walking down the streets of London until they reached the Leaky Cauldron. She saw him raise an unimpressed eyebrow at the sight of the dingy pub. "Don't worry, that's just the way to get to the entrance from the non-magical world. The actual Alley is far more impressive."

He said nothing, obviously reserving his judgement. She withheld the sigh. She knew he wanted this banishment to be over, but he was hardly receptive to doing what he would need to in order to end it. Understanding and accepting her and other mortals required an open mind. Unfortunately, Loki had made his mind up on them years ago and thought what he knew about them was all there was to know. It was frustratingly like the pureblood elitist views on muggles. She had her work cut out for her here. And she had to get him to realise the truth about mortals or she would be stuck with an angry god with a chip on his shoulder for the rest of her life.

Willow led him through the pub, ignoring the stares and whispers, her head held high as she walked, only giving brief smiles to those she recognised. They entered the tiny courtyard and as the door closed behind them, Willow whipped out her wand and tapped one of the bricks on the wall, causing it to wriggle, before sliding away, an action which caused the other bricks to shift away, creating an archway into the bright, busy, shopping centre. He did not know quite what he had been expecting, but this was not it. Magic thrummed through the whole area. It was far younger than what existed in Asgard, but the area was saturated in it, and it made him feel more at home on this realm than anywhere else he had ever visited.

They walked past many people, all going about their daily lives, until they got to the apothecary. The dark room stunk, but that was something that never changed, no matter what apothecary he went into. There were just too many conflicting herbs and ingredients to allow for any sort of pleasant odour. A man immediately ran out from behind the desk. "Lady Potter! What an honour! How can I help you today?"

"I need to restock general household potion ingredients. Also ingredients for more serious healing potions. I am thinking of restarting my schooling as a healer."

"Of course of course! I will get everything you need together!" He said, rushing back behind his counter and grabbing containers, all of which contained a stasis charm, before he began moving quickly round his store, filling them with the needed ingredients. He then placed them all on the counter, where Willow began placing them in her bag which contained an undetectable extension charm.

"How much?" She asked, pulling out her purse and Gringotts card.

"Twenty Galleons," he said.

Loki was startled. That was unbelievably cheap. Willow shook her head. "Mr Hipotecarium, I cannot cheat you out of that much money. These ingredients are worth far more than that! Sixty Galleons."

"Thirty," he replied. "If it was not for you I would not have this business- I would not have a life, the Death Eaters would have seen to that, seeing as my mother was muggle. I owe you. We all do."

"And you need to be able to keep this business open. Where else would I get my ingredients? I will pay the full sixty. Or I will simply go to Gringotts and have the money transferred to your account with the strict instructions that you are not allowed to put it back into my account."

He sighed. "Sixty Galleons then," He nodded, taking the card.

Loki was observing her intently. Who was this mortal that she would not snap such a money saving deal out of the shopkeeper's hands? That she seemed to be so revered by this man and so many others? He had seen the way people had looked at her, full of hero worship and admiration. There was an almost fanatical light in their eyes. The people here would do just about anything for her.

Willow paid for her items and turned to look at him. "Come on, I know a shop you might just enjoy."

"Oh?" He asked. What would that be? Loki followed her out of the shop and down the street to the brightest shop there. It was orange, and the roof had the bust of a man whose arm was constantly pulling a hat up and down off his head and making the rabbit on his head appear and disappear. They stepped inside and the tone of the magic changed. To chaos magic. He could not help the grin that grew on his face. This was his element. This was what his magic new best.

"Weasley Wizard Wheezes. The best magical joke shop in the country," Willow told him, looking up at him. "I thought, as God of Mischief, this might be something you'd appreciate. A friend of mine owns the store, so take as long as you want to look around, I can always pass time talking with George."

He grinned at her, noting the mischievous glint in her eyes. It was only now that he realised, despite her past, she may just enjoy a spot of mischief herself.

"Friends with a prankster? I never would have guessed."

"Not just friends with one. He and his twin took inspiration from four others from a previous generation- the best Hogwarts ever saw. Two of whom happened to be my father and Godfather. Now, go enjoy yourself. If you want anything just pick it up. I get a discount here."

"You did not take it in the last shop," he pointed out.

"I had not given the Apothecary its start-up grant," she said. "I helped fund this place. Now, I'm going to find George. See you later." With that, she walked off, leaving him to his own devices- probably not the best of things to do when it came to the God of Mischief in a joke shop. He had a pile of items in a basket when he heard the shouting.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing here after what you did? You have some nerve!" An angry voice reached him. Curious, he looked round the shelves and saw a lanky red haired mortal glaring angrily at Willow. His eyes narrowed as he took in the scene. She was clearly, at least to him, terrified, eyes flicking to the door as if contemplating running, face pale. However, her face was otherwise expressionless and if someone did not know her well enough, they would think she was naturally that pale.

"I'm visiting a friend, Ronald. And introducing another to this shop. I thought he'd enjoy it."

"HE?! You're already seeing someone? We've only just divorced! You come to rub it in, is that it?" The mortal, Ronald, looked ready to lash out.

Loki stepped towards them quickly. "That is enough," he said quietly, but his voice carried, and it drew their attention to him. "You will leave Lady Potter alone boy."

"You stay out of this, it's none of your business," Ron snarled.

"On the contrary, she has been kind enough to provide me with lodgings these past few weeks. In return, I will ensure her safety. I warn you not to take this any further."

"This is him is it?" He turned back to Willow, hands balling into fists.

"Ron, he has nowhere else to go right now, he's just staying with me. And even if it was more than that, it would be none of your business, we are divorced, after all. Just like you said. If it makes you feel better go find a new girlfriend. I'm sure there's plenty of women out there who'd like the chance to be with one of the Heroes of Hogwarts."

This seemed to be the wrong thing to say however, as Ron's arm lifted, ready to strike. Before Loki or Willow could do anything however, another hand grabbed Ron's raised wrist, keeping him from throwing the intended punch. "Now, now brother dear. I won't have you hitting my friends in my shop," another red head, this one taller and missing an ear, said, cool and calm. "Perhaps you should go home, cool off. Or go and see mum. She was complaining the other day you hadn't been to visit. So, when I release your wrist, you're going to lower your arm and leave, or I am going to use you as a test subject for a few of my newer inventions."

When his hand was released, Ron stormed off after sending parting glares at Willow and Loki. "Sorry about that," the other red head told them. "My youngest brother has quite the temper. It has not gotten better since he lost his job, I'm afraid."

"Thanks for that, George," Willow said, regaining a little of her colour and becoming less tense.

"No problem. So, this him then?" He asked, looking at Loki.

"Ah yes, George this is Loki, Loki, this is George Weasley, owner of the shop," Willow introduced.

George held out his hand and Loki shook it. "An honour to meet you. It's not every day the god of mischief walks into your shop."

"I've just been admiring some of your items," Loki replied, holding up the basket. "Very good craftsmanship, I must say."

"Some of them are my wife's design. Hermione is wicked smart, no matter what she turns her mind to. The most are from ideas my twin, Fred, and I came up with when we were in school though."

The crack in the voice, the slight wince, it all told Loki one thing. Fred Weasley was dead. Instead of bringing that up, he moved on slightly. "Well they are ingenious. And for you to have come up with them at such a young age is highly commendable."

"Thanks!" The grin said not lingering on the topic had been the best way to go.

Willow could barely hold the smile. Introducing Loki to Weasley Wizards Wheezes had been a good idea then. Perhaps this was the chink in the armour she needed to get him to see her world in a better light.

A/N: Please Review!