Disclaimer: Don't own anything but the semblance of a plot in this story.
I bring grim news to all who read and enjoy this story. Hush Little Child is going on a hiatus. Reasons? If you really want to know, PM me and I'll give you them. Otherwise, you are spared from the excuses.
There is one more chapter which doesn't fit into the story so far, but tells where the Malfoys are in the grand scheme of things. I hope you guys stay around to read that!
With all the randomness, please enjoy this chapter. :)
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"To our relationship!" Harry joked, clinking glasses with Mavis. Loke lazily held up his water-filled glass, lightly sulking.
They were in the dining room; a marvelous hall that would awe a king. Loke had only been able to comprehend how the giant thing was in their home when Harry had explained the basics of Wizarding storage. It consisted around forming a pocket dimension supported by magic, then building or storing in that pocket dimension. Such a place could be as large or as small as the user wanted; it all depended on how much magic they poured into creating it.
Loke had just stared blankly at Harry when his brother explained it to him the first time, meriting a lesson on dimensions and their uses.
Mavis smiled at Loke, holding out her wine glass out after taking a small sip. "So, your name is Loke?"
"Yes." Loke said. Harry glared at Loke from the other side of the table, using his free hand to motion for Loke to go on. Loke quickly returned the glare before turning his attention back to Mavis. "Harry gave it to me."
The intruder- because that's all Loke would think of Mavis as- in his home was only four feet tall and had ridiculously long blonde hair. It didn't help that her visit had only been announced to him the day before, or that she was Charlie's old girlfriend.
'Clean breakoff, my ass,' Loke thought, a small smile spreading across his face as he continued to keep up his charade of a happy younger brother. Inside, he was cursing the world and its sense of humor. 'Four years of dating cannot merit a clean breakoff.'
"So you're his adoptive brother?" the ever-cherry girl asked.
'Well, I wonder if he has blonde hair as well. I think that would tell you everything you need to know.' Loke thought, limiting his verbal response to a simple "yes".
Harry just sat up straight in his seat. Loke knew that he wasn't going to get involved in a fight between Mavis and Loke, no matter how oblivious the first was to the situation.
"Oh! What age did you adopt him at, Harry? He must have been young- you guys have such a great bond! Almost like a celestial spirit and their owner!" Mavis said, taking another bite of the roast beef on her plate.
Loke caught Harry wincing from the corner of his eye. 'You didn't tell her?' Loke mouthed angrily.
Harry cringed at Loke's expression. 'No,' he mouthed back. 'It didn't seem important when I told her about you.'
'So the fact that I'm your adoptive brother and a celestial spirit just slips your mind.'
'Kinda?'
'Miss Stolen Girlfriend is now more important than me. I'm severely injured.'
'You should be.'
Mavis innocently looked up from her meal to see both Harry and Loke frantically motioning to each other. "Are you two okay?" she asked.
"Yes," Harry quickly replied before Mavis could come to her own conclusion. "It's just that-"
"Harry forgot to mention that I'm a celestial spirit," Loke intervened, "he thought that it wasn't important."
Mavis giggled. "That explains a lot of things, like your bantering with Harry and the fact that your magics have completely different feels."
Loke took another bite of his meat as Harry questioned Mavis about the 'feel' of magic. He focused more attention on his meal than Mavis's explanation, but he still caught something about sticks and wands being the exact same thing.
Loke's pride and his partial innocence demanded that he shouldn't inquire about it.
The rest of dinner was filled with Mavis and Harry's meaningless chatter and Loke being anti-social. As Harry excused himself from the table to begin picking up dishes, Loke and Mavis found themselves awkwardly siting at the large table together.
"So, is there anything you really like to do?" Mavis tentatively asked.
"I like to sleep." Loke tried to reply with a straight face. He was going to have fun with Mavis's mind.
"Oh! So you're a lazy boy." Mavis said. "Do you enjoy eating as well?"
Loke almost face planted. Mavis was obviously naïve; he had come to that conclusion a long time ago. But to this degree? He hadn't been expecting that at all.
"Hey Loke, can you come over here and help me?" Harry said as he peeked into the hallway. "The dishes have taken over both the dishwasher and the sink."
Loke thanked whatever god had granted him the opportunity to get away from Harry's love interest. He gave Mavis a faked apologetic expression. "Harry's a mess; he left them to pile up for the last couple of days."
Mavis gave Loke an understanding nod. "He always does it with the plastic wrap during picnics."
Loke gave Mavis a small wave and dodged out of the room, letting out a sigh of relief as Harry came into view. "Save me from your idiot of a girlfriend." Loke mock-pleaded. "She's unable to see when she's not wanted."
Harry threw the dishtowel in his hands to Loke. "Don't attack her for it. It's the way she is."
"Blonde and ditzy?" Loke retorted, giving his view on Mavis. "Nice choice in girls, Mage."
"You did not just go there." Harry said as he handed another dish to Loke to dry.
"Guess what? I did. She's the worst choice you could have ever made and you know it." Loke forcefully dried the gold-edged plate with the ragged cloth in his hands.
"Are you jealous of her? Or me?"
Loke set one dish in the cabinet above, pausing for a moment. We he jealous?
'You like one of them,' his mind taunted. 'Otherwise you wouldn't be feeling so… uncomfortable around them.'
He always felt... right around Harry. So maybe he liked Mavis? He had no experience in the mysterious field of love; how was he supposed to know?
"No." Loke harshly replied to Harry as he accepted a cup to dry, denying his inner thoughts.
"I'll trust you on that. Try to be a nice human being to Mavis for the rest of the night, okay?" Harry gave Loke a grin.
"I might give it a try." Loke said, suppressing the confusing feelings swirling inside (love, annoyance, hate, denial) and returning the cocky expression.
"Come on, Loke…" Harry instantly sobered and pleaded.
"I'm your brother! I'm supposed to give you a hard time about girls and junk!" Loke argued, flicking his dishtowel at Harry.
"Where did you read that?"
"One of your books." Loke confidently replied.
"YOU READ THE BOOK ON MY NIGHTSTAND?" Harry yelled.
"… Maybe?" Loke winced. He hadn't been expecting that as an answer, but he should have learned better by now. If there was something to get even the slightest bit mad about, Harry would often intensify the situation in his head.
"I'm going to kill you someday." Harry mock threatened.
"You love me too much, Harry." Loke said, plastering that cocky grin back onto his face.
"I do. I really do love you."
As they exited the kitchen, Loke felt a warm feeling rise in his chest. He really liked it.
And he didn't know why.