Chapter Three

Odin stormed up the the gathering, his expression thunderous. "Would someone please explain to me why I received a report that Thor was racing Loki upon Fenrir through the city?" He boomed, eying the young man who was leaning against the dangerous creature.

Thor moved to placate his father. "Father, it was not quite as it appeared. Loki is... Loki still..." He drew a fortifying breath. It still hurt to say his brother's name without the flare of betrayal and great sadness that flashed through his being. "Fenrir's rider was not the lost one." He finally amended.

"Then who would dare ride that monster?" The Allfather growled.

Harry pulled himself away from Fenrir, who had tensed upon arrival of the powerful god, and stepped forward. "Harry Potter, sir. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say you're Odin?"

Odin squinted his eye suspiciously. He couldn't be a frost giant, he was far too small for that, smaller even then Loki. But it could just be one of Loki's illusions, and the fact that Fenrir had taken to him like this was suspicious... He didn't realize his hand was creeping towards his sword until Heimdall called, "Peace, Odin. The human is not here to harm your people or your family."

"So he is a creature of Midgard!" Thor said excitedly. If a human had somehow gotten here, maybe he could take the same way back. Back to Jane.

All four gods turned to the wizard with varying expresions on their face, from utter loathing (Sif) to hopeful pleading (Thor). "Um... sort of?"

"Sort... of?" Sif said slowly.

Harry shrugged. "Well, I would rather tell you my story somewhere a little more... private, if you please." He gestured behind them, to the others who had started to gather, and were looking on with wary curiousity.

Odin sighed, and nodded. "You shall tell me your story in my throne room, stanger, and hope I do not think you here to cause trouble." He looked pointedly at Fenrir, who snorted at him.

Harry turned to the wolf contemplatively. He was oddly docile and intelligent for an animal. He had only seen this level of intelligence in animals that had become familiars. Shrugging, and deciding to think about it at a less pressing time, he turned back to the gathering of gods, of legends.

"All right, lead the way."

Two hours later he found himself answering questions for four very interested gods. Heimdall had left the group, saying that he knew the whole story already, and didn't need to have it retold, but in his place was Odin's wife Frigga, queen of Asgard.

"So when do you travel?" Odin asked, sitting forward.

Harry sighed. He was getting tired and thirsty, and Fenrir, who had refused to leave his side, was getting antsy. "There are many circumstances that could cause me to travel, and I probably don't even know them all. Sometimes I die, and wake up in the next world, sometimes I am just sitting there, minding my own business, and am dragged onwards anyway."

"Husband," Frigga said gently. "He grows weary. He has already proven that he holds no ill intent, so allow him and his..." She eyed Fenrir, who was sniffing at one of the pillars, "Companion to rest in one of the guest rooms."

Odin sighed. He knew his wife was right, but he still felt uncomfortable with the wolf roaming free in his castle. His eye lit up with an idea. The way the traveler had described his magic sounded radically different than the magics of the frost giants and his son Loki. He could use this to hopefully wheedle a demonstration.

"Young Potter, though you seem to be telling the truth about not even meaning to arrive here, and do not intend to cause trouble with my people, your companion offers no such promise." He started. The wizard shrugged.

"Well, it's not like he can promise not to harm people, he's a wolf. Speaking is a bit beyond his capabilities, I think."

Odin ignored Thor's snicker. "Be that as it may, is there a way to use your magic to confine Fenrir while you sleep?"

Humming in thought, Harry took a few minutes to go over his repertoire before nodding. "I think so, yes. It's a bit of a binding spell, that would act like a tether between him and I. He won't be able to go a certain amount of feet away from me while it's activated. Will that work?"

Odin nodded imperiously, fighting down the odd child like glee.

"Right then. Fenrir, come here." Harry ordered, and was not surprised when the wolf trotted over docilely, though the gods were. Pulling the Elder Wand from his pocket, he intoned the incantation, and set the spell for twenty feet. A bright blue grey light encircled his wrist and reached towards the wold to encircle his large neck. The light faded, and Harry nodded in satisfaction.

Fenrir whined worriedly, though, unsure what had just happened, and moved forward to nose at his new pack member. While father was away, he had made it his duty to make sure the gods with the cruel weapons that had drove him away not long after his birth did not harm the other member of the pack. But the human pack member had just done something that smelled a lot like father's magic, and he wasn't sure how it affected both of them.

Harry patted the large head and murmured soothing words in the animal's ear. Finally, once Fenrir seemed to accept that neither of them had been hurt by the light, the wizard turned back to the gods. "All right then, you guys said something about a place to sleep?"

They were led away from the large room by an ecstatic Thor, who was excitedly asking questions about his magic and traveling. Did he think there was a way to travel to another planet, yet the same time? Could he bring someone with him? How long has he lived? Where did he get his magic?

Harry just allowed the deep voice to wash over him while he leaned sleepily against the massive beast's side. But apparently Thor really wasn't expecting answers right now, because there was no pause for them between his barrage of questions.

Finally, after reaching the room that was chosen for them and telling the wizard that a servant would bring food enough for both him and Fenrir, Thor left them. The two basked in sudden silence for a few minutes before Harry muttered, "Excitable sort, isn't he?" Fenrir made a sound that sounded a bit like a chortle.

Turning to his new companion, Harry settled down in front of the now regally lounging wolf. The animal had settled on the large, laid out pallet that seemed to take the place of the bed, but Harry didn't mind. It was big enough for the both of them. Figuring that he had more than enough time to contemplate his new companion, Harry shifted so he could lean his back against the wolf's pelt.

"So from what I remember, you're the son of Loki and a Frost Giantess whose name I don't remember. Both are pretty humanoid, so I wonder why you're a wolf." Fenrir just grumbled contently, and decided this was the perfect time to take a nap. "You don't know either, then. That's fine. I just think better out loud. So, you're the son of two humanoids... which means your mind is probably very similar to a human's, only in a wolf's body! Like a werewolf taking Wolfsbane." Frowning, Harry murmured, "I bet no one else has realized that, though. You poor thing, you must be so lonely if they all treat you like you're going to mindlessly haul off and eat them. That's probably one of the reasons you latched on to me then."

Sitting up, Harry sighed. "Well, don't get too comfortable, bucko. I don't want you to imprint upon me as my familiar. I don't think I can take you with me if you do." There came a knock at the door.

Patting the now snoring animal's hide, he got up and answered, to reveal a nervous looking man with blond hair and grey eyes. He looked a bit like a mix between Draco Malfoy and Peter Pettigrew. Harry shuddered slightly, and put that mental image out of his mind.

"Are you the servant they sent to bring food?" He asked.

Suddenly, the man's countenance changed, and he turned blue. And grew. "Not exactly." The now apparent Frost Giant said.

120 reviews for two chapters, waking up to a veritable avalanche of emails... I can definitely say I am feeling the love! For the record, and because a couple people asked, I don't really think I'll make this slash. I don't think I'll have Harry in a romantic relationship at all, really... Maybe I'll put up a poll...

Lionna