Disclaimer: Don't own.

Chapter Six

Heimdall apparently did not get much of a chance to talk to other people, because Harry and Fenrir sat there for a few hours while the man just talked. Not that it was an indisposition to sit there and listen to him as he told stories that ranged from sad to hilarious that he had collected in his long life of observation. With his captivating voice and intriguing stories, Harry probably have listened to the god talk for much longer if Fenrir hadn't whined pathetically.

Harry glanced at his new companion, and wondered what his problem was before it hit him. "You've got to go to the bathroom, don't you?"

The wolf yipped, as if in confirmation.

"I think you were right, in your room before the hallucination took effect. I think he may be an intelligent mind in an animal's body." Heimdall commented. Harry smiled at him. It was a bit disconcerting to know that Heimdall had seen everything since the day he was born, but Harry figured it wasn't the man's fault.

Harry thought for a moment. "Speaking of the hallucination, do you know who set up that rune map on my door?"

"My sister, Sif did. Loki tried as a lad to teach the warriors three, his brother, and my sister the magics that he so easily controls, but none of them took to it like he did. But Sif did excel in one area, runes." Heimdall said placidly.

Scrunching his face up in thought, Harry said slowly, "But... she was still in the throne room when Thor and I left..."

The god sighed. "Thor was instructed to take you on the scenic route and keep you distracted while my sister took the most direct path. Even so, she barely finished by the time you made it."

The wizard grunted. "One last question, then. How do they even know what I was seeing, or how I reacted?"

At this the god looked a bit guilty. "They came to me as soon as you were left in your room."

"You can see into minds, too?" Harry asked, more curious than mad.

Heimdall shook his head, his odd headdress thing glimmering in the weak light of what was left of the rainbow bridge. "Not all of the time. The runes have a modification that allows me access to the hallucination you are seeing as if it were really happening."

"That's brilliant!"

"... You... are not angry?" Heimdall asked. Whenever this tactic had been used before, the one on the receiving end had been furious, with both the rune creator and Heimdall himself. They saw it as some sort of invasion of privacy.

Shrugging, the younger man gathered up the things they had used during their impromptu picnic. "I can't fault any of you for being suspicious of me. And the way you figured out I wasn't a threat was both ingenious and interesting." Turning to Fenrir, who was dancing impatiently, Harry commented, "You know, this guy acts more like a puppy than a grown wolf..."

"Because he is." Heimdall confirmed.

Harry blinked in shock. "You mean he's going to get bigger? But he's got to be several centuries old by now..."

"Like the rest of us, the son of Loki ages slower than natural creatures. In our eyes and his actions, Fenrir is just a pup." Heimdall said. Harry shook his head ruefully.

"At least he's house trained." He sighed, much to the god's amusement. "Alright, you great brute, let's get you somewhere to relieve yourself. See you later, Heimdall. This was fun. I would love to do it again, if you don't mind."

Heimdall paused. "I would... I would like that."

Wolf and traveler walked away.

Harry and Fenrir were wondering around what the wizard assumed was the town square of sorts after their picnic lunch with Heimdall. Instead of reeling the wolf in while he dashed around sniffing things excitedly, like he would have done before, Harry allowed the animal free movement as long as he didn't just anyone. Pups will be pups, after all.

And now that he was looking at his companion, he could kind of tell Fenrir was young. He still had patched of puppy fuzz.

That was where Thor found them, Harry watching from a seat at the fountain while Fenrir terrorized a flock of pigeon like birds for his amusement. The wizard was grinning, and his green eyes were dancing with happiness.

Thor settled beside him to watch the animal too. His father had said something to him this morning that had gotten the blond god thinking. It had never occurred to him that this creature was his brother's son, thus making him Thor's nephew.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Harry broke it himself. "Good afternoon, Thor. What brings you here?" Not that he minded the company, but the god did not seem like the type to often sit in silent contemplation.

"Fenrir is... my nephew." Thor said slowly, as if tasting the words.

Harry hummed, stretching like a cat in the bright sunlight. "If not by blood, then by adoption." He confirmed neutrally. He took out his wand with a sudden idea. Now his expression filled with mischief. A whispered Aguamenti caught the large wolf by surprise, and he yelped in shock while he was suddenly doused in cold water.

He looked over in their direction through dripping wet fur. With a playful growl, he charged forward and knocked the now laughing wizard into the fountain he was sitting on. The animal then jumped in behind him.

Thor watched in baffled amusement as wolf and wizard played in the water for a bit, seemingly partaking in a mock battle with water as their only weapon, before they both pulled themselves out after half an hour. They were soaked to the bone, and Fenrir was grinning in the way only wolves can grin. Thor in turn was soaked when Fenrir shook himself vigorously to rid his dark fur of water. That just caused it to stand in interesting peaks all over his body, which set Harry to laughing again while Fenrir huffed in irritation.

After a while, Harry and Fenrir were settled together to dry in the sun while Thor looked on.

After the large animal seemed to doze, Thor finally spoke again. "I was led to believe that he was... that he did... Fenrir is a lot less blood thirsty than I was told."

Harry shrugged. "He's really just a pup. He might have been a bit violent before, but only most likely to protect himself. He has lived in that forest all his life, and I doubt he's always been the biggest and baddest thing there. He had to fight to survive. And when you do that..." The man's eyes grew distant. "Sometimes it's hard to know when to stop fighting..."

Thor frowned. After his sojourn on Midgard, he had come to see parts of his world differently, and apparently that had yet to stop. Seeing the unsure look in the god's eyes, Harry stood and gestured him over.

The god approached cautiously. It was hard to break the impressions built up over centuries, ad he was still a bit wary of Fenrir, who had opened one large yellow eye to observe what was going on. Harry grabbed his arm, and dragged him the rest of the way over to stand before the large snout.

"Fenrir, this is your uncle Thor. Thor, your nephew Fenrir." The traveler said grandly. Fenrir's eyes were filled with mistrust, but he snuffled at the offered hand.

"All right, then." Harry said happily.

'All right, then.' Thor thought with bemusement.

Heimdall smiled as he witnessed the playful antics of the world-traveler. Already he was setting far more into motion than he was aware.

And that's chapter six! I have decided that no matter the pairing that wins, it really won't be in this main story. In this I want to focus on Harry and Fenrir, without the added drama and angst of a romance. So the pairing will be depicted in an optional side story that really won't have any effect on the plot. Love to you all!

Lionna