On Punching Gods and Absentee Dads
Enigmaris
Chapter 12: Motherhood is Universal
Summary:
Loki tells Sirius the truth without the help of truth bracelets and Harry gets a chance to test his dad's armor.
Notes:
Hey ya'll! Thank you so much for the hilarious comments last week! Everyone in the comments section talking about Loki getting punched made me laugh so hard! I hope you enjoy this update, rife with James and Sirius interactions. Just as a warning if anyone reading is squeamish there is a fight scene in this, so if that's a concern for you just be warned! It's not too graphic, this is rated T after all.
Chapter Text
Harry had to pull his godfather off of his father. Sirius managed to get three or four punches into the god's face before Harry got his wits together and managed to wrap his arms around Sirius and pull him back. Sirius was shouting abuse at his dad while waving his hands arms wildly.
"Sirius." Harry grunted before trying louder. "PADFOOT STOP!"
His dad sat up while Sirius froze, there was blood running down Loki's face and his nose was a painful red.
"Harry, let me go. That bastard needs to…" The amount of rage Harry heard in the man's voice made him glad that Sirius had dropped his wand.
"No. You don't know the full story. Sirius, come on, remember when we first met? I listened to you didn't I? Let us tell you the truth? Please?"
Sirius' body was rigid in his arms but all at once the tension leaked out of his with a sigh. Harry loosened his grip and fell back so that Sirius could move comfortably.
"Merlin kid, your grip is insane." Sirius said rubbing his stomach. "You taking strength potions now? Those things'll destroy your testi-"
"I'm afraid the strength is my fault." Loki said, before waving a hand in front of his face. Green magic sparked from his fingers and his nose realigned itself, another wave and the blood was gone too. Sirius made a noise of shock and Loki stood up. "Please, my friend, let me tell you the truth and beg for your forgiveness."
Sirius got up and walked over to the fire, while grunting out a command for Loki to start talking. Harry moved to sit down at the fire too. He felt a little lightheaded. Just the excitement of traveling here and then casting a patronous had taxed him. The fire, a terribly odd pink color, sent out a meager amount of warmth which Harry tried to focus on instead of the hunger that had returned to his stomach and the dizziness that had taken control of his head. He needed to keep the patronous up.
It was the only way to protect them from the fog and more importantly keep that creepy lady away from him.
"Starlight." His dad said. "Do you need food? Water? What am I saying of course you do. One moment, let's get you settled, there's no telling how long we'll be sitting here."
Harry watched, just a little consternated, as his dad started conjuring things out of nowhere. He gave Harry another cup of the delicious Asgardian tea, as well as conjuring one for Sirius who looked at it with a very sour expression. Of course, his dad had more aesir biscuits and some heartier food for them. He conjured them onto floating plates that waited by each of them at a good height so that it was easy to grab at the finger food and eat it.
Loki being the man he apparently was had also conjured things for comfort. He put a thick blanket around Harry's shoulders and somehow managed to magic a cushion for him that appeared where Harry was already sitting. When he moved to do the same for Sirius, the man's glare kept him off. Of course, that didn't stop Loki from casting mage lights, filling the clearing with a warm glow.
Harry looked up at the mage lights and then gasped at what he saw. It was like the very cosmos had been painted by a meticulous artist in the sky. Vivid purples, blues and greens contrasted beautifully with the black night, broken only by the stars.
"I have to admit." Sirius said looking up at the same brilliant sight. "It is one hell of a view."
Loki was still waltzing around seemingly trying to perfect the entire camp.
"Dad." Harry said. "Sit down, and let's start already."
"Right yes of course." He fluttered nervously to the other side of the fire, onto his own cushion. "Harry eat. You're looking a little too pale."
"Only if you start talking." His dad gave him a look but did start talking. Harry true to his word started munching on the strange rolls of spicy meat and other items of food he couldn't quite identify. The plate next to his arm must have had a never-ending spell on it since every time he picked up a piece of food another one appeared to take its place. It was probably for the best because he felt starving. Which wasn't a hyperbole, Harry knew what starving felt like.
Thanks Uncle Vernon.
Harry listened as quietly as he could as Loki told his story. The only interruption came from the crackling fire and Sirius' various reactions. Which were…very empathetic at times. It was strange hearing the story from Loki's perspective. Harry only knew what had been in his mum's journal. There hadn't yet been time for Harry to get the story from his dad as to why he'd come to earth in the first place.
It was a story of loneliness and curiosity. It was one Harry found he could empathize with. So too could Sirius. At first Sirius had been derisive with the noises that escaped his throat and the sneer that had settled on his face, but the longer Loki spoke the more Sirius seemed to sympathize. When Loki revealed his decision to become James Potter, to attempt to be a part of the magical world Sirius spoke.
"We really were just a group of losers, weren't we?" He asked. "An insecure werewolf, a runaway pureblood, a socially anxious nerd and you, supposedly the normal one."
His dad laughed just a little before shaking his head.
"I was exactly what I appeared to be when we were children Sirius. Before I became James Potter, I locked away a lot of my magic as well as my memories. Everything that we did together, everything that we were to each other. All of that was true. The truest thing I've ever been a part of."
"So what, you were James until you got offed?"
"I remembered the truth when I turned 18." Loki said, he lifted up a finger to quiet Sirius' strangled noise of offense. "I didn't tell you because I was…happy."
"Happy?" Sirius screeched into the night. "We were at war! We needed all the fire power we could get! How could you…"
"I know. I know." Loki said. "Not a day goes by that I don't regret not giving up my humanity sooner. So many things would be different now, better, if I hadn't been so selfish. I am sorry Sirius, but I was afraid. Afraid to lose you."
"Lose me? You couldn't think that we'd deny you? Shit man, you're the god of mischief that's brilliant."
"It wasn't you or any of the others. I was afraid of Asgard taking me away."
They listened as Loki explained the laws against gods traveling to earth and how Loki would have been taken away by force from the home he'd made if his family found out where he was hiding himself. Loki had taken great pains not to be discovered one earth and he feared that even his name being spoken out loud too many times would have ended in his capture. Loki had thought the return of his memories would have been enough to win the war against Voldemort, that he wouldn't need the body or power of a god.
He'd been wrong and they'd all paid the price.
Loki spoke of the attack on his home, how he'd tried to get back before Harry's mum died but being too late.
"By the time I arrived back on earth…everything was gone our house was destroyed and I s…saw Lily and the crib was empty."
"I'd gotten Harry out of there." Sirius said. "The warning system on the house got me there too late to help…I was right outside when the house exploded from the ricocheted killing curse."
Together the two men put together the true timeline of those chaotic days. Sirius told Loki what had happened to various Order members. Friends his dad had had, people he had worked with as an auror too. Harry hadn't even realized his dad had known so many people. He was as still as a mouse learning more about the war against Voldemort in that conversation than he had in the past five years. Sirius and Loki both dropped names and locations of importance that Harry normally would have had to fight tooth and nail to be told as if they were nothing. And it wasn't because they'd forgotten he was there. Both of the men checked with him to make sure he was eating enough and to ask if he was following along.
It was nice. Really nice.
Harry focused on remaining calm as Loki told Sirius about the meeting with Dumbledore. As it turned out Harry didn't need to even bother hiding his outrage about that. Sirius upon being told that Dumbledore had lied, had known this whole time, had exploded. The man jumped up and started ranting, using more swear words than Harry even knew existed. At the same time, the magic fire that Sirius had created had doubled in size and become a raging inferno. Harry had been thankfully far enough from the fire to avoid getting burnt.
Sirius uttered oaths, vulgar oaths for revenge. He swore on the slimy ground, the looming trees, the sky of this cursed realm and even the fog that he would make Dumbledore pay. Harry listened with wide eyes as he was given a crash course in how to swear like a wizard, a sailor, and a parolee all at once. It took close to ten minutes to get Sirius to calm down, it only happened eventually because Loki had promised Sirius that they'd have their revenge together.
"Good."
From there the rest of the story was easier to piece together. Finally, it was Harry's turn to speak, telling the two men how he discovered the truth of who his dad was and how Harry had decided to get revenge. He described the plan he and his friends had come up with. Namely punching a god in the face.
That made Sirius laugh so hard he nearly passed out.
"You…you punched him too?" Harry nodded making the man burst into more peals of laughter.
"Yes, yes it's very funny. Calm down before you piss yourself."
"I can't help it!" Sirius squealed. "He…He…He snuck out from under the nose of the entire Order just to punch you in the face! An Entire squadron of wizards all dedicated to keeping him alive and he just…popped over to America!"
Harry couldn't keep the grin off his face which made his dad scowl while Sirius laughed even harder. Before Loki got upset enough to prank Sirius to get him to shut up, which probably would have resulted in a prank war they shouldn't be having in this strange place Harry interrupted.
"Sirius, what happened to you? After the battle?"
"Honestly? Not as much as what's happened to you, kiddo." Sirius said. "This place is pretty desolate all things considered."
"Tell us anyway." Loki asked. "And Pads? Please eat something. There's more than enough to go around. I'm used to carrying enough to feed five gods."
Loki wasn't kidding. Harry had eaten at least six platefuls of food and there was still more to go. His stomach now felt comfortably full and since Sirius' pink flame had calmed back down to a good size, Harry felt his body beginning to relax. Sirius took a bite of some of the food and complimented the taste. Both of them listened as Loki named each food and explained that he'd long grown used to magically storing literal pounds of food because Thor had a habit of dragging Loki on a quest without warning or time to plan.
Once Sirius had eaten a little of the food, he cleared his throat and told his story.
"Bellatrix hit me with a spell that locked my limbs up. It was probably the only thing that saved me while falling through the veil. I was totally frozen which meant that I couldn't freak out and end up slipping out of the magical path and get myself scrambled in the universe's guts." Sirius explained. "Instead I just fell for what felt like an eternity and hit my head a few times."
Sirius continued describing his rough landing that ended with him getting knocked unconscious. When he'd woken up the first thing he noticed, aside from his raging headache, was a zombie trying to eat his face.
Literally.
An inferi like creature the color of the fog that surrounded them had been stooped over Sirius' body. The creature had long limbs, arms twice the length of its torso and legs just as long. It had black teeth that dripped a foul smelling liquid. The naked creature hadn't had any protection from Sirius' punch to the gut and later the spell that decapitated it. Apparently, the blood was an off white milky color.
The killing of the first creature and summoned more of them, some who came to feast on the corpse of their fellow but more that were far more interested in Sirius as live prey. Sirius had done what came most naturally to him at that point and turned into Padfoot. On all fours he was able to outrun the creatures for a while. They weren't like dementors, they could still sense and hunt him just as well as a dog but Sirius was very quick at least.
Sirius had run for as long as he was able to dashing about here and there in between trees and bushes trying to lose his captors. Eventually he found a small hole in the wall of a canyon, just wide enough to wiggle his dog body through and long enough that he was able to crawl deep enough that the creatures couldn't reach in and drag him out. Sirius had cowered in the darkness as the creatures scrabbled and tried to rip out the stones that protected him. Eventually they gave up trying to force their way out and they tried something else.
Tricking him.
Sirius described the horror of first hearing James' voice and then Lily's. Both of them begging him to come out. When he didn't, he heard their screams of pain as the creatures ate them. That had made Sirius begin to scramble out of the hole. Thankfully he saw the boney legs of one of the creatures and the illusion was broken. James and Lily were dead, not here. Sirius knew that.
"How did you get out of there?" Harry asked, fear trickling down his spine.
"I tried dozens of things once I got the courage to shift back into a human." Sirius said. "All of the spells I tried to banish them didn't work and when I killed one, more just took its place. After hours I figured I could try casting a patronous to call for help. I had no idea where I was but maybe someone could find me. Thankfully the patronous' aura was enough to drive those fuckers off deep into the fog."
"So, they're still here?" Harry asked.
"As far as I can tell they live in this fog. Maybe they create it." Sirius said shrugging. "They tried a few more times to get me before I figured out that I needed to keep the patronous up at all times. Figuring out how to keep the spell on when I slept wasn't easy but I managed."
"And after that?"
"Mostly I've been focused on finding food, shelter, water and a way out of here." Sirius said. "This place has little creatures that taste like shit but are easy enough to hunt. They're attracted to the clear air here so they'll just crawl in from the fog to explore. I settled here since it was close to where I'd arrived and had a clean water source. I knew I'd fallen into the veil of death which meant everyone probably thought I was dead. There weren't going to be any search parties."
"We came for you." Harry said.
"I know you did, pup. Which brings us to the most important question of all. Where the fuck are we?"
"I'm not sure." Loki said, frowning at the world around them. "I have never been to this planet. If we're even on a planet and not some strange…dimension."
"Can you get us home?"
"Of course, I can. It'll take some time to open a pathway between here and earth, but I can do it."
"Now there's a look I'd never thought I'd see again." Sirius said. "You've offended his poor sensibilities pup. He's going to be all hurt if you don't apologize for doubting his magical skill."
"Sensibilities?" Loki asked. "Are we really going to go there, Mister I can't leave the dorm until my hair shines like sunlight?"
Immediately the two grown men began to bicker and joke with one another. It reminded Harry of how the Weasleys would joke around with one another, jokes full of love and affection. Sirius looked like a totally different man, full of joy and free of a burden he'd been carrying for far too long. It reminded Harry of how happy Sirius had been around Christmas last year how the man had sung carols and decorated.
Harry lifted a hand to cover his mouth as a yawn broke out. He was getting tired, from the full meal and the warmth of the fire. But no matter how tired he was, he refused to sleep here if he could help it. Out of the corner his eye he spotted pale skin and smirking lips. His head whipped around but the woman disappeared into the fog. Sirius and Loki didn't notice as Harry stared into the fog.
He knew she was still there. Not a creature like the one's Sirius had described but something far more insidious. She'd been the one to confront him in the fog, to taunt him about his dad, to whisper cryptic words about the prophecy.
Do you mean to tell me you haven't figured it out?
It's obvious isn't it? What the prophecy means?
Oh, you're so simple, I never thought someone so slow would be the next one chosen.
It's adorable.
If I tell you, you'll owe me little godling.
You belong here, can't you tell? Don't ignore what your senses are telling you.
Your father?
Oh, he won't be able to hold you back for much longer, I'll make sure of it.
"Are you alright Starlight?"
"I'm fine." Harry said. "Just thinking."
"About what?"
"Remus." Harry said, making something up. "Do you think we could find him before going back to the tower?"
"That's a great idea pup. Let's get all of your dad's punches to the face over with." Sirius said with a giggle.
"Very funny, Padfoot."
"I always am. Come on, Prongs. How are we getting out of here?"
"I just need to open a path along the Yggdrasil. It'll take me a few moments. Pack up whatever you wish to keep and Starlight, don't forget your sword."
It didn't take long to clean up the things Loki had conjured and pack away what they wanted to keep. Sirius wanted very little from the realm at all. Harry in a fit of fancy broke off a small branch from one of the trees, it was thin and about a foot in length. The wood swished around when he swung it. He stuffed it next to where his wand had been stored for safe keeping. He saw the woman standing in the distance.
She was wearing black leather with green accents, her long black hair shifting in the fog. He knew she knew something about the prophecy. She probably knew some strange magic that could destroy Voldemort once and for all. Harry decided he didn't care. He'd figure it out on his own. He lifted up an eyebrow at her and gave her a cheeky wave goodbye while Sirius and his dad had their backs turned. Her lips curled into something too cruel to be called a smile and then she snapped her fingers. Harry heard a screech and knew without a doubt that she wasn't going to let Harry leave.
Harry drew his sword.
"Dad. Hurry it up, they're coming."
"What?" The man asked.
Sure enough, a chorus of unholy shrieks rent the night sky and from the fog burst the horrific creatures Sirius had described. Their bodies were white with sickly blue undertones, nothing more than papery skin wrapped tight around bones. Their emaciated bodies combined with their long limbs and sharp fingers screamed hunger and desperation.
"Cover me!" His dad said. "I need two minutes to get the portal stable."
"Two?" Sirius asked drawing his wand. "Actually, challenge us next time Prongs! We'll give you ten!"
Sirius gave Harry a grin that lit a fire in his blood and the grip on his sword became sure. He and Sirius stood back to back and once the creatures neared, they jumped forward. In truth Harry planned to rely on the fact that his sword was sharp and that he was super strong. Both, unsurprisingly worked to his favor. So did the armor his dad insisted on him wearing. The first creature tried to swipe at him and the pitch black nails just scraped angrily across his chest plate.
Harry grit his teeth and swung down, the attacking arm was chopped off at the elbow. Harry got splattered with milky blood, the spray covering his face and neck. Some of it even landed in his mouth. He didn't have time to gag because the creature roared and jumped at him, obviously trying to tackle him to the ground. Harry ducked low and lifted the sword up, the creature impaled itself onto the blade. The squelching sound was something Harry didn't think he'd ever forget.
Another creature tackled him from the side, hitting the body of the dead creature still stuck on his sword. They tumbled over each other, getting tangled in each other's limbs. The dead creature kept spilling blood over both of them and the stench made Harry's eyes water. He tried to tug his sword free, but the angle made it impossible. The creature shrieked and swiped at his face.
"HARRY! DO NOT HOLD BACK!"
His dad's voice reached him and without thinking Harry let go of his sword, reached back and punched the creature right in the face. There was a sickening crack and then a slopping noise as the creature's head fell back, almost completely detached from its neck. THe only thing connected it was a bit of skin and muscle.
Just like Nearly Headless Nick.
Harry pushed the dead creature off of him and jumped up, finally able to free his sword. His hands were wet with white blood but his grip was firm. He flipped around just in time to swing at another one of the creatures. His sword moved true and cut right through the torso of the third creature, both halves plopping to the ground. Harry took in a deep breath and coughed at the taste of blood.
Sirius was dispatching each creature that came close to him with a mixture of cutting and blasting hexes and seemed to be having the time of his life. His dad was muttering rapidly under his breath, his hands glowing bright with magic. Loki's brow was dotted with sweat. A creature slipped between the trees and made its way towards the sorcerer. Harry leapt forward with more strength in his legs than he'd been expecting and nearly tripped on the landing.
He managed to find his balance a moment too late, the creature slashing at him and sending him stumbling to the ground. Harry swung the sword and cut off the legs of the creature, right at the knees. It shrieked again and lost its balance. It tried to attack him again, but Harry clumsily rolled away. The creature landed next to him with an awful thud and grabbed at him, it latched onto his arm and dragged him along the slippery ground towards it's gaping maw.
Harry smashed his free hand down on the arm, the bone breaking with an audible snap. The creature loosened its grip enough for Harry to wrench himself free and swing the sword at its neck. Another spray of blood got into his hair as Harry pulled the sword out and scrambled away. Harry jumped up and shook his head trying to get his blood drenched hair out of his eyes.
"How much longer?" Sirius shouted.
"Just another minute!"
It had only been a minute? Harry must have made a noise of disbelief because as he moved past his dad to attack the next creature, he saw the man smirk. Harry managed to take that creature out with a single swing at the hips. The vibrations caused by the blade passing through flesh and bone traveled up through his arm and made his stomach lurch. Three creatures ganged up on him at once. Harry ducked their swipes and punched out with his left hand. He felt his hand connected with a chest and heard a terrible crunching noise.
The second creature hopped onto his back and its hands wrapped around Harry's neck like vines. Harry dropped his sword and choked on the lack of air. He fell to his knees and tried to wiggle the creature off. The creature squeezed harder and Harry elbowed it right in the chest. He felt the rib cage break inwards and the creature let go. Harry fell forward and gasped for air while scrabbling for his sword. He managed to get it up in time to stab one of the creatures in the chest. He swung the impaled creature into the other two sending all three tumbling to the ground. Harry jerked his sword free and then slung it down again decapitating the last two creatures.
"James you better hurry the fu-"
"I've got it!" His dad shouted triumphantly. "Come on now! The portal will close quickly!"
Harry spotted two more creatures lunging for him but turned tail and ran towards his dad instead. Sirius had the same idea, except he kept taking potshots at the creatures. Sirius got to the portal first and Loki pushed the man in. Harry was nearly there when one of the creatures jumped and grabbed him by the foot. His dad shot fire over Harry's head and killing the creature. Harry shook his foot free, jumped up and started sprinting.
The portal was beginning to shrink.
"Go!" Harry shouted. "I'm right behind you!"
It wasn't even a lie. Harry was mere seconds from the portal. His dad hesitated for a moment more before stepping inside. Harry jumped inside half a moment later. Harry felt huge boney hands seize hold of his hair. He pulled the creature in with him as he fell into blackness. It was the same awful suffocating blackness that had taken him there and yet Harry preferred it to the foggy world he'd run from. Harry tried to pull himself free from the dangerous grip, but the creature was relentless, its other hand struck his side, in between the two pieces of metal that covered his chest and back. He felt the sharp claws dig into his side.
The creature tried to yank open his armor and Harry managed to swing his sword and chop off the hand holding his hair hostage. He shot forward abruptly and found himself flying face first out of the portal. He brought his hands up to break his fall and managed to roll onto a thick fluffy rug. Right behind him came out his unwanted passenger. Harry sat up and lifted the sword, the creature's head imbedded itself on the blade a moment later.
Harry could see brain matter.
He dropped the sword and fell on his back with a thud right as the portal closed. He looked over to the left to see that Sirius and Loki were also laying on the floor, although they were covered in a lot less white blood. Loki looked like he'd run a marathon, probably because he'd opened up a magical portal that traversed planets and Sirius' cheeks were red from the exertion of the fight.
They were safe.
Safe!
A giggle escaped his throat, and then another, and another.
"Harry?" His dad asked. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine!" He promised in between laughs. "It's just…Let's never do that again."
A pause and then Sirius was giggling, after a moment Loki joined as well. Harry laughed until his gut threatened violence against him. He wondered why he was laughing. What was funny about this? Eventually he calmed himself down, thankfully right around the time that a door opened. Harry looked to see a very beautiful woman. She had long smooth golden hair, some of which was styled around her head like a crown. She was wearing a flowing blue dress and what looked like a stylized chest plate over the top.
She looked very regal, especially with the sword she had drawn as she pointed at them. Loki sat up and Harry recognized the look in his eyes. It was the exact same look that Fred, Ron, and George had had after they'd gotten caught rescuing Harry with the flying car by their mum. A strange mixture of fear, guilt and shock at having been found out. Harry looked around the ornate room they were in. It was filled with golden decorations, light by mage lights, and unlike anything Harry had ever seen.
"What is going on here?" She demanded sounding so much like Molly Weasley that Harry couldn't help but gape a little. Connections snapped together in his brain.
"You're my grandmother!"
He slapped a hand over his own mouth. Oops.
Queen Frigga looked at him and then back at Loki, her eyes wide with something fearsome. Her grip tightened on her sword as she sent a glare at Loki getting ready to demand an explanation.
"Oooh. Busted." Sirius sang.
Not helping Padfoot.