On Punching Gods and Absentee Dads
Enigmaris
Chapter 34: A Welcoming Feast
Summary:
Loki's back at Hogwarts and already regretting the decision to go as Loki instead of James. Who knew he'd miss his old professors this much?
Notes:
Ahh! Thanks for the wonderful responses this last week guys! I've been pretty busy getting ready for a conference I'm going to in december and the emails I get alerting me to comments really brighten up my day! 3
Chapter Text
"Professor Odinson." Flitwick said.
"Loki, please."
"Of course, please call me Filius."
"Excited for the year to begin?" Loki asked the smaller man, who had climbed onto the seat next to Loki.
The feasting hall looked beautiful, it made Loki's heart ache with nostalgia and memory. The floating candles flickered and filled the room with warm light. The enchanted ceiling showed the wonderous cosmos, the most amazing view Loki had ever known in his long life. The four long tables were decorated to the nines and everything seemed to be holding its breath for the students' arrival.
"Oh yes." Filius said. "It's always lovely to welcome in the new first years and greet older students. Although this year is quite a bit…more somber than previous years."
"Hmm? Oh you're talking about the Dark Lord."
"Yes. Yes I am." He said. "I had hoped we were free of his influence but…well now war has returned to our doors. I can only hope the students will be safe here."
"Do you think they wouldn't be? Albus assured me this castle was well warded."
"It isn't the wards. Those are impeccable." Filius assured him. "It's their parents. They send their children forward with missions and expectations and make their children little spies. I notice of course but I can't say anything without endangering them you know."
"Hmm." Loki agreed, trying not to seem too friendly. Filius had been one of Lily's favorite teachers and even Loki had fond memories of the man as James. But Filius didn't know he'd been James, he couldn't know just yet. The only people who knew within the school were Albus and Severus. Loki hadn't even told Minerva yet even though he desperately wanted to. "It should be interesting certainly."
"Interesting?"
"Oh yes Filius. I am so unfamiliar with this world. This school represents a microcosm of the war. The light and the dark." He said using his hand to wave to one side of the room and then to the other. "What better way to learn what each side truly represents than this? I can't just take Albus' word for everything can I?"
"You cannot possibly be suggesting…"
"I am keeping an open mind." Loki cut him off, not denying the implications. "Giving both sides an equal chance to sway me. By the end of the school year I suspect I'll know exactly where my loyalties should lie."
"Hmm." The man said far stiffer than he had been moments before. It was necessary Loki knew but that didn't mean he had to like it. Slowly other professors began to amble in. Loki had seen some of them in passing in the past few days but Albus had kept him very busy. It was clear the old man was afraid that Loki would begin sewing dissent amongst the faculty.
Tempting, and certainly something he would do in the future.
Tonight would be the first night that Loki would have the power to do whatever he saw as necessary within the school. First Loki needed to scope out and see how high tensions truly were between the students. There were rumors within the order about what the Death Eaters would send their students in to do and Loki needed to know if any of them represented a threat to his son or their plans.
When the teachers had all settled in, Albus came in carrying the sorting hat and the stool upon which it sat. Loki quirked up an eyebrow at the sight of the old frayed hat and looked over at Filius.
"And what exactly is that?"
"It's the sorting hat. An interesting bit of charm work. The new students wear it and it sorts them into the proper house."
"Fascinating." Loki said. "I do wonder what house I'd be in. Albus told me of them of course and I find the whole idea quite quaint."
As Filius took offense to his tone Loki wondered how much longer he would have to wait until he could see his son. Surely the train had arrived by now? It had only been a day since he'd hugged his son goodbye and committed fully to the charade they were going to use. Loki couldn't show his son affection, had to act like he didn't know him, that he didn't like him. Harry would have to act angry and frustrated with Loki, treat him like a villain. It would hurt, far more than any charade Loki had ever acted on before, but it was the plan.
"It's time." said Albus. "The students are here."
Sure enough the doors to the Great Hall swung open and students began filtering in following the Head Boy and Girl. Loki immediately began scanning for a sign of a tall messy haired boy with a red and gold tie. He spotted Ron and Hermione first, they were walking in together as Prefects but without their third friend. Loki lifted up an eyebrow in question and Ron gave him a shrug as if to say 'I don't know what to tell you'.
How comforting.
All of the returning students settled down at their respective tables and Loki couldn't spot his son anywhere. Fear gripped his heart, had something already happened in the last 24 hours? No. His son had promised he'd be careful on the train ride over. He'd sworn it. If anything dangerous happened he was supposed to use the emergency bracelet Loki had enchanted to ask for help. There had been no signal which meant his son was fine.
Loki just had to convince himself of that.
Before he could spiral into a panic and send a message to Thor to scour the entire train track for his son, Minerva came in leading the tiny 11-year-olds and right in the thick of the group was his son. Harry looked delighted, surrounded by children that he towered over by nearly two feet at some points. Loki had always been incredibly tall and his son had inherited that height, appearing over 6 feet in height now, something that was far more obvious now that he was standing around tiny 11 year olds.
Why was he with the first years?
Harry whispered to the group while pointing up and all of the children immediately listened to him and gasped in shock at their first sight of the enchanted ceiling.
"Whatever is Potter doing?" Filius asked.
"Trouble looks like." Loki said, knowingly echoing Snape.
Minerva walked all the way up to the sorting hat while the first years remained congregated around Harry. Hagrid had also come in with the group and was now making his way to the staff table. The hat began to sing, a song strangely similar to the ones it had sung in Loki's youth, warning of the importance of unity and dangers afoot. How many wars had that hat seen in its lifetime? As the hat sung, Loki watched as his son lean down slightly to whisper jokes in the first years ears, causing flurries of nervous giggling. When the hat finished, Minerva unrolled her customary scroll and began to read.
"When I call your name, you will come forward and be sorted." She said. "Cassidy Aberle."
A tiny girl, closer to half his son's height than anything and with hair the color of the sun, squeaked just a little sending a ripple of laughter through the students. The girl immediately blushed bright red. Harry reached out to her and gave her a pat on the back, whispering words that Loki couldn't hear but knew the contents of anyway. The girl beamed looking far more confident and nearly bounced her way up to the hat.
She put the hat on and the hat mused for a few moments before calling out her house.
"RAVENCLAW!"
Traditionally the house that had the new student would cheer while the other houses would politely clap. If someone was sorted into Gryffindor then of course the Slytherins didn't even bother to clap and the Gryffindors returned that favor with vigor. In Loki's time as a student there had even been years where the rival houses had booed at newly sorted students. The Ravenclaws immediately began to cheer for their newest student and to Loki's utter surprise, Harry cheered along with them.
Based on his son's volume levels he was pretty sure he'd gotten yelling lessons from his uncle. Damn the thunderer.
Harry's excitement was passed onto his gaggle of first years who all cheered for 'Cass'. The girl took the hat off and rushed back to the group of students, accepting a high five from Harry before going over to her new seat at the end of the Ravenclaw table. There were mutters of confusion throughout the entire great hall as students and faculty alike wondered just what Harry was playing at. Loki tried to send a questioning look over to his son but Harry pretended not to notice.
Minerva cleared her throat causing silence to descend throughout the school and called out the next name. Just like with the girl, when this next student, a boy with dark skin and adorable freckles was called, Harry gave him plenty of encouragement and a gentle push to help him out of the crowds of students.
At first the different houses just watched as Harry Potter cheered on each first year by name with equal vigor no matter what house they were sorted into. When the first student was sorted into Slytherin, the students held their breath. Harry didn't seem to notice or hesitate as he cheered for the young boy with brown hair and a slightly crooked nose. The boy looked hesitant still but Harry offered him a high five and congratulations just like everyone else. The Slytherins looked downright terrified at the act.
Loki noticed shortly after that that Ron and Hermione were whispering around their house table as well as to select other students on the Hufflepuff table. Their whispering soon enough encouraged those two house to start cheering vigorously for every student, following Harry's lead. Soon enough the Ravenclaws were persuaded by the Hufflepuffs and the Slytherins joined in last because they weren't going to be outdone by any house at all thank you very much.
What was his son up to? Harry hadn't mentioned this at all in the last few times they'd spoken about the return to the castle. Loki watched as the excitement and fervor increased with each student, children were laughing and joking. The newly instated first years were joking with their fellows between tables, unconcerned with long standing house rivalries. By the time the last student was sorted, into Gryffindor, Loki hardly recognized the sorting ceremony at all.
Harry gave the last student, Matthew Young, a high five and then led him to the table himself. Harry's cheeks were slightly red as his fellow housemates began to interrogate him on what the hell he'd been thinking. Before Harry could answer anything, Albus got up and stood in front of the podium.
"Greetings, students." Albus said.
Loki immediately tuned out the man's opening speech, far more interested in his son and the results of his actions. There was a blonde boy that looked distinctly like Lucius glaring at the back of his son's head from the Gryffindor table. Was this the ever so famous Draco Malfoy then? Harry hadn't spoken of the boy in kind terms, one of the few times Loki had heard his son outwardly show aggression to someone not actively insulting someone he loved.
Loki tuned back into the headmaster's ramblings when he insisted everyone 'eat up!'. With a clap of his hands the tables were filled with pounds of food. The students cheered and began to dig in, grabbing at food like wild beasts. Loki reached out for his own food with far more grace, at the same time he cast a spell that would allow him to listen in on his son and his surroundings.
"Harry. What the hell was that?" Ron demanded. "When you told me you had something planned I didn't think it was messing with the First Years."
"I wasn't messing with 'em." Harry denied his mouth slightly full of food. His son swallowed and spoke again. "You remember when we first met? How I had to ask for help getting onto 9¾?"
"Yeah?"
"Well I was thinking. How many first years get lost or hurt on the way to the castle? Like Dennis! Dennis, didn't you fall in the lake and almost get drowned by the giant squid?"
"It saved me after a little bit." Another Gryffindor insisted causing a bit of laughter to flow through the table.
"Right yeah. Except you were dripping wet and shivering through the whole feast after you got sorted. And Neville, you lost your toad and he almost got hurt on the way in right?"
"Trevor's better now." The other sixth year defended. "What's your point?"
"My point. Is that this school doesn't do anything to make sure the first years are safe coming in. They don't know any magic yet. They can't defend themselves or help others if something happens. Hagrid's there and he's great but he's only one man and he can't do magic either."
"You went with them to protect them." One of the other girls at the table said.
"Yeah exactly. If Dumbledore isn't going to make sure they're safe, then somebody should." Harry said before taking another bite. "So, I hung out with the first years near the back of the train and rode over with them on the boats again. I explained it all to McGonagall and she let me get away with it. We won't lose any house points I promise."
"Well that's something at least." Hermione said making Harry roll his eyes. "And it was very kind of you."
"Kind? No. I'm being smart. How many times have a bunch of us almost died since we were too young to know how to defend ourselves? Hermione you once got petrified!"
Loki could see that there were Hufflepuffs listening in to Harry's impassioned words as were most of the Gryffindors. Fascinating.
"Well. Yes." She said.
"And then there's been the trolls and the dementors and literally the entire forest we're surrounded by. Once you get to our age, we know enough not to die immediately but like…those kids need help and it's obvious Dumbledore doesn't care about them." Harry said stubbornly.
"I'm sure it's not that bad." One of the other students insisted.
"How many times have you almost died?" Harry asked them, not unkindly causing the student to look down at their plate. "I say we do something about it."
"Like what?" Ron demanded.
"Well. How about we start with a map? For the first years? They don't know where anything is and the staircases move. If they get lost, they might get stuck somewhere with a three headed dog or something. A map can help them find their way."
"We could also attach the maps to our prefect badges!" Hermione said. "That way if they truly need help they can call for one of their house prefects and we'd be able to find them based on where their map is in the school! No more having to ask the portraits for directions or hoping for one of the ghosts to find them!"
"But we didn't get a map." One of the older students complained.
"You should have gotten one." Harry said. "And we can fix it for all the kids younger than us. That's what matters."
"I guess. But how would we even do that? It's not like the castle's ever been mapped in the first place."
"Yeah. It has, by my dad." Harry said. "I found it a few years ago hidden away. He made a map of the entire school. He used it for pranks, but I bet with a bit of work we can copy the layout and use it for the first years."
"Let's get to work." Ron said. "Classes start tomorrow so we'll need to pass them to the other prefects soon enough."
It was clear parts of this had been planned. Ron wasn't the greatest of actors. But the students didn't seem to notice. Loki watched as his son used the Marauders Map, the qualities that made the map truly special (such as the locations of every person in the castle and the secret passageways) hidden, and began to copy it. Soon enough Hermione got up and called over the prefects from the Hufflepuff table explaining what they were doing.
A part of the Gryffindor table was cleared away and soon, against all open tradition, there were Hufflepuff students and a few Ravenclaws sitting at the table, eating together and working on enchanting the maps for the first years. There was a certain level of familiarity and comradery amongst the house members.
Loki noticed that Albus was watching the whole scene his eyes twinkling and his mouth slightly pinched.
"Professor McGonagall." Loki said looking over at the head of house. "Is that appropriate behavior? I was told that students sat with their house."
"Professor Odinson. I can assure there is nothing in the school rules that ban students from interacting with the other houses."
"Interesting." Loki said in a tone that implied he didn't approve at all. In truth he was trying to hold back a smirk. Whatever his son was doing he wholeheartedly approved. The students continued to work for a little longer, then Harry stood up.
"One minute guys." He said. "We're forgetting something."
"Wot?" Ginny Weasley asked.
"The Slytherins."
"The snakes?" Another Gryffindor demanded. "Why would we care about them?"
"Because they're people." Harry said with all the certainty of Lily Evans defending her friendship with Severus Snape. "And they're students, kids just like us, they deserve to be safe in the school too."
"Oh come on Harry!" Someone said.
"I'm just going to give them enough copies for their first years, that way all the first years have access to it."
"You can't go over there." A younger student, perhaps 13 or so said. "It's dangerous."
"I'll be fine." Harry said almost carelessly. "No one's going to attack me in front of the entire school."
And with that, Harry walked away from the safety of his table and made a beeline right towards the blonde who'd been glaring at him. In his hands he carried the first group of finished maps as if they hadn't already been designated for the Gryffindors. Loki and the rest of the faculty watched with baited breath. With every step Harry took towards the Slytherin table a hush fell over the school. Everyone knew of Harry and Draco's rivalry and this was unprecedented. The amount of potential chaos was brilliant and Loki had to hold back a shiver of delight as Harry stopped right in front of Draco Malfoy.
"Malfoy." He said, placing the maps on the free portion of the table that he found.
"Potter." The Slytherin responded with a sneer. "What are you doing over here?"
"Oh nothing much. Came over to see how the competition is doing you know? I'm finally back on the Quidditch team again. Should be a good year for it." Harry said with a grin at the sight of Malfoy's face, which was painted with confusion and a bit of outrage at his son's flippancy.
"Listen Scarhead-"
Harry leaned forward, planting his hands on the Slytherin table so that he was eye level with the blonde, his green eyes warm and almost amused if Loki had to guess.
"I'm listening." He said his voice far too friendly, it was the same tone Loki had used once upon a time and it was very annoying.
"I…You can't just come over here and…"
"Pretty sure I can. You do it all the time." His son said. "I missed your yearly visit to me on the train ride. Can't I ask after the health of my greatest rival?"
"One would think you'd have far greater rivals to worry about. Or has the man who murdered your parents already slipped from your empty head?"
"Voldemort." Harry said making the entire table hiss in pain. "Is my enemy. You are my rival. Totally different thing. I respect you as much as I dislike you. Voldemort's just a cowardly bastard."
And the offense on their faces? The sheer horror at his son's tone and words? Loki had to use all of his skill not to burst into laughter. Malfoy was gaping at Harry like a fish out of water.
"Anyway. Malfoy. The other prefects are at the Gryffindor table working on maps we can give out to the first years, so no one gets lost or hurt in the castle. With the war going on things are more dangerous than ever and the first years don't know any magic to defend themselves yet."
"And what? You're offering to share with us out of your kind Gryffindor heart?" He sneered.
"Uh yes."
"Hah! I'm not an idiot Potter as if I'd trust anything you'd magicked for my house."
"Oh honestly." Harry said before reaching into his robe pocket and pulling out his wand. Malfoy and all of the surrounding Slytherins drew their wands with a flick of their wrist ready to fire at Harry without hesitation. Harry didn't seem to notice or care. Instead his incredible son lifted his wand straight up in the customary fashion that Loki had taught him and spoke very seriously. "I, Harry James Potter, Heir to the Potter and Black line, swear upon my name and my magic that the maps I am offering to Draco Lucien Malfoy are exactly what I have claimed them to be and that I am giving them to him without wanting anything in return. So, mote it be."
Harry's holly wand had glowed bright purple and the magic had spread down his hand and arm until it dissipated in a shower of sparks to show the vow taking hold. Harry shook his hand and put his wand away, ignoring the gobsmacked looks all of the purebloods were giving him.
"What? I figured that was the easiest way to get you to believe me. Unless you want to rob Professor Snape's stores of veritaserum or something."
"What are you trying to do Potter?" Malfoy demanded.
"I'm trying to offer you something that'll help you keep the first years safe in a way we never were." Harry said firmly. "In our first year Quirrel let a troll into the dungeons and Dumbledore sent your entire house down there without a care. In our second year there was a basilisk moving through the plumbing and nothing was done to help students move safely until a dozen kids had gotten petrified. The dementors in our third year caused more problems than I want to count for the first years who couldn't hope to defend themselves against their aura. If Dumbledore and the rest of the staff aren't going to do anything to protect us then we have to do it ourselves and it starts with this."
Oh Harry.
"So what? You're Dumbledore's Golden Boy, Potter."
"No." Harry snapped "I stopped being that the moment he let my godfather get murdered right in front of me."
And finally, things began clicking in the minds of every Slytherin that was listening in. Loki watched as every cunning snake at that table began to consider what that meant. A split between the Savior of the Wizarding World and the Leader of the Light? It was incalculable. His son stood there before them suddenly a third choice in a war that had always been divided in two. Harry knew it too.
"You know? That first train ride over when I told you that I could tell the good sort for myself?" Harry said. "I lied then. But I've finally figured it out. And Dumbledore? He's not on my side, not anymore. Take the maps or don't. But they'll help you protect the kids in your house who need it. Aren't Slytherins all about self-preservation?"
Harry pulled himself up so that he was standing to his full height. He gave Malfoy a grin, full of promise and mischief, of chaos.
"See you on the Pitch, Malfoy."
Albus Dumbledore's frown was far sweeter to look at than the desert Loki helped himself to.