Last time...
Perhaps he would leave this alone for now, and see if Molly could work through her embarrassment to the lesson she was refusing to acknowledge that she needed to learn.
Chapter 31
It happened without warning. The group of them were walking to their next class, talking about their various projects, and grumbling about the latest article in Witch Weekly; Rita had been smart not to send a gift of her own, or else she'd be a mime too, though Hera had no doubt she could still cause trouble that way. The article was making fun of Ron's dad this time, something Hera hadn't appreciated. She liked Arthur. It was unfortunate that Draco had decided to pick on Ron for this, because the boy wasn't taking it as well as he usually did. All it took was one wrong word, and Ron was shouting a spell at Draco, nearly grazing her cheek as it was cast. There was a second bang when Draco went to defend himself.
"OH NO YOU DON'T LADDIE!"
Hera spun around. Professor Moody was limping down the marble staircase. His wand was out, and it was pointing right at a pure white ferret, which was shivering on the stone-flagged floor…exactly where Draco had been standing. There was a terrified silence in the entrance hall. Nobody but Moody was moving a muscle.
"Did he get you?" Moody demanded.
"What? He didn't…" Hera began, looking to Ron.
"It was a misunderstanding, Professor." Ron tried to explain.
"LEAVE IT!" Moody shouted.
"Leave…what?" Hera asked, confused.
"Not you. Him!" Moody growled, jerking his thumb over his shoulder at Crabbe, who had just frozen, about to pick up the white ferret.
Moody started to limp towards Crabbe, Goyle, and the ferret, which gave a terrified squeak and took off, streaking off towards the dungeons.
"I don't think so!" roared Moody, pointing his wand at the ferret again. It flew ten feet into the air, fell with a smack to the floor, and then bounced upward once more. Hera couldn't stop shaking.
"I don't like people who attack when their opponent's back's turned," growled Moody as the ferret bounced higher and higher, squealing in pain.
"Stop it." Hera ordered, her voice quiet.
"Stinking, cowardly, scummy thing to do…" Moody continued, as if he hadn't heard her, making the ferret bounce with every word. "Never. Do. That. Again."
"I said. STOP IT!" She shouted, pointing her wand at him. He paused, and the ferret gave one final pitiful squeak of pain as it hit the ground. "Crabbe, Goyle, one of you find Professor Snape, the other should carry Draco to Madam Pomfrey. He will be injured. Broken ribs, at the very least."
"I said to LEAVE IT!" Moody growled, now aiming his wand at Crabbe, who had made to reach for the ferret again. Hera cast a quick protego to shield him, and the spell bounced back and blasted Moody back up the staircase a few steps, sprawled on his backside.
"You will not raise your wand to a student again, Professor, or you will get that duel you want so. very. much." Hera growled ferociously.
"What's going on here?!" Came a shocked voice.
Professor McGonagall was coming down the marble staircase with her arms full of books, pausing to take in the scene before her.
"Miss Potter, if you would care to explain?" The woman asked, exasperated already.
"Ron and Draco were arguing, and it got out of hand. One thing lead to another, and the next thing I know a spell is grazing my face. Then Professor Moody here thought Draco had attacked me while my back was turned, and he turned him into that ferret over there, before bouncing him on the floor several times." Hera relayed, her voice then softened as she continued. "He's injured, Professor. Moody made him hit that stone pretty hard."
"Mr. Weasley?" McGonagall inquired, turning to him now.
"Malfoy and I were arguing, Professor. I let it get to me, and I shouldn't have cast that spell. He was only going to defend himself. It's my own fault for giving in to my anger like that." Ron admitted gloomily. "Can't believe I'm defending a Malfoy."
"Be that as it may, that'll be five points from Gryffindor for dueling in the halls, Mr. Weasley, and five from Slytherin as well for Mr. Malfoy." Professor McGonagall sighed, before spelling the books away, and promptly hauling Moody up off the floor by his ear. "As for you, Professor, we will be having an impromptu meeting with the Headmaster."
"Professor? Could you…Would Madam Pomfrey or Professor Snape be able to…turn him back?" Hera asked. "Is that even safe to do before we figure out how injured he is?"
"Best take him straight to Madam Pomfrey." McGonagall decided. "I'll have my hands full with this one."
"I'll take him." Crabbe insisted, gently picking up the ferret, grimacing a little when the injured ferret whimpered in pain.
"Straight away then, Mr. Crabbe, and five points to Slytherin for helping a fellow student in need. Another five for defending a fellow student, Miss Potter, though I wish it had not been needed for you to defend against a teacher…again." Professor McGonagall stated, before continuing back up the staircase, still pulling Moody along by his ear.
"I can't believe it. He attacked a student. He actually attacked a student." Hermione exclaimed quietly. "We've been so diligent all year."
"Yeah, but that's when he was only trying to attack me." Hera pointed out, also in shock. "We didn't think he'd go after another student, not after we taught everyone shield charms."
"Yeah, well, we can't keep our guard up all the time." Ron grumbled, glaring after the professor. "Something's got to give."
"Come on. Let's go to class." Hera sighed. "We can stop by the hospital wing after classes are over, see if he's okay."
"Draco?"
He was hearing things, he was sure of it. It was late at night, and there was no way Potter had risked sneaking up to the infirmary to see him. They were on more friendly terms now, but surely not so friendly as to risk getting caught after curfew for each other. Still, he'd heard her voice, and looked around discretely in an effort to try and find the source. He found nothing, and a moment later began dozing off once more.
"Draco!" The voice hissed again. For surely it was not Potter. He elected to ignore it. "Look. If you want to stay in here, instead of sleeping in your own bed in the dorms, far be it for me to stop you."
That woke him up.
"Potter?" He called out cautiously, keeping his voice low. It wouldn't do to bring Madam Pomfrey's attentions to him now. She might make him stay longer, thinking there was more damage than she'd seen the first time, and he was already going spar as it was.
"Want out of here?" Potter asked, her head suddenly appearing out of thin air, though none of the rest of her did.
"Potter? What the…" Draco grumbled, peering at her more closely. "You have an invisibility cloak? Where did you get that? How many more hours of reading have you gotten in the library without Pince knowing?"
"It's a Potter Family Heirloom. You should know, Madam Pomfrey's updated the wards. If you think Crabbe and Goyle are going to be able to get you out, you're wrong, but I can." Potter insisted, not answering the library question; because of course she wouldn't. "The Invisibility Cloak slips through all her wards."
"Potter, the magic in Invisibility cloaks comes undone after a decade or two." He argued, eyeing where the rest of her should be closely. "Whatever that is, it's more than just an invisibility cloak."
"I'm offering to bust you out of the Infirmary, and you're really going to argue the semantics of my Invisibility Cloak?" Potter asked, incredulously. Okay, fair.
"Where are your glasses?" He asked, getting out of bed. He was still a bit sore, but the twins had bruise paste that would fix that.
"It's dark. What am I gonna need to see?" She retorted, opening up the cloak for him to get under it too. "Now, come on."
"I'm surprised Uncle Sev's not here to stop this." Draco noted absently as he ducked under and began inspecting the cloak from the inside.
"He usually only shows up when my plans are most likely going to cause an explosion or something. At least that's been my experience." Potter admitted. "I'm still not sure how he knows."
"Same." Draco agreed. "You and Granger going to try that potion tonight?"
"I'm headed to the classroom we have set up for it after I take you back to the dungeons." Potter nodded. "I just hope it works. I could use some answers."
"You could just ask Uncle Sev." Draco pointed out, causing Potter to grimace.
"The Dursleys had a pretty strict 'Don't ask questions' policy in regards to anything I wanted to know." She admitted quietly, as they continued making their way. "It just became easier over the years to seek answers on my own. Hard to break a habit like that."
She'd been here before, she knew, many times. It had just never happened in a waking dream such as this. This was the place she went to in her dreams, where she learned magic she couldn't find in the books of Hogwarts, where she learned the bonds of family the Durlseys would not give her. What she couldn't remember was why she was there now. She'd been researching spells and things for the third task, or something like that, and now she was here.
Usually when she's here, she's in the library learning magic from a kind older woman. When she'd been little, she'd used those dreams as a balm to her soul. At least here there'd been one person that didn't think she was a freak. At least here there'd been someone who treated her with kindness and love. When she got to Hogwarts, she'd had these dreams with less frequency, but none of them had started out in the training arenas.
Oh, not to say that she hadn't been here. She knew this place too with alarming familiarity. She'd never used her dreams to hurt Dudley though. It would have meant she'd done something freakish, when she couldn't explain how she knew how to fight without mentioning the dreams, and then they'd lock her up in the cupboard again. A part of her still wasn't sure she wouldn't be going back to the Dursleys, no matter what Tony said.
"Well, well, well, look who decided to join us for training today!" A loud voice boomed, and she turned to see a tall red headed young man who both reminded her of Hagrid and the Weasley Clan all at once. She even knew his name.
"Volstagg?" She asked in surprise. Something was wrong. No one usually saw her in these dreams.
"Don't tell me you've been experimenting with forgetfulness potions again." The older boy snorted. "Don't think we're going to go easy on you just because you're a girl today."
"I don't know if you know how basic biology works, Mate, but as far as I know, I'm a girl every day." She replied with snark.
"Well, you certainly act like it. Playing tricks, using magic, foolish dishonourable womanly business that it is." Another familiar voice added, and Hera was faced with recognizing another person who could see her.
"Yeah, there's a reason no one likes you." Hera comments nonchalantly. "That must be why you try so hard to make everyone think you're a man, what with all the sword swinging. I'd ask if you're overcompensating for something, but you'd have to bind your tits better before I'd believe you. I hope you realize that with that statement alone, you have insulted Queen Frigga not once, not twice, but thrice. Keep this up, and I'll have to defend her honour whilst she is not here to defend it herself."
Volstagg is coughing, both from surprise and laughter, at her snark.
"Why you little-!"
"Sif, give it a rest, will you? Or man up, and admit you want in my pants." Hera continued. Wow, no filter today, even in her dreams. "It's got to be the reason why you have such a hard on for berating me right now."
Volstagg is horse laughing now, clearly enjoying the best entertainment he's had in ages.
"Lady Sif, is that little Loki I hear?" Another familiar voice. Why can all these people see her, and did he really just call her Loki?!
"And another thing. Why do they call you Lady Sif and the Warriors Three? Do you realize how revoltingly sexist that sounds?" Hera asked in indignation. "They are literally excluding you, making it sound as if you are not a warrior too. Maybe I should get you a frilly dress, Lady Sif."
She adds a small curtsy at the end.
"I am as much a warrior as any here!" Sif growled.
"Then why do they separate you from the men?" Hera asked outright, bringing them all up short. "Do they think separating you elevates you? Why do they not call you The Warriors Four instead? Is it not as catchy sounding or something?"
"Is Lady Loki starting a revolt again?" Another, Fandral, asked, as he walked into the arena.
"I rest my case right there in the crack of his arse, along with my foot if he doesn't shut it." Hera remarked, gesturing to the idiot in question. "Also, my name is Hera, not Loki. Dad wanted to name me Loki, but when Mum found out I was a girl, she refused to let him. What is it with all of you being able to see me? This has never happened in my dreams before."
"BROTHER!" Thor shouted happily as he entered the arena. "I THOUGHT YOU WERE IN THE LIBRARY!"
It slowly began to dawn on Hera that this was not a dream dream, and she needed to react, because she was starting to panic internally.
"Thor? You are Thor, right?" She asked, hesitantly. The memory of crafting the potion with Hermione, of drinking it, slowly came back to her. Oh.
"OF COURSE, BROTHER! WHO ELSE WOULD I BE?" He asked jovially. "WHEN DID YOU GET THAT MARK ON YOUR FOREHEAD? I DO NOT REMEMBER YOU HAVING IT WHEN LAST WE SPOKE!"
Hera sighed. "Thor, do you know what an inside voice is?"
The tall blond boy nodded with a smile.
"Is there a reason why you don't ever seem to use one?" She asked, narrowing her eyes at him. "Do you enjoy people thinking that you're stupid?"
The light in his eyes dimmed a little, and Hera suddenly felt guilty. It was like she'd kicked a puppy.
"You are not Loki." Thor accused, a little subdued. "Loki would never call me thus."
"Did he ever call you a troglodyte?" Hera countered. Thor hesitated, but nodded. "Then he called you an idiot. That means caveman on my world, and despite being marginally intelligent, they have the reputation of a moron."
All of them began to look extremely angry, even the ones she hadn't talked to yet, and then she remembered that the Loki in her dreams had called them all troglodytes at one point or another. Oh dear.
"Loki or not, you should not talk to our Crown Prince that way." Sif stated, incensed.
"Perhaps we should teach the young one a lesson in manners?" Hogun, it had to be Hogun, suggested. Strange though, that was the most she'd heard him say…ever.
"With only three of you?" Hera snorted. "Fine then, but that hardly sounds sporting."
She moved to pick up what looked a lot like a practice Scottish halberd pole-axe. She could work with this, Hera decided. Turning back to them, she readied her weapon of choice, thankful that she remembered all those lessons in dreams Loki had had to suffer through, secretly hoping her body could keep up.
"You should have brought more."
...
"LOKI, HAVE YOU BEEN EXPERIMENTING WITH CLONES OF YOURSELF AGAIN?" Thor called out as soon as he was in the library, and Loki's eyes twitched in annoyance.
"What have I said about using your inside voice, Thor?" Loki demanded, looking up from the lesson his Mother was currently trying to teach him to glare at his brother. "I swear those troglodyte friends of yours are a bad influence."
"THEY ARE OUR FRIENDS, BROTHER! SURELY, YOU JEST!" Thor insisted.
"They are not my friends." Loki reminded him yet again. "They are your friends, and your friends only. They do not like me, Thor, and make it a point to remind me even when you are right in front of them. That you do not defend me to them tells them they either have permission to belittle me, that you are too simple to catch their backhanded insults towards me, or that you do not truly see me as your brother."
Thor's shoulders slumped, and he no longer looked jovial as he had before.
"What is it?" Loki sighed. "I feel like I've kicked a puppy or something."
"She was right. You do think I'm an idiot." Thor pouted.
"She?" Their mother asked out of curiosity, having let the sibling conversation play out till now. "Who is she?"
"I will admit I do not know her name. I…I mistook her for Loki. I believe the others did as well, but she does not speak like Loki, not even when Loki's form shifts to that of another." Thor replied, still pouting. "She revealed that Troglodyte means caveman on her world, and that I must enjoy people thinking I'm stupid, because I do not use this 'inside voice' others keep insisting on. She also seems uncertain as to why we can see her, as her dreams have never allowed her to be seen by us before. She even went so far as to say that every time Lady Sif insisted magic was a weak woman's dishonourable trick, that she was insulting Mother thrice with each insult."
"She is," Loki agreed. "not that you, Father, or anyone else deem it fit to correct such behaviour. In fact, every man from Father down encourages it, and every woman that practices the art just accepts that that is the way it is. That I choose to practice such things somehow makes me less honourable, less of a man to some, lesser than a woman to others, as if a woman is somehow lesser than a man at all, and everyone is allowed their backhanded insults towards me; though I am a Prince of Asgarðr, and such things are supposed to be punished."
"Brother, if only you would-"
"That. That right there, Thor, is yet another example." Loki snapped, cutting him off. "Were anyone to insult you in such a manner, they would have been made an example of; yet everyone is allowed their insults towards me, including you. You are not even insulted on mother's behalf."
Thor actually looked shocked at that, and their mother decided to separate the two before things could escalate further.
"Thor, you said you mistook her for Loki." Frigga reminded him. "Why?"
"I felt Loki's magic about her." Thor shrugged, as if it were nothing. "Tis odd that she also had a lightning bolt on her forehead above her right brow, the mark of Sowilo."