Last time...

"Well, since we're here, have you given a thought to teaching?" Draco inquired. "I wasn't kidding when I told people my father was strongly considering transferring me to Durmstrang because of that woman."

Hera nodded, sighing a little in defeat. "Yeah. I saw my denial in the common room die the way of the dodo before I'd even finished saying the words."

"Excellent!" Hermione chirped, suddenly a little too happy for Hera's peace of mind. "I can have any potentially interested parties meet us at the Hog's Head. No students ever go there, so we won't be overheard."

"Absolutely not." Hera refused. When Hermione looked affronted, Hera endeavoured to explain. "You said it yourself, Hermione, no students ever go there. We'd stick out like sore thumbs, guaranteeing someone would in fact overhear us."

"We could just rent a room at the Three Broomsticks." Draco suggested. "They host parties there all the time. No one would think twice about it, not with it being a Hogsmeade weekend."

"Think we could get Sirius and Remus to visit?" Ron wondered. "Remus at least has lesson plans he could bring."

"Yeah, but how could we tell him without her finding out?" Hera countered. The others looked confused at this. "Guys, she's made herself judge, jury, and warden. I'd bet my entire vault she's made it to where we can't even send out mail without her knowing who it goes to and what it says."

"Then we suggest that they visit, that we miss them." Hermione suggested. "She wouldn't be suspicious of that, would she?"

"She might if she knows Remus is going to be there." Hera grumbled. "You didn't hear what she called Professor Flitwick."

No one seemed to know what she meant by that.

"She has a problem with what she considers half-breeds." Hera informed them, and oh they did not like that. Draco's anger surprised her, considering he had been raised to think in a similar fashion, but she had forgotten that he held Professor Flitwick as one of his favorite teachers. "What do you think her opinion on werewolves would be?"

"Maybe Professor Snape could help?" Hermione suggested. "He might be able to bypass her security somehow, if she has something like that in place already."

"I'll think of something, and ask him." Hera nodded. "I'm more concerned about the meeting itself. Whoever shows up might look for a demonstration. What should I do for that?"

With that, all three of them perked up, and the conversation quickly became one of lesson planning.

Chapter 67

.-. .-. - ..-. . ... ... - .-. ..-..

Severus had been looking through the essays he'd had Hera collect when he heard a low tapping sound. Had he heard that right? It had been some years since someone had used Morse Code to communicate with him. He was surprised that none of the students had tried learning it to cheat, but then most of them didn't even know what it was. Even if they did, not many would guess that he knew it too.

.-. .-. - ..-. . ... ... - .-. ..-..

There it was again. Professor? The message said. The students were all working in various stages on their latest potion…all but Potter and Granger, both of whom had finished early. Each were taking notes silently on their latest ideas. Really, he should take Granger on as an apprentice as well, and just be done with it. He noticed that though Granger had a habit of nervously worrying the feather on the quill when she wasn't sure where to go with her thoughts, Potter tended to tap the quill against her notebook. Testing his theory, he softly rapt out a response.

.- ... .- - -..- / .-. - - - . .-. ..-..

What, Potter?

She froze, subtly, before going back to her thoughts. She moved the feather rabidly in her fingers, not yet touching the notebook, and then…more tapping. It took him some time to work through it all, especially with her pausing every so often to consider her thoughts. That was the trouble with longer sentences. It was easier for others to guess you were trying to send a message, even if they didn't know the code for the message you were trying to send.

Hogsmeade Weekend. Need Lupin. Umbridge can't know

So that's how she was going to deal with things. He'd had a number of students in Slytherin, and quite a few that were of the other Houses, that had begun asking him about private studies in Defense Against the Dark Arts. He'd assumed it was because it was common knowledge that he'd been after that position almost for as long as he'd been working there. However, if they were going to Potter for help…She'd need lesson plans, and he had no doubt that she'd go to Lupin first; as he was the only good teacher she'd known during her time as a student. She might not think to ask him, even though he occasionally mocked up a plan or two, because he'd never actually held the job.

.. .-. .-.. .-.. / ... . . / .- ... .- - / .. / -.-. .- -. / -.. -

I'll see what I can do

"She what?" Lupin asked, dumbfounded, because clearly he hadn't heard this right.

"She wants you to visit next Hogsmeade weekend. She insisted that Umbridge can not know." Severus repeated, before turning his head slightly to the side. "Apparently, the woman is worse than Binns, and the students are in an uproar about it. They've been asking both Potter and myself for private study. As I can not, that leaves her."

"Did she confirm this?" Lupin asked, his voice slightly strained.

"You have met her, have you not?" Severus returned, having leveled him with a 'look' that explained for more than it should have been able.

That was more than fair. Unless asked outright, Hera would neither confirm or deny whatever rumour there was about her, or whatever assumptions were made; more than likely another byproduct of 'Don't Ask Questions'. Lupin still hadn't gotten the nerve to ask her if she knew she'd been Loki, even knowing that she must by now; given how many trips she'd made to 'other realms' in her 'realm hopping dream thing' she talked about. Neither he nor Sirius had even had the nerve to ask Tony, as she would most likely tell him first. Sirius was still trying to wrap his mind around what he'd seen in that meeting room.

"She has to know you've made lesson plans too." Lupin reposed, even as he brought out the expanding folder with all the plans he'd made for that year, setting it on Severus' desk.

"She might, given the rumours; but since she hasn't asked, and has left the sentence open ended enough…" Severus trailed off as he considered his next words. "I am uncertain if this has something to do with 'Don't Ask Questions', her possibly assuming that I wouldn't catch on, or an effort by her to give me plausible deniability should she get caught. With her willingness to play spy and decoy, it's more likely that it's the last option, but I've not asked."

"I thought she was supposed to pick up our bad habits, not the other way around." Lupin mused, grinning innocently when Severus leveled an unimpressed glare at him. "That being said, I probably shouldn't visit, not if that woman is as bad as I've been hearing. She'd stop whatever it is Hera is trying to do before it can even get off the ground. I'm still surprised you managed to get me here without Umbridge breaking down the door to have me put down or something."

"Then what would you suggest?" He grumbled impatiently.

"We come up with a comprehensive plan between the two of us. I'll write it all out, just in case. If on the off chance that she doesn't want you to know, she'll have no reason to think you do." Lupin suggested, surprised when Severus placed another folder on the desk. "Quirrell's?"

He couldn't see the man using Lockhart's plans.

"Despite having the Dark Lord in his head, or perhaps because of it, Quirrell's lesson plans were quite sound. His unfortunate stuttering to make people think he was a nervous wreck was the only reason no one took him seriously." Severus revealed.

"Think she knows she's already taken her O.W.L's and N.E.W.T's?" Lupin inquired, already looking through Quirrell's lesson plans. He'd heard from Minnie how Hera had somehow wound up taking them along with everyone else that year, despite Hera's exemption from exams that year.

"I would hope so." Severus snorted, sorting through the papers by year. "While I am good at subterfuge, the Ministry Proctor was not. Then again, she was running on fumes at that point."

Cue the door opening, and neither man being prepared for it.

"Severus, if I had known you were going to plan this out for tonight, I would have made sure to be here sooner." Minerva scolded, seeing what she'd walked in on when she'd opened the door.

"I thought you were a werewolf." Severus huffed, glaring at Lupin.

"Minerva registers as a friendly." Lupin shrugged, before cracking a grin. "Besides, I thought you were a paranoid bastard."

"I don't know about this, you guys." Hera groaned, already a nervous wreck.

She held tightly to the bound suitcase looking thing that Snape had handed to her; courtesy of Lupin. Unfortunately, neither Lupin nor Sirius were going to be able to be there. They'd rented a large dining hall in the Three Broomsticks as Draco had suggested. Madam Rosmerta had really outdone herself. Hermione and Ron had been in charge of spreading the news to the various Houses, while Draco had been in charge of organizing the 'party' to look completely legit. Hera was…Hera was in charge of pacing around, looking nervous, and hyperventilating.

"Stop being such a mess, Potter." Pansy declared in her best snooty voice, as she sauntered into the room. "You'll do fine."

"You really think so?" Hera asked, turning to Pansy with such pleading eyes that the girl stopped short at the force of them.

"Bloody hell, Hera, teach me how to do that." Pansy insisted, recovering after a second. "I'm not sure what that was, but I was ready to do whatever you wanted. If that look works on my parents half as well as it did me, I want to know how to do it too."

"Feels almost like a pull, doesn't it?" Draco commented thoughtfully, causing both Hera and Pansy to turn to him, though for vastly different reasons. Of course, he noticed. "You did that during the Yule Ball, when you needed reassurances. I noticed then that all I really wanted was for you not to feel like I'd make fun of you for how nervous you were. You've done it since, but that was the strongest one I've noticed so far."

"That's…That's a Compulsion, Draco…That's barely a step away from Mind Control, and you're saying I…" Hera paled, her mind jumping to conclusions as it often did in this state. "How could you all even know your friendship with me is real if you're compelled?"

"It's not like you do it all the time." Ron snorted. "It's just when you need us to reassure you."

"How do you know that?" Hera demanded, glaring at him. He sounded completely dismissive of the entire situation!

"Because I still feel like I can tell you where to shove off when you get to be a bit much." He pointed out, and really that was the best thing he could have said. "You're not controlling us. You're not compelling us to be friends with you, and you're not compelling Tony to love you; before you go thinking anything like that. Now, come on. You've got an entire school to amaze, so pull your head out of your arse, and breathe."

Draco snorted before he could stop himself, which broke the tension in the room. Even Hera is giggling before she catches on to part of Ron's speech, and she pales again.

"What do you mean an entire school?" Hera squeaked in panic, and Hermione giggled nervously. "Hermione? You said it was only a couple of people!"

"I doubt they'll all show up, Hera." Pansy offered.

…

A few minutes later…

"A couple of people?" Hera repeated hoarsely as she watched people filter into the room. "A couple of people?!"

"I might have…Well, the truth is I might have fibbed a bit." Hermione admitted, blushing profusely.

"I'm clearly a bad influence on you, and you need to rethink your friendship with me." Hera snorted. "A bit. Honestly."

"Not sure honesty had a whole lot to do with this." Ron commented wryly.

"Shut it, you. You're in it as bad as she is." Hera remarked with a small grin.

It really did look like the entire school had shown up. There was definitely more than a few from each year, at least from those that could visit Hogsmeade, and from every House too. The Hufflepuffs all looked guilty, but Hanna especially had a sheepish grin when she caught Hera gawking at the sheer number of them. Most of the Ravenclaws already had quill and parchment out, though a few were listening as Luna showcased the pen Tony had given her. The Gryffindors and Slytherins were a mixed bag; groups of each seen at both the front and the back, as if both expected war.

"When's this class getting started anyway?" Someone called out.

"Right now, actually." Hera stated, because in that voice she heard everything her friends were trying to tell her. She needn't worry. She could do this. "How many of you are worried about your O.W.L,s or N.E.W.T's?"

More than a few raised their hands.

"I didn't want you to just agree to be taught by me, even though I think you're all insane for wanting me to teach you at all, so I came up with a sample lesson to start. Your tests won't cover this, as far as I know. You could just go and enjoy the rest of your Hogsmeade weekend, if you would rather go do that." Hera offered. "This might take a while."

"Just get on with it, Potter!" Cedric called out, with a good-natured grin, from the middle of the room. She gives him the two finger salute, which he just laughs at.

"Alright then, since Cedric's being an arse, sign up sheets are by the entrance. Don't worry about it running out of space. Hermione is scary brilliant, so you can assume she's rigged it to do horrifying things to you should you nark to Umbitch about this. I myself, and Draco have added our own personal brand of magic to it as well, so…there's that." Hera continued, because this was apparently a 'roll with it' day. It got a few giggles from some of the rest of the Hufflepuffs, and more than a few snorts throughout the room. "Alright…Yeah…Hera Potter can't possibly fuck up teaching a class, take one…"

This was just one really big study session.

…

"This is the Yggðrasil…"

A glowing outline of an intricate looking tree began forming before their eyes as the floating lights dimmed around them. In fact, it looked like the stars were surrounding them as the darkness of space filled the room. Little floating lights along the tables kept visibility up for those who still wanted to take notes. It felt like they were nestled in the sky, and each would swear later that they could feel the thrum of the universe somehow. The tree, now fully formed, glowed before them with a soft and soothing light.

"It's a cluster of realms, all interconnected with each other, with many inhabitants in each part, though the main ones are the largest branches. It even spans multiple galaxies. There are many worlds within each, but one main one that represents them; at least, for the most part."

"Can we travel to these other places?" Luna asked first, as she looked at the tree and the universe around them.

"There are those with the ability called sky-walking, using the branches of the Yggðrasil in a way to transport yourself from one place to the next. It is sometimes referred to as walking or climbing the branches of the Yggðrasil, like a great tree, one of the reasons it is called the World Tree."

A squirrel appeared along the world tree. It darted along the branches, stopping every once in a while to look at a student. A few reached out to touch the squirrel. It was playful, never staying in one place for long. It disappeared, reappearing along different parts of the tree. A few could see a snake traveling along the roots, and eagles up at the top, occasionally meeting with the squirrel before it darted away once more.

"Ratatoskr is a messenger that goes between the branches, delivering messages between the eagles perched atop Yggdrasil, and the serpent Níðhöggr, who dwells beneath one of the three roots of the tree."

She spoke of Álfheimr, home to the Light Elves; a tall willowy race of beings that thrive on magic, how they valued magic and knowledge over brute strength, how it was a very free sort of place. Hera spoke of a world that if you wanted to eat your weight in food, gamble as you like, walk around as naked as the day you were born, explore your sexuality; not only was there a place for you, there was a home for you. There were at least five genders on the planet among the native inhabitants alone. That wasn't counting visitors and foreign guests. She crafted elaborate illusions for references, showing homes and cities high up in the trees and low in the roots.

She spoke of Vanaheimr, home of the Vanir. She told of how they valued knowledge and magic above all else, how the realm is covered in trees, and the water purple due to algae. The illusion she weaved for them showed large temples carved from the very bedrock, a people who dressed to cover far more than the Light Elves had. She spoke about how they respected life, and focused more on healing with magic than making a weapon of it. She spoke like she had been there.

She told of the desolate world of Svartálfaheimr, how it had been home to a race of beings that predated the creation of the universe to such a degree that they shunned all light. These dark elves could have come from another place, and upon seeing the light encroach upon them, shunned it further still. She spoke of a great war fought against them so that all light would not be extinguished. Though because the realm was not a deadening branch on the world tree, she voiced that it was a possibility that some yet lived. It was not a widely held belief, however, as that pulled glory away from the victor of the war, and to the victor go the spoils; such as writing the histories.

It was something of a surprise then for her to try to rush through the explanation of Jötunheimr; land of the Jötnar, or frost giants. When they saw the illusions she crafted for them, they saw why. The people of that realm looked like she did, though arguably much taller. The land itself looked beautiful, if mostly snow covered, and it was sad how desolate it was. Ravaged by war, she answered when asked about that, as had the land of the Dark Elves.

Even their gender was a subject she tried to rush through. When asked to clarify, she gave detailed answers about masculine or feminine inclined Jötunn, how some didn't care or weren't interested, how even their reproductive organs didn't become active till they decided to procreate. When asked why she was different, because they would make that connection, she'd had to explain that too. Only by Magic was she one of that race of beings, but she was born to humans. Those that are as small as she are stronger in magic.

Her change to the explanation of Múspellsheimr is not surprising, though most put it to teaching nerves. Múspellsheimr is a land of fire and sulfur, of fire giants. The realm is covered in impossible landscapes that could not work on Earth, but it is beautiful all the same. Even the animals she was able to show them had some form of flame or molten rock about them. Many of them were flabbergasted that such a place could exist.

The land of mist, Niflheimr, was of particular interest to them. Hera could not show them what it looked like, could not describe the people there. What she could tell them is that the people of the realm hid themselves almost to the degree that the Magical Community had. All who enter the realm uninvited suddenly find themselves turned around with no memory of why or when it had happened. To be invited was a high honour, but to be invited to study their magic was to vow never to reveal their secrets.

That Niðavellir was almost entirely artificial was mind boggling. The home of the dwarves looked like some kind of multi-ringed mega structure. If the illusion was to be believed, the structure orbited a neutron star. Hera spoke of how it powered their forges, how the weapons they forged were known to cut through the fabric of reality; the most powerful and horrific creations to torment the universe. Even their tools were made with the same metal that could cut through reality, able to help them mine even more from other dimensions. The Ravenclaws were absolutely losing their minds over this, scribbling things down like little mad scientists.

"Is this Earth?" Terry Boot asked, squinting at a knot within the middle of the floating tree.

"Yes. Though to the rest of the Nine, this is known as Miðgarðr. To those outside the Nine, it is called Terra." Hera confirmed, before looking to the rest of the room. "So, any questions?"

"What's this one?" Luna asked, pointing to the one Hera had deliberately not mentioned.

She expanded the 'pod' in order to give them visuals of what the realm looked like as she had with all the others. "This is Ásgarðr;otherwise known as The Golden Realm, or the Realm Eternal. They rule the Nine realms. As a realm that prizes warriors above all else, magic is considered trickery and dishonourable as opposed to an honest warrior's strength. It is considered cowardly to resort tomagic, or seiðr as it is also called, as it is seen as weakness and unmanly to wield it. There are plenty of magic users in the realm, but they are mostly women, so I think you can picture how they're treated, and how women in general are seen as second class citizens or untrustworthy as a rule. If you are a man that wields magic there…Well, you aren't seen as much of one. To be gay, bisexual, asexual, non-binary, or anything else thanwhat is accepted as normalthereis seen as unmanly and dishonourable."

"I'm sensing a theme here." Hannah Abbott remarked dryly.

"There aregood people there, even in the ruling class, but no one goes against the will of the king; if only because they haven't hadthe ability to in so long that no one thinks to try anymore." She explained. "It's not allbad, but we are definitely ahead of them on the equal rights curve; as behind as we view ourselves as a whole to be. There are warriors that are women, and magic users that are men, and people who don't give a bloody fuck what people think of their sex lives or gender, but those people pay a heavy price for flaunting societal norms; sometimes a fatal one."