Warning: Chapter talks about various religions, so just a heads up that I'm not actually trying to make fun of anyone. These are just Hera's thoughts as to why various religions have wizarding symbology in them.

Also, there is a certain Irony to plotting Christmas mischief so close to Halloween ^_^

Last time...

"Do your abilities have anything to do with why your former guardians gave you up so easily?" Eddie asked when she pointed to him, looking thoughtful.

Hera paled, but responded anyway. "I don't know exactly. I was away at school at the time, but I imagine it had something to do with it. Tony asked if I wanted to know, when we talked about it. I chose not to know."

Eddie thought about what Hera'd said as he typed up his article. 'That's why we picked you' she'd said. His ability to think objectively though many sides of the same argument was what had landed him his career as a reporter in the first place. The argument of what rights a mutant had, and how to deal with them, wasn't a new one; After all, it was difficult to detain someone who could literally walk through the walls of any jail cell they were put in. However, something she'd said kept coming back to him.

She'd not wanted to know the exact reason why her former guardians had given her up. It was enough for her that they had, even though she had a good guess already. They didn't like her abilities, but to just give her up? There had to be more going on there. Something told him there was more there, and he wanted to see what it was. He sensed a story in those words, and once he was done typing up the article, he sent it along with a message to his boss about a follow up idea.

Chapter 86

"Are we celebrating Yule here in New York or Malibu?" Hera wondered, as she looked over the list she and Jarvis were creating.

Rhodey would be spending the holidays with them, she knew, though she didn't know what that meant for his family. Pepper was already away visiting family, as was Happy. She didn't know what Stane was doing for the holidays, but she assumed that he'd be spending some of the time with Tony. Asking Tony questions about where they were spending the holidays was just the latest in a long line of inquiries that would determine how much food she was planning to make..

"Uh…Yule?" Rhodey inquired, as they wandered through the aisle.

"Pagan Christmas." Tony offered up helpfully, grinning at the unamused glare Hera sent his way.

"You do know Christmas is a Christian holiday." Rhodey pointed out. "…right?"

She snorted, and put heavy whipping cream on the list. "Hardly."

Hera wasn't sure when she'd started thinking of it as Yule instead of Christmas. Perhaps it was because the Dursleys had never included her in their celebrations. As she grew in her magical education, she learned more about the history of the holidays of the Wizarding world. While she had heard about paganism, wicca, and so on, a part of her suspected that it was a sign that the Statute of Secrecy hadn't quite been as thorough as they liked to believe it'd been. Those remnants that remained, and those that took up the faith, did so with the little truth they knew, building on it to create something all their own.

"…How?" Rhodey inquired. "I mean Christ is literally in the holiday name."

"So there'll be no yuletide carols being sung by a choir?" She asked innocently. Tony was already snickering, doing a terrible job of hiding his face in his hot chocolate. "How do you think Christians of old converted the so called heathens? After they got tired of slaughtering them, that is. They adopted the symbols of a religion not their own, which I'm pretty sure is frowned on, and said 'See? This means you're faith was trying to lead you to us!'"

"But…" Rhodey stammered, clearly shocked by this.

"Look, I'm not saying it's not possible for all that stuff to have happened, I'm just saying Christmas isn't strictly a Christian holiday." Hera shrugged, going back to the grocery list she and Jarvis were working up. "Would you like me to break down the symbolism or the cultural history for you? Or, Tony could stop my trolling of you, and the breaking of your brain, to tell us where we're spending the holidays."

"Not a chance now." Tony snickered. "I wanna see you break his brain. Consider this payback for her telling you all those stories of me trying to science magic, Platypus."

Hera sighed, and put the tablet back down, before pointing to the tree.

"Exhibit A. The Christmas tree. Originally, they were seen as home of sprites and fairies; which do exist, by the way. Witches and Wizards of old would decorate a tree outside, put preservation and warming charms around it, and feed the little guys that lived in it, in an effort to keep them from starving to death during the winter. When the Statute of Secrecy was put in place, they started bringing them inside. Muggles saw this, and adopted the tradition, even if they didn't understand why it was being done." Hera stated. "Why do you think people string up popcorn, dried cranberries, and candy canes to put on the tree?"

"Tehehehe….Tell him….Tell him about Santa!" Tony barely communicated through wheezing laughter.

"The Dursleys didn't allow talk of Santa in the home. Too close to the idea of magic, you see, so I'll need some context." Hera informed them. "Jarvis, pull up a picture of Santa, if you would please."

"Of Course, Little Miss." Several pictures, new and old, appeared on the screen nearest to them.

"Oh dear. I can see what you mean. Jarvis, can you show us the oldest depiction of Santa? Something about the image looks familiar." Hera inquired again. This time, the AI didn't reply, but several other images popped up. "…That's Oðin."

Tony started coughing, spewing his drink everywhere. Butterfingers came rushing into the room to clean it to the best of his ability, and Hera patted one of its arms as it passed by. As he was the most portable of Tony's robots, he'd brought him with him. At this rate, the others were going to start getting jealous. It was a good thing that Jarvis kept the other bots updated on the goings on, or it would have happened already.

"That's Odin?" Tony asked, his voice strained.

"What does he have to do with Santa? Also, Odin's real?" Rhodey asked, intrigued.

"He's the original inspiration from the looks of things, though I'm sure there is someone else the muggles used as inspiration as well." Hera explained. "And yes, Oðin's real, alive and everything. I think I see what happened. He has an eight legged horse that allows him to be able to walk the branches of Yggðrasil…the world tree…Story goes that Loki birthed a foal after an attempt to help Asgarðr went south, and that the foal grew up to be Oðin's war horse. He did not. (She glares at Tony here before he can think to ask) Those of the time must have seen Oðin riding through the skies when he would participate in the Wild Hunt. No idea how it went from eight legged horse to eight female reindeer."

"Uh…those are males." Rhodey pointed out, though still overwhelmed by what he'd heard.

"Male reindeer lose their antlers in the winter. They still have theirs." Hera countered, and now Rhodey is looking at the pictures again like he needs to re-evaluate his whole life. "What's this got to do with where we spend the holidays? Tony, I need answers. Tony?"

The only response she got was laughter.

They started arriving later that day. First it was John and Matt, which should have clued her in, but she thought he'd just invited them as they were close with her, and it was cool to get to visit with them and everything. Then Sirius and Remus showed up with Snape in tow…somehow, and now Hera wasn't sure what was going on. Then the Weasley Clan arrived…Arthur marvelling over everything he saw, wandering around with a rather panicked looking Rhodey; who had decided that trying to keep the man from microwaving a fork was the best use of his time. Hera was distracted with the Weasley children for a bit, but then the Grangers showed up, and the Lovegoods, and then the Malfoys.

"Tony, are we not supposed to have some kind of private celebration?" Hera asked, having pulled him off to the side, slightly panicked. "I didn't purchase enough food for this!"

"I took care of it, Little Miss." Jarvis alerted her; the sneak.

"What if Stane shows up? Or Happy? Or Pepper?" She continued.

"First of all, Happy and Pepper sort of already suspect something is up with the whole 'mutant' thing. Pepper herself said something wasn't quite adding up with that. I'm working on getting their permission slips to know about magic, but it's slow going where they're not as close to me like Rhodey is. I claimed him as my brother, in a manner of speaking. I can't do the same for them." Tony informed her. "Obadiah always goes off to some retreat during the holidays, so he won't be back till after New Years."

"And the reporters?" Hera reminded him.

"Tinted windows specifically designed to reflect flash, and reduce visibility."

She'd rather forgotten about that.

"Oh."

Lucius looked around him with some wonder. While he had dealings in the muggle world, this was his first time stepping inside a muggle home. It looked as removed from Hera Potter's former housing as anything could get; Then again, Tony Stark was wealthy on a scale that could rival him, so it was to be expected. Arthur had tried to get him into a discussion of some muggle contraption, but Lucius had politely declined. While he is just as curious about Arthur as to his current surroundings, if subtly so, there is something else that occupies his mind now.

He smells a plot. Specifically, he smells treacle tart. Draco did not inherit his sweet tooth from only his mother. While Narcissa adored dark chocolate and the various confections one could create with it, Lucius preferred sweets with fruits in them. It was subtle, as if being masked by scent dampening charms, but the smell was unmistakable. As Hera was busy hanging out with her friends, and his wife was chatting with a few of the other ladies in attendance, it left him free to seek out the scent; it was his misfortune to almost run smack dab into Remus Lupin.

The two men eye each other warily, before Remus offered up what had to be an olive branch when he inquired. "Treacle tart?"

"Treacle tart." Lucius confirmed, and both men relaxed as they realized they'd caught each other acting like children seeking to steal a treat from the kitchens. "I'd know that scent anywhere, but who's making it?"

"Not sure. Hera's with her friends, Molly isn't comfortable in a muggle kitchen, and Mrs. Granger is out there with your wife. None of the wizards out there can cook, as sandwiches do not count, and all the muggle men are out there with them." Remus replied, going over what he knew. "House elves maybe?"

"In a muggle kitchen?" Lucius reposed. "Where is the kitchen anyway? I've been trying to follow the smell, but I'll die of starvation at this rate."

"Not sure. The house I visited over the summer wasn't in New York." Remus shrugged. "Shall we continue the search?"

"If I may," Lucius did not feel a bit ashamed that he jumped, as Remus had too; though he'd had the faster recovery time. "the kitchen you are looking for is down the hallway to the left, third door down."

"There's more than one?" Remus asked, looking to the nearest light on the wall.

"Indeed. The kitchen you are seeking is the secondary one, not as large, but also not as close either." The voice continued. "Little Miss was hoping it would aid in keeping the smells of cooking down."

"Little Miss?" Lucius whispered, still trying to find where the voice was coming from.

"Hera." Remus answered.

"And the voice?" Lucius wondered. "Does Stark have a ghost trapped in the walls?"

"I am an artificial intelligence, not a ghost, Mr. Malfoy." The voice corrected, not that he knew what that was. "My name is Jarvis, or Just A Rather Very Intelligent System. In laymen terms, Sir built my brain. I operate a wide variety of systems and locations, depending upon what Sir needs."

Lucius took a moment to absorb that knowledge, before looking to Remus. "On to the kitchens then?"

The man snickered, but nodded, and the two continued their quest to the kitchens. What they saw when they got there confused the both of them. Hera Potter was crafting various dishes, treacle tart among them, but how was she here when they'd both seen her chatting in another part of the house? She was standing at the stove, calling out orders as various house elves either passed her things or worked to add little touches to the dishes she made. Dobby had a look of intense concentration on his face as he put the final touches on what looked to be an edible Yule log.

…

Meanwhile, in the living room…

Hera grinned at her friends, who were all getting along with Matt seamlessly, and stated. "I hate to interrupt, but I'm going to have to leave for a minute."

She disappeared, but not before the sound of a gasp from Hermione reached her ears. Unsure what that was even about, she returned to herself in the kitchen. It had been the work of practice to be able to maintain two forms while also keeping her mind on both the task of cooking and listening and conversing with her friends at the same time. Turning to the sound of the ward she'd set around the kitchen, she found Lucius Malfoy and Remus sort of frozen in place like children reaching for the biscuit tin. Hera arched her eyebrow at the pair of them.

"Honestly, I expected Sirius or Tony to pull this stunt." She commented, before the ward on the other door was tripped as well, opening to reveal exactly who she'd been speaking of. "Really, gentlemen? Really?"

She frowned for a moment, almost expecting the other ward to trip.

"What is it?" Tony asked, while doing his level best to subtly edge his way towards the devilled eggs.

"I just…I'm kind of surprised Fred and George didn't try something too." Hera admitted, looking around the room. Turning back to him, she realized he'd already absconded with a devilled egg. "Tony!"

The man's cheeks were puffed out in such a way that it was obvious what he'd done, and still had the audacity to look back at her with eyes impossibly wide for all their supposed innocence.

"Wh't?"

…

A few moments before Lucius and Remus trip the wards…

"This smells quite good." Jareth announced, popping in as he was wont to do. He would have been able to enter through the wards regardless, but had been touched when the invitation Tony sent included a small note that he'd made a point to key him into them. "May I have some?"

"No." Hera denied, not even a touch surprised that he had popped in right next to her, smacking him with the wooden spoon when he went to try anyway. Rude. "Oh, don't even try looking all hurt like that. I told you no."

"Very well." Jareth pouted, still acting the wounded party, before picking himself up once more. "Are the other guests here yet?"

"Yes, please don't try to trick any of them into giving you their name. Not all of them are allies of me and mine, and I'd rather not have to deal with whatever fallout happened because you tricked one of them out of their name." Hera continued, going back to the dish she had been focused on before. "I get that you're my king, but this is my brother's house…one of them anyway, so…please?"

She pauses to look up at him with concern, and though he'd planned to tease her a little, he chooses not to do so now.

"You need not worry, Hera." He assured her. "I seek only to mingle and enjoy the party your brother sought to throw."

"Alright, go mingle." Hera nodded in agreement. He's almost out the door when he hears her shout. "No drunken Fae shenanigans, Jareth!"

He's laughing as he leaves, quite unable to help himself, knowing all too well the kind of drunken shenanigans she was thinking of. No one partied like the Fae, and it was far too easy and all too amusing to trick a mortal when they were drunk on faerie spirits. While he had no doubt that he could, and that she would forgive him if he did, he would refrain this once. As it was, he was on the hunt for mischief. It was one of the reasons he loved humanity so much; they were always so full of mischief!

While he could not feel out the mischief of everyone all over the world all at once, those closest to him were easy to suss out. Little Ginny Weasley sought to trick Hera's copy into revealing her secrets, though not for malicious means. Lucius Malfoy secreted about in search of a sweet treat like a rather mischievous child; as well as Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, and Tony Stark. Hera was enjoying the quiet mischief of being in two places at once, though her friends knew what she was doing. And…What was this? Acolytes of Loki? Here? Oh, this he had to see.

…

"Please tell me you two are not about to try and stink up this bloke's house with burnt rubber chickens." Ron begged, seeing what his brothers were up to now.

Fred and George had set up a small alter to Loki in a corner of a side room. No one had noticed, as it wasn't a heavily trafficked area, but he'd wandered off to find the loo, and on the way back had discovered them. They looked guilty, so he knew that's exactly what they'd been about to do. If he walks away now, leaving them to it, he knows the smell of burnt rubber will never leave this home. Perhaps he can spare his nose, along with everyone else's, and play a prank of his own.

"Well, what else are we supposed to do?" Fred demanded, looking harried, like he was at his wits end.

"Loki is a prankster, THE trickster. We want to give him something that honours that." George insisted. "What better than a rubber chicken?"

"I dunno. Why not try offering up a bit of treacle tart?" Ron suggested. "Maybe some dark chocolate?"

They looked at him like he was mad.

"Guys, your burning your pranks instead of asking him to bless them. Don't you think he'd find that just a little bit insulting?" Ron tried.

"Burnt treacle tart will still smell bad, and is considered an insult on its own." Fred pointed out.

"Then don't burn it." Ron shrugged. "Just…offer it."

"We could do that, but Tony's invisible assistant told us Hera has blocked off one of the kitchens." George agreed. "We'd never get in."

"What about other things that the stories say Loki likes?" Ron inquired, wrecking his brain for things he knew Hera liked. "There's got to be something."

"Perhaps I could be of assistance to the Acolytes of Loki." Someone offered, leaning against the door frame all of a sudden. "I am the Goblin King, but you may call me Jareth, if you like."

Ron froze, knowing who this was. His mum had told him stories of this man, that he took wished away children. He still didn't know if she'd been the Wisher or the Wished Away, for why else would she be so paranoid about an old children's story? But Hera spoke about this Fae like he was a friend, like he'd known who she'd been, and still wished to know her now. Perhaps…Perhaps he could help after all.

"Alright then, we're listening." Ron acknowledged. "What did you have in mind?"

The Goblin King gave a sly grin that reminded him far too much of Hera's more mischievous moments, as if knowing exactly where his mind had gone.

"I know just the thing."

Shoutout to petals_sunwards for the ideas!