Last time...

"I take it you know who she is." John surmised, taking to pouring their drinks himself.

"How do you?!" Bobby wondered, not denying it.

John only cracked a smile, sipping on his own glass as he replied. "I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours."

Chapter 124

"What are you doing here?"

It wasn't said in malice. Sirius simply hadn't expected to see the man standing there. Snape looked at him with an expression that read 'really?', but didn't say anything, which was fair. As it stood, Sirius knew that even outside of school Snape had had more involvement in Hera's life than he had. He'd been trying to be better, but even after the incident at the Department of Mysteries there were stretches of time where he thought she'd just be…better off without him.

"Good to see you too, Black." Snape drawled easily, his eyes flicking towards his left. "Lupin."

"Tony let us know that Hera's back from her unexpected travel, so we thought we'd see how she was doing." Remus supplied, probably to keep things from becoming awkward. "You?"

"I'm afraid there is something I need to discuss with Stark before I speak with Potter on the matter." Snape revealed. "Think you two can keep her distracted while I speak with Stark, or will I have to pry you from trying to kill Gaunt?"

"No, I…I think I'll be okay as far as the boy goes. He's…" Sirius tried, fumbling for the right words. "Hera wants this to work. I'm going to try."

"Good." Snape allowed with a nod. "She will be glad to hear it."

"You lot just going to stand outside my apartment, or are you planning on coming in?" Tony inquired, announcing his presence, as he stood in the now open doorway.

"By all means then," Snape supplied, gesturing towards the door. "lead the way."

…

"Padfoot! Moony!" Hera called out happily upon seeing them, and then realization set in. "Uh…You aren't here to…I mean Salazar is…He and Neville are sort of hashing things out right now. You're not here to…"

"I'm okay, Pup." Sirius insisted, and something in Hera relaxed. "So…who's Sky-Daddy?"

"Wha'?" Hera's mind stalled. "How would you even…?"

Sirius gestured to where Tony and Professor Snape were. With the open floor plan, they could still be seen in the kitchen, but their conversation went unheard. Most likely, the professor had cast a spell to keep the conversation silent to those wishing to listen in. It wasn't like the man to be shoddy in his spell-work, so Hera was confused as to how Sirius knew what the conversation was about. She was also mildly surprised that Chuck hadn't struck her brother with lightning or something for that; perhaps he found it amusing as well?

"Oh, Siri can read lips." Remus supplied, causing the other man to slump in defeat. "Oh, hush. It's not that big a secret."

"Harshing my coolness, Remus." Sirius sighed with dramatics. "That cuts deep. That cuts real deep."

"Come on, you two. I'll get us a tea service set up, and then you can tell me what you've been doing." Hera offered, guiding them to the living room proper. "I feel like I haven't seen or heard from either of you since the thing at the Department of Mysteries."

A flick of the wrist and there's a tea service on the coffee table between the two sofas, and each set about preparing their tea as they liked. She would have gone into the kitchen to get the one Tony had insisted on buying, but that particular room was occupied at the moment, and she hadn't thought of summoning it to her directly. A conjured tea service would do for now, not that either of them seemed to mind. They weren't even surprised by her casual displays of magic anymore. She wasn't sure whether to be thankful for that fact or unsettled by it.

"Where are Neville and Salazar anyway?" Remus inquired politely, pulling her out of her thoughts. Hera gestured over to the other side of the room, where the two were under their own privacy bubble in an out of the way corner. "It looks to be going well."

"They have a lot to talk about." Hera agreed. "So…what have you two been doing?"

"Seriously, who is Sky-Daddy?" Sirius asked, looking morbidly curious now, his eyes following the conversation in the kitchen.

"Not important." Hera waved away, deciding to distract the man. "How long have you two been dating?"

She sees the moment Sirius' brain full stops, and Remus snorted in amusement.

"What would make you…? – Now, hang on!" Sirius began, but halfway through Remus tries to take his hand into his own, and he playfully slaps the man's hand away. "You can't just go offering me affection, and then think I'll show you my belly!"

"Well, I mean…" Remus tried to keep a straight face, though clearly failing. "you are a dog."

"Says the wolf." Sirius smarted back, smiling as well. He turns his attention back to Hera. "We're not."

"Oh, so you're just casually fucking then?" Hera asked, with all the fake innocence she can muster.

Sirius barks out laughing, looking to Remus like he's hoping for maturity or something from him, but Remus had clearly decided to throw his lot in with Hera on this one; batting his eyes playfully at the man, grinning all the while.

"We're not. We're not!" Sirius insisted through his laughter. "Don't make me be the adult, Moony, I won't make it!"

"Oh dear. Still in denial, I see." Hera lamented, abandoning mock innocence for dramatic flair. "Be patient, Uncle Moony. He'll stop denying his feelings for you eventually. You'll be a kept man soon enough."

Now it was Remus' turn to sputter.

"What? Couldn't handle being doted on by me?" Sirius exclaimed, puffing up his chest. "I'd make a fantastic catch!"

"Now all that's left is a declaration of feelings, and we're set." Hera continued. "You might have to make the first move though, Remus. I don't think Padfoot knows how to be in a relationship. Don't worry. I'm sure you'll make an honest man out of him yet."

Both of them began sputtering, and Hera grinned into her cup of tea.

"Anyway, I've finally managed to get through all those notes I mentioned when I gave you the Galaxy in a Globe." Sirius announced, seemingly bound and determined to soldier through.

"Really?" Hera asked, suddenly intrigued. "What did they say?"

"There's a lot, and even though I read it, I'm still not sure I understand it all." Sirius explained, bringing out a shrunken box from his pockets, tapping it with his wand to expand it once more. "She talked about possibilities; moving the 10th realm to something adjacent but still connected, like a shadow. She even spoke about moving the entire wizarding population, and all the magical things therein, to a whole other bloody planet. I'm not sure how any of those things are possible, but she was convinced they could be. She talked about acceptance and war, ambassadors and delegations. She talked about you."

That caught her attention.

"Hera…She talked about you like she'd met you, like she knew who you were, who you'd been. She talked like…" Sirius continued, running a hand through his hair in nervousness. "I know you're masquerading as a mutant in order to allow magic users more freedom in the muggle world, but…"

"It could go bad." Hera finished the sentence as she pulled the box closer to her. "Just from what you're saying, she saw that it could lead to something catastrophic. I wasn't thinking about organizations like Hydra or Shield, not then. I just…It seemed like the right thing to do at the time, but now…I'm not so sure. It's too late to stop now, but maybe her notes will give me a clue as to which possibility is more achievable. With the way technology is expanding…Even if Tony wasn't involved, or if he tried to stall it…There won't be the ability to hide as we have for much longer."

…

Meanwhile, Salazar felt like he'd been put through the ringer. Neville Longbottom was far from being a pushover, as his quiet demeanour had initially suggested. As soon as the privacy wards were up, that boy lit into him something fierce. Note to self: Never brass off a herbologist. While the boy was angry about what Bellatrix and the LeStrange brothers had done to his parents, he didn't blame the person Salazar had been directly. He was, however, quiet angry with him on Hera's behalf.

"You have to tell her." Neville demanded, glaring at him. "She blames her parents for what happened. She's not said as much to me, but I know she does. On some level, she blames Lord Black and Professor Lupin too; though probably Lord Black more so because he would have raised her if he hadn't gotten stuck in Azkaban the way he did."

"She's explained her reasons for giving me this chance, but I don't understand." Salazar admitted. "I thought she understood."

"Logically, she probably does, but she still blames them for it." Neville shrugged. "I blamed mine for a while for not being there for me, even though what happened to them was in no way their fault."

Salazar stared at the boy for a long moment as he thought about what that meant. The logic of a child was all too familiar to him, and one he'd not truly outgrown. He'd blamed his mother for dying and abandoning him to the life of an orphan. He'd blamed his father for abandoning him and his mother, even after he'd learned of what his mother had done to the man. It made sense for Hera to blame her parents as he had done to his, as Neville and others no doubt did, and he nodded in understanding.

"I do not deserve the chance she gave. Who I was…" Salazar endeavoured to explain. "Who I was did terrible things; horrific things. He would have killed her. It's what he was there for, but…The last time I tried to make her understand, she hauled off and punched me square in the face. To be fair, that was the goal I'd been aiming for at the time."

Neville got wide eyed at that. "I watched her punch a hippogriff, and it took a couple steps back at the force of it."

"Bloody well hurt enough for that." Salazar grumbled, as he rubbed the side of his jaw at the memory of it. He noticed then that something was off about the atmosphere of the room. "Can I hold off for now? I'd like to actually choose when we have this discussion."

Neville looked about ready to object, when Salazar beat him to it.

"I'm not saying we'll never have that talk. She needs to come to terms with it all." Salazar insisted, seeing his scepticism. "I am simply asking to choose when. Surely you've noticed how she does not like to feel cornered or pinned down."

Neville nodded. "Her shield-kin mean well, and they've gotten better about it, but I've noticed how she reacts when they do something like that."

…

"So…How did it go?" Hera inquired from her place on the couch, after Neville had left through the Floo.

"We are on…civil terms, I think." Salazar informed her, settling down next to her as he took a cursory but no less curious glance at all the papers Hera had on the table. "There is a condition he set, one that you will not like."

All three looked at him in open curiosity.

"I am to tell you how your parents died; in detail."

She didn't think she could move, frozen in shock as she was; as were Sirius and Remus.

"You seem to be under the impression that their deaths are their fault. In some part of your mind, you may logically know that such a thing is not true, but you hold onto the belief regardless." Salazar explained. "Neville does not want you to hang on to that anger, Hera. I did ask that this talk not be right away, to allow you to come to terms with even the idea of having the conversation, and he agreed it was a good idea. I have not known you for long, but I do know that you are not fond of being cornered. It is something to which I can relate."

Hera couldn't process what she was hearing. Logically, she knew what he was saying was true. They weren't at fault, just as Sirius wasn't really, but she just…She couldn't seem to let that anger go. She'd not attacked her parents with it, given that she'd been too overwhelmed at just meeting them to even think to do so. Perhaps she had given the Black Family Madness too much leeway with her anger, a foothold it could then use to press into the rest of her emotions and mind.

"I hear you, I do, but…" Hera sighed, frowning slightly. "…that's a tall order."

"It is alright to hate who I had been, and not hate them, you know." Salazar stated, surprising her. "It is alright to hate me now without hating them."

She stared at him for a long moment, trying to ascertain some sort of clue to figure out what was going on in his brain, and instead of a well thought out reply, she blurted out in all seriousness. "I thought you were supposed to be emotionally stunted."

It happened without warning. A snort came from across the table, and Hera looked over to see Sirius with his hands over his mouth, his eyes alight with surprise and laughter. When their eyes met, Sirius could not longer hold it in, and he was laughing till he couldn't breathe. Remus was doing a little better, but even he was laughing enough that his shoulders shook with it. Even Salazar chuckled a little, grimacing when Sirius was caught by surprise at the sound; the two held each other's gaze for but a fraction of a moment, and then Sirius gave a slight nod to him. It wasn't forgiveness, Hera could see, but it was a leap in acceptance that made her realize she'd been far harsher on her father's friends than she'd needed to be; perhaps, Sirius especially so.

…

"Hey, where'd your friend Neville go?" Tony wondered, as he and Severus walked closer to their sitting area.

"Home." Hera replied easily, before gesturing them both closer. "You should check some of this stuff out, Broðir. Sirius brought it over."

"Think it'll help me with the car?" Tony asked, already starting to peak through the papers.

"It'll help you with the BiFröst." Hera insisted, pointing out a certain passage on one of the pages she held.

"Before you two disappear into yet another creative research binge, and drag young Salazar with you, I do have something serious to discuss with you both." Severus cut in, sitting next to Sirius on the other couch across from them. "Mr. Rhodes spoke with me before he left, insisted that keeping this secret would not be as beneficial to you both as I had initially thought."

"Later?" Tony asked quietly, looking to Hera and Salazar, both of whom nodded enthusiastically in agreement. He turned back to Severus. "Alright, out with it. What do you and Rhodey think I should know?"

A familiar device was placed onto the table, and Tony's breath caught as he picked it up. He'd not held one before, but he knew his father's work when he saw it. This particular device was just a touch thicker than the average ink pen, with a red light near the top. It looked futuristic even now. If he was correct in what this was and what it did, it begged the question of how Severus had even gotten a hold of it.

"This…Howard made this. Ahead of its time. Still is. It…" Tony muttered as he examined the piece. "This is a sonic taser."

"Uh…For those of us who don't know, what's a sonic taser?" Sirius inquired, looking at the device in Tony's hands.

"It's simple. A sonic taser uses frequencies high enough to render a person paralyzed, the way a normal taser would use concentrated electricity." Tony explained. He didn't mind explaining things when it looked like the person truly wanted to understand, instead of those that asked only because they thought they were pandering to his 'ego'. "The only downside was how close a person would have to get to use it. I could activate it right now, and the most damage it would do is possibly give a headache to our more canine inclined." He turned to Severus now. "Where did you even get this? The government refused to endorse the product. I remember that much. I think it was one of the few things Howard didn't really want to sell."

"I think you know exactly where I got that from, or more precisely from whom." Severus replied, his head tilted down slightly as he looked over at him pointedly. "I found that device in the hands of your godfather, outside of Potter's room. The mechanical butler of yours wasn't operational, and her wards were down."

"…I thought I dreamt that." Hera murmured, catching everyone's attention. "Stane managed to get into the hangout spot before my room. I had that whole set up warded,…or thought I did, so I was surprised to see him there. I didn't know what the little thin stick was, looked like a Biro, but he disappeared and the dream shifted…That actually happened?!"

"It did," Severus confirmed. "though he no longer remembers it."

"Your godfather was going to-"

"Sirius, you can't." Hera warned. Sirius looked at her with incredulity, and even Tony wondered just what on Earth she was thinking. "He doesn't remember. He's been obliviated."

"He'll only try again." Sirius argued.

"Then we can do something then." Hera countered. "He hasn't done anything, not yet. He's attempted to, yes, but he doesn't remember that. So…Not yet."

"I would rather you not risk yourself at all." Tony added lightly, seeing her turn to face him. "That's what your plan would mean, you know."

"I know, but…He's your godfather, Tony." Hera tried, looking hesitant. "I don't want you to lose him too."

"Hera…I already have." Tony felt the need to point out. He held his hand up to stop her objecting, as she'd been about to do. "Hera, you're my sister, and he tried to hurt you. It doesn't matter that he can't remember. I know he tried. If he tried it once, he'll try it again; memory or no."

"I'm sorry…I know he does something awful to you in the future, but I had hoped…" Hera looked down, worrying at the bottom seam of her shirt. "…if things stayed on good terms, he wouldn't…he wouldn't go bad."

"I know you meant well, Hera, but whatever it is he might do in the future isn't something you need to worry about now. If it happens, it happens." Tony decided. "Now, I'll deal with Obadiah. Don't you worry. That man will be drowning in paper by the end of the day."

"Will that be enough?" Sirius wondered, sounding sceptical.

"No," Tony agreed with a nod, before grinning something feral. "but it's a start."

"Drowning in paper…Tony, what are…" Hera wondered in confusion, before her eyes lit up in understanding. "Oh! That's brilliant, Broðir!"

"I don't understand." Sirius admitted, looking between the two. "How is this better than killing him? I'd rather kill him, if we're voting on it."

"One; The Rite of Conquest doesn't really exist in the muggle world the way it does here. Maybe in some parts of it, but as a whole? No." Hera explained enthusiastically. "Stane likes being in control, likes calling the shots, and all the hobnobbing at parties. He likes being CEO of Stark Industries, and all the power that it gives him. Tony is going to take it all away, slowly, piece by piece, until the man is a shadow of his former self, and then?…Maybe then he'll tell him why. You should expect resistance though, Tony. He'll not take this quietly."

"I think I'd still rather kill him." Sirius huffed, settling into the back cushions of the couch once more.

"And as a wizard, you might even get away with it." Hera acknowledged. "However, I'd kind of like to keep you around now that you're free of Azkaban and whatnot. So, maybe let's not chance it, yeah?"

The man eyes her for a moment, before grinning. "There you go, making sense again, little Lily."

Hera brightened considerably at that. As much as she was compared to her father, something Tony was also familiar with experiencing, he knew she relished in the times when she was compared to her mother. No matter that she was right, that it would be smarter to take Obadiah down piece by piece, it didn't mean he had to like it; even though it was his plan. What he really wanted to do was find his godfather and punch him till he stopped breathing, and then bury him in an unmarked grave somewhere. Tony could tell with just a glance that the others agreed with him but wouldn't act against what had been spoken.

Salazar does not know where he is. Everything is golden, except for the shrubbery. Somehow, he imagined that if they knew how to make it so, it would be. It almost hurts his eyes to look at it, and he searches for any sign of colour other than the plethora of gold before him. To his utter disgust, there are only accents here or there that hinted at other colours, but they too were laced with gold.

"Salazar?" A familiar voice called, and he turned with relief to see Hera quickly walking up to him. "What are you doing here? How did you even get here?"

"Woke up standing…wherever here is." He replied, distractedly, still trying to fathom what he was seeing. "Where is here anyway? Why is there so much gold? It's a bit…"

"Much?"

"Excessive, yes." He agreed, looking around at it all. "Who decorates like this?"

"Ásgarðr." Hera answered, with a frown. "I still don't…Oh, I think I see now. Magically, I suppose you would be considered a twin, and magical twins can share things in ways others can not. Because of what happened…maybe the connection is strong enough now that you could come with me, but…I don't usually have company during these visits unless something dangerous is going to happen."

"So we're really…?"

"Yes." Hera confirmed, though she'd started looking around distractedly. "Though it's weird this time. I haven't found anyone, and that never bodes well."

"How long does this usually last?" Salazar wondered, intrigued now.

"It varies." Hera answered with a shrug. "Come on. Let's see if we can figure out what's going on. I've never gone so long here without seeing someone, except when…Well, let's hope we can find someone soon."

It wasn't like they didn't see anyone, not really. They were all just…too busy to stop and explain what in the bloody hell was going on. He watched Hera as they continued their search, frowning as he tried to understand what she could be thinking. Though she frowned, and her eyebrows furrowed, she did not seem annoyed or impatient. Who he was in his old life would have lost his patience and cast a crucio at someone long ago.

It was then that he noticed a rather strange sight. Where sky met land was a bridge that went out further still. The bridge itself was rather luminescent, and a structure – gold, of course – was at its end. That seemed to be where most of the activity was coming from, though Hera had made a point of not going near it yet. It looked like the only place left though, and sooner or later they were going to have to investigate.

"Hera…" He trailed off, taking into account how hard she was trying not to look towards the strange bridge. "Hera, we're going to have to go there eventually."

Hera flinched before slumping her shoulders in defeat. "I know. I just…The last time I remember him being on that bridge, he…I'll explain it later. Come on, let's go."

…

Though he tried to hide it as they walked, it was clear to Hera just how curious Salazar was about everything. He'd been patient about wandering around the palace grounds only because of said curiosity. That would have been unheard of when he'd been Voldemort. It was also that curiosity that had Salazar looking at the bridge's edge and what lay beyond. There was a movement out of the corner of her eye, and Hera's hand was out in a flash, latching onto his shoulder and hauling him away from the edge.

"Don't get too close to the edge, Salazar." Hera warned, furtively glancing his way and back ahead of them. He'd looked like he'd been about to ask about it, so she added. "It's a long way down."

She tried not to notice how his eyes narrowed as he studied her, or how all the colour seemed to drain from his face as he realized what she was implying. It was a good thing that conversation from the people that had gathered with the gatekeeper. His golden eyes landed on her, and she couldn't help but look away. She does not have fond memories of this man when it came to her last life, but he'd helped get her and her friends out of a tight spot when she'd went to steal the Uru from the dwarves of Niðavellir. Perhaps all was not lost there, but she was still apprehensive as she approached the group.

Heimdall stood at the gate of the BiFröst as he always did, with the sword that acted as the key at his side, absolutely covered in golden armour with ridiculous horned helmet to match. Not even Loki had had that much golden armour, and his horned helmet had certainly looked better. Hera idly wondered if she'd ever wear anything like that again, or if it was even possible with the horned circlet she naturally had as part of magically being Jötunn. Her eyes wandered over to the others of the group, wondering what in all the universe they had to be so upset about. She couldn't remember a meeting such as this in her last life.

Frigga was as poised as she always was, but there was a stiffness about her that normally wasn't quite so prevalent. It was as if she had shut down all emotions in order to keep a clear head, a practice Hera was all too familiar with. Thor's voice raged, booming throughout the space, storm clouds slowly forming overhead, indignant about…something. It was then she noticed something was lacking about him. Hera's heart sank when she realized what it was, that Mjölnir was missing.

"Thor," She hesitated to ask, sadness filled her voice as her heart sank further. "what have you done?"