Evelyn's p.o.v.
The snow has covered Hogwarts grounds. Thick white snowflakes are falling, sticking on my scarf as I make my way to Hagrid's hut. My first day of 'Learning with Loki' and I am just thrilled. Thor has agreed to take our lessons solo, not that I was present much either way. This sword has taken all of my time and I'm beginning to be fed up with everything. Although, I have a feeling that's not such a good thing.
I reach the door and knock a few times, stumping my feet down so my shoes clear a little bit from the snow.
"Well, good morning.", Loki greets me with a smile as he opens the door.
Heat from the inside hits my cold face.
"Morning.", I mumble before stepping in and taking my shoes off.
"Make yourself comfortable.", Loki says as I take my coat off.
"Did you speak to Tony?", he asks, sitting down.
"I did.", I say, taking a seat facing him.
"Good.", he comments, not asking any details about our conversation.
Not that I thought he would he interested.
"So, what's the plan?", I ask, crossing my arms and legs.
"We will starts with history. You need to learn at least the basics before we can move on to something more specific.", he informs me, placing white papers and a pen in front of me.
I raise my eyebrow, looking at the supplies, "I have to create notes?"
"Yes. I don't know how good your memory is and you will be learning quite a lot today. Remember, we only have a week."
I sigh, taking the pen and papers.
"But, first things first. Svartalfheim.", he says and I look at him.
"Repeat it.", he orders.
"Svartalfheim.", I say and he nods, "Good. So, Svartalfheim is one of the Ten realms, now actually Nine realms, and home of the Dark Elfs. Do you know the Nine worlds?", he asks.
"Umm, Asgard and Midgard are one of the Nine I suppose?", I say a bit insecure so it sounds more like a question.
"Correct.", he says but I frown, "Wait, I heard the term Nine, not Ten."
"Heven, the home of Angels used to be in the mix but Odin cut them out during a war,"
"Wait, Heven as in Heaven?", I ask curiously and a bit shocked.
"Well, yes and no. Christians took that and made it into a partially true story, erasing every other God that actually exists.", he explains.
"Oh, okay.", I say.
"So, the Nine realms are: Asgard, home of Aesir, later forming the Asgardians with the Vanir; Vanaheim, home of the Vanir, the sister race of the Asgardians; Jotunheim, home of the Frost Giants."
"That's where you come from?", I ask, interrupting his solo.
He looks at me and takes a few moments before saying "Yes."
Wow, adoption apparently doesn't sit well with anybody.
"Alfheim, home of Light Elfs; Nidavellir, home of the Dwarves; Midgard, humans; Svartalfheim, Dark Elfs ...you."
I sense a poisonous arrow as a form of payback for my question. Fine, I'll take it.
"Muspelheim, Fire Demons, a realm of eternal fire."
"So, something like Hell?", I ask.
"Hell or Hel with one l is what they connect but it's not a realm for itself, more a region of Niffleheim, realm of the dishonored dead, a land of ice, mist and cold. So you could say that humans fused Hel and Muspelheim."
I nod.
"We would need months to go trough every Realm so we're going to focus only on", he motions his hand towards me as a gesture for me to continue.
"Svartalfheim.", I say.
"Correct!"
Suddenly, our surroundings change and we find ourselves in a village in the middle of the woods, Elfs pacing all around us.
i stand up in panic, "What the hell is going on?", I ask, looking around.
Loki smirks, "Calm down, it's just an illusion. Nothing you see here is in real time and no one can hurt you."
"Where are we?", I ask, looking at him.
"This is an illustration of how a typical village in Svartalfheim looks like.", he states.
Tall, pale creatures with big pointy ears are walking around. Some are talking, some are chopping woods, children are yelling while running around. In one moment a group of children runs towards me and all of them just pass trough my body like I'm not there.
Loki smiles, "See, illusion."
"How did you do this?", I ask, looking at him.
He smiles and spreads his arms, "Magic."
I take a few steps towards a group of women talking. Not everybody looks ...beastly. I raise my hand and wave if front of her face. Nothing.
I smile, "This is awesome."
"Thor wouldn't agree with you.", Loki speaks.
"Probably has trauma from all the times you pranked him with that.", I say, turning towards him.
"Most certainly."
"Come on, let's take a walk.", he speaks and we start our little tour.
"Svartalfheim is in the middle region of the Nine realms, on the same level as Midgard and Jotunheim.", he speaks as we walk trough the crowd, stomping on muddy ground.
"It's heavily wooded, with Dark Elfs towns, villages and castles dotting across the landscape. They live above grounds, in castles and undergrounds in large caverns. They have their own portal that grands them access to other Realms and Midgard as well."
"Do they go to Midgard?", I ask.
"No one really goes to Midgard. Humans are not that interesting.", he states and as we walk, our surrounding changes again.
This time, we are in a castle. And I remember the castle. Ivar took me there.
"I was here.", I say, looking around.
"When you met your father?", Loki asks and I look at him, "When I met Ivar.", I say in a harsh tone.
"As hard as it is to accept, he is your father. You have his DNA.", he speaks with a serious tone.
"Does someone only by creating get a tile of a father? Is only that enough?", I ask him.
"In a way.", he answers.
"So you don't consider Odin to be your father? Or Thor to be your brother?", I ask him.
Suddenly, his skin becomes blue and his eyes become red, his face marked with lines that probably represent something.
"Do I look like I am?"
I'm about to speak but hear a woman's voice, talking in the language that I have dreamed of, so my head turns towards the sound.
"Queen Alflyse.", Loki speaks as a tall woman approaches us, talking to a man that walks beside her.
She seems old but her facial features are soft. She's pretty. Dark Elf pretty, at least.
"Alflyse?", I repeat her name
"Your mother named you after her mother, your grandmother. She was a great queen, very good and merciful. Cared about her people.", Loki speaks, his skin normal again.
She has a beautiful, long, dark grey gown with long pointy sleeves and a high neck. The dress is covered with white floral stitching and in the center of every flower there's a small black rhinestone. Her hair is white, pinned into a neat low bun and on the top of her head sits a silver crown with six points sticking up. The crowns ring is braided, simple but elegant.
They stop near us, continuing their conversation.
"What are they talking about?", I whisper, almost afraid that they would hear me.
Loki narrows his eyes, "Something political related. I didn't really study your native language."
"She died?", I ask and Loki nods.
"How?", my head turns towards Loki.
"Old age. At least that's what we where told.", he speaks.
"You think Ivar did something to her too?"
"Ivar came in the picture later, when Seena was crowned as queen. Young, naive ...she was an easy target, especially with her mother and father gone."
"And my grandfather?"
"Iselie was killed in a fight when your mother was a little girl. That's when Alflyse ended the war with Frost Giants, leaving Odin without an ally."
In that moment something clicked.
"In that war, what is then when Odin found you?", I ask, not looking at him.
Suddenly, the castle, along with my grandmother disappeared and we where back at Hagrid's. Just like that, the illusion was over.
"I hope you memorized everything you heard and saw today.", Loki speaks, opening the door behind me.
"I need my rest.", he states, motioning with his hand for me to leave.
"You didn't answer my-"
"This is not a bonding experience between me and you, Stark.", he says harshly.
I nod, take my coat and scarf, and leave.
X X X
"Is everything alright?", Severus asks as I watch the fire in his fireplace.
"Yes.", I simply say.
"You are quiet ...very unusual for you. The only time you are quiet is when you are in distress. Not to mention you very vaguely described your first lesson with Loki. Did something happened?"
I sigh, "I don't want to say it, because if I say it then it will become real."
"You like Loki's approach?", he asks.
"I actually do but it has nothing to do with his approach."
"Then?"
I look at him, "Loki is adopted."
"And you're starting to understand where his anger comes from.", Severus states.
"I don't know. I a way, I guess. But I don't want to feel compassion for him but for some reason I do.", I say, revealing my frustration.
"Okay.", he says and I stand up, "He doesn't deserve it and I know it, he killed so many people, but ...", I sigh.
"You can't help it. You overlooked my crimes.", he speaks and I look at him, "That's different."
"How now?", he asks, tilting his head a bit.
"You changed.", I say.
"Did I?", he asks.
"Well I hope you did."
"Did I change or did I heal?", he asks.
I open my mouth but stop myself, realizing I don't really have an answer to that.
"I came to Dumbledore because the Dark Lord broke his promise ...he killed Lily.", he speaks.
"And what if he didn't?", I ask.
"I don't know. Maybe, in time, I would realize on my own that what he was doing was wrong. Maybe, maybe not. I was young and hurt."
"So what's your point?", I ask.
"My point is that people don't change. They can heal but they don't change. Hurt makes you do horrible things. I am still the same person that joined Death Eaters, my past cannot be erased. Even after Lily's death, I was in a horrible state for so many years ...until I met you."
I smile, "Oh you hated me at first."
"Hate is a strong word. I never hated you. Disliked you, thought that you where annoying, impulsive, argumentative, pushy-"
"Okay, okay, I get it.", I say, rolling my eyes but still smiling.
"I mean, you still are all those things but now I know how to appreciate them.", he comments with a smirk.
"That is so nice of you.", I say cynically.
"Give him a chance. You don't have to forgive, just an opportunity may be enough.", he tells me.
I don't know how I feel about that.