From the Shadows

by Coho_Commanche

Summary:

Anastasia Potter-Black had never thought she would find herself tumbling through space to an alternate dimension where magic does not exist. She certainly never expected to fall for a certain Trickster. Now, her race, the Seidr are forced out of the shadows they had hidden themselves in. It is time for the Seidr to show Thanos just how powerful they have become.

Notes:

No final battle at Hogwarts. This story is majorly AU. A Night Visitor is going to be updated next. The Avengers won’t find out about the Seidr other than the legends surrounding them for a while. I started this a while ago, but only now finished the chapter.

Same Disclaimer as always.

Chapter 1: Veil of Death

Chapter One: Veil of Death

Anastasia Potter-Black groaned, burring her face in her hands after having taken one good look at the chaos surrounding her. The Weasley Twins had managed to get into the Ministry sometime during the night. Sometimes she really hated being the Queen of the Seidr.

After Voldemort’s rather humiliating defeat by the hand of a sixteen year old, she was promptly informed by Gringotts that she could claim emancipation due to Sirius Black’s naming her his heir. Anastasia had cornered a hospitalized Sirius and demanded to know what the hell was going on and if this was some poorly thought out prank. Sirius had been offended to learn that she thought so little of him. Remus had calmly pointed out that he would stoop to such levels.

Anastasia and Remus had fortunately been close enough to Sirius when he was hit by a spell from Bellatrix, to grab him before he fell in. Anastasia hadn’t been so lucky, and the whole left side of her body had brushed up against the Veil of Death. The left side of her body felt like it had frozen. Luckily, Sirius had excellent reflexes and managed to prevent her from falling in.

Sirius had then taken off after Bellatrix, while Remus tried to guide her out of the room. Anastasia’s Metamorph powers had gone all wonky, her hair cycling through several different colors. Once the duo managed to flee the room, they were assaulted by Fenrir Greyback, forcing Anastasia to escape on her own. The spinning room had stopped on a strange door that had vivid blue light shining under it.

*Flashback Begin*

“Run Ana, get out of here!” Anastasia didn’t need to be told twice, following her Slytherin instincts and getting the hell out of there. She dodged around Greyback when he took a swipe at her. Vicious snarls and the sound of spells being traded back and forth filled the air behind her. Shouts that didn’t belong to either Remus or Greyback echoed behind her. More Death Eaters poured into the large round hall.

She ran, being forced to stop her flight when the room began spinning dizzily. She leapt for the first door she saw, vaguely noting a strange blue light from under the door. She grasped the handle, turning it and wrenching it open. She flung herself inside, throwing every locking spell, repelling ward, and protection ward on the door that she knew.

Her whole body trembled, the feeling of being frozen spreading, causing her to stumble and prop herself up against the wall. Several thuds and bangs sounded from the other side of the door, prompting her to turn to flee deeper into the room, and finally got a good look at where she was. Her mind was growing sluggish, her magic levels dropping as it tried to heal whatever the Veil had done to her. She rubbed her eyes, blinking to make sure that she wasn’t seeing things.

In the middle of the room, lay a ghostly, glowing blue ball of light. She gaped, her mind unable to figure out what was going on. Her pounding heart slowed, her harsh breathing easing as the demand for blood decreased.

Anastasia wanted nothing more than to go rejoin the fight. She knew that in her condition she would only prove to be a hindrance, a distraction. The best thing she could do at the moment was to stay hidden or get out of the Ministry.

The sound of explosions against the door spurred her on. Anastasia’s eyes darted around the room, her glasses cracked and dirty. She stumbled, falling to her hands and knees, her magic fighting the spreading cold. She forced herself to crawl, making sure not to get too close to the blue light thing. It almost seemed to observe her, driving fear into her heart. Anastasia wanted nothing to do with whatever sort of magic the light was made of.

Its blue glow lit the room, providing more than enough light to navigate her way deeper into the stone chamber. Her leg throbbed; the long cut marring it making it slick with blood. Her scar hurt suddenly, and she collapsed again, curling into a ball. Oh, she was doomed.

No! No, I will not let that snake-faced bastard win.

With renewed determination, and rising anger, she drug herself forward over the dusty floor, coughing as she inhaled the stirred up dust. She winced at the term that Sirius favored, disgusted that it was popping up in her head now.

“Anastasia.” The sound was little more than a whisper.

Anastasia screamed, jumping to her feet in terror with the surge of adrenaline. She spun, wavering, her wand gripped tightly. She barely managed to stay standing, terror and adrenaline the only things keeping her on her feet.

“Who’s there?” Her trembling voice echoed in the stone room. No one answered her. She noticed that her trail of blood was shining in the blue light a purple color. Anastasia swore that her heart stopped for a moment. Frantically, she swiveled her head, taking in the rough-hewn ceiling and walls made of dark shiny stone, and the white-grey floor covered in dust. She wanted to cast a Lumos, but her magic was low enough already.

Her malnourished frame crumbled when a particularly strong tremor grasped it. Anastasia felt like she was encased in ice, she could no longer feel pain. She knew that was bad, very bad. She cursed herself, cried that she wasn’t strong enough to fight, that she was a coward and a Slytherin.

Sirius had hidden it well, but she knew he was disappointed in her. She vowed to change if she ever made it out of here alive. Her heart ached, thoughts of her friends and pseudo family haunting her, taunting her with their existence.

Her green eyes slipped closed, her body having reverted back into its base form due to a lack of magic to hold another form.

“Anastasia.” The whispering voice was back, filling her head and the empty room. She peeled her eyes open. She saw no other doors except the one that she had come through. Her robes were torn and dirty, her red hair messier than ever.

“What? What do you want?” Her voice was rough and scratchy. She was too tired and too cold to care much at the moment, her common sense all but having deserted her, her mind feeling fuzzy and broken. The burning heat from her scar felt like fire on her cold skin, the sudden pain fogging any other rational thoughts she might have been capable of producing.

The blue light seemed to swell, growing brighter. It was little more than a blur for Anastasia, her eyes barely able to stay open.

“Out.” Curiosity stirred, followed by a faint feeling of foreboding. She didn’t say anything at first.

“Then find a way out.” The light grew stronger, drifting from the middle of the room once the words left her chapped and bleeding lips.

“You’re willing?”

Huh?

The blue light was hovering over her now, Anastasia was barely conscious.

“Yes.” She had no idea what was going on. She was hallucinating at this point, thinking that the voice was asking if she was willing to escape and survive. She really should have kept her mouth shut.

The light sunk, drifting down onto her stomach, and just sitting there for several seconds. Several tendrils of blue, wispy light stretched out over her. In her half-conscious state, Anastasia thought the light was pretty and had a strong urge to touch it. She was far too weak though, and simply lay there, relishing in the warmth spreading from where the light rested on her.

The light poked and prodded at a large gash on her stomach, that it was resting directly on top of. Several tendrils snaked their way across her body, seeking out any other injuries. From small scratches and bruises, to potentially life threatening wounds, the light sought out each and every one of them. Small swirls of scales took the place of the wounds, creating a beautiful design as they connected and crawled up her body. Her scar throbbed worse than ever before, yet Anastasia could do little more than whimper and twitch.

“And so shall rise the Seidr once more.”

What the fuck is a Seidr?

Anastasia slowly regained her ability to think, that being the first thought in her head. She internally frowned at her choice of wording. She never cursed, so why was she doing so now?

Anastasia could feel her strength returning, whatever magic the blue light was made of, rapidly healing her. She blinked, then blinked some more. She couldn’t see a thing clearly, yet her glasses were perched crookedly on her nose. Her hand twitched, and she grit her teeth, forcing her arm to move. It did so slowly, flopping back onto the stone floor several times, sending flurries of dust into the air. She sneezed violently. Successfully managing to grab her glasses, she allowed her arm to limply fall back to the floor again.

She could see. Her heart pounded, adrenaline surging through her. Anastasia stared at the blue light, smaller than before, but spreading itself out over her. She gave a cry of alarm, struggling uselessly as the magic began to sink into her skin. Her gut was glowing, something that she had never wanted to see.

Anastasia screamed, feeling like she was hit by lightning as the foreign magic clashed with what was left of hers. She had yet to notice the swirling and twisting designs on her arms. Her body went into a magical shock as the two magics clashed.

She passed out soon after, being spared the worst of the pain.

LINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINE

Anastasia was floating in darkness, warm and content. Her chaotic emotions had settled, the panic and desperation easing into calm happiness. She felt like she was truly at peace for the first time, no worries invading her mind here. She heard whispers then, hissing, and a phoenix trilling. The hissing was oddly soothing, and the trilling causing something to swell up in her.

She felt something new then, something that she had never felt before. It was as if a great power were bearing down on her, judging her. She remained calm, the trilling of the phoenix soothing any nerves she might have felt.

Anastasia wondered if she was dead, and if she was, then dying wasn’t so bad. She couldn’t see why people would kick up such a fuss about dying. A chuckle echoed around her. She grew confused.

“You have suffered greatly child. You think yourself to be unworthy of love. Within you is a core of steel, buried deep. Embrace your destiny and unite with your allies, they will need you. He is coming for them, ancient powers are stirring, and you are at the center of it. Good luck Chosen One.”

Anastasia’s world spun, flashes of images zipping across her mind, a phoenix and serpent clashed, blending into a dragon. It roared, flames engulfing her, and she woke with a scream.

Anastasia panted, the dragon having only been in her head. She was able to see, but it seemed different than normal, she almost thought it was based on heat signatures, but there was normal color as well. The chamber she was passed out in was empty, the glowing blue light from before having disappeared. She looked at her stomach, suddenly finding it hard to swallow. She gagged at the taste. Her mouth tasted disgusting and her stomach snarled, demanding sustenance.

Anastasia clenched her hands, discovering that she no longer had her wand in her possession. She shot upright, curling over as her back screamed at her, pain radiating from it. Her magic trembled, moderately weak, but rapidly increasing.

Looking around her, she finally spotted her beloved wand. Heart leaping in excitement, she gave a cry of triumph. Snatching it up, she cast a mouth freshening charm, desperate for some sort of relief. Her mouth no longer tasting like something had died in it, Anastasia stood up, but was not anticipating the sudden loss of balance. She crashed back to the stone floor, crying out in pain as she landed on something evidently attached to her back. Her wand flew out of her hand again, clattering across the stone floor. Sitting up carefully, she felt behind her shoulder, and nearly passed out again.

Wings, large, and from the feel of them, dragon-like wings. Something brushed against her leg and she yelped, jerking forward and falling onto her face as her balance was shot to hell.

Growling in irritation, she pushed herself up onto her knees. Joints stiff and muscles aching, she searched for the source of her fright. Her hand landed on a serpentine, scaled appendage. It was slim, but had small, not quite spikes running down it. She followed it, her arm twisting behind her back and to the small area right above the beginning of her butt. The thing grew thicker the closer it came to her back, before simply melding with her skin, scales spreading out from the area.

Her breath hitched, and she took several deep breaths to prevent herself from hyperventilating. Only her, only she could manage to grow a pair of wings and a tail. A hysterical laugh escaped her, turning into uncontrollable sobs. She was doomed.

*Flashback End*

Everyone had been stunned once she managed to regain control of her emotions and transfigure a shirt from the shredded robes to protect her modesty, before stumbling from the room. She had thrown open the door, having heard Sirius screaming at Dumbledore from the other side. The Unspeakables had nearly knocked her over as they tried to whisk her away for studying.

Anastasia grinned as she remembered Sirius and Remus taking exception to that and hexing them. Dumbledore had wasted no time in snatching her and taking off via phoenix. After that he had gone on to try and explain the prophecy, but was forced to rush her to Poppy when she fainted after hearing she had to kill Voldemort. Her mind had decided that enough was enough and it was time for lights out.

Poppy had thrown a huge hissy fit when she found out that Anastasia hadn’t been brought to her immediately. She barred the Hospital Wing from all but a few, the Headmaster not being included in the ones allowed inside. Her new appendages created quite the stir and forced her to stay in the magical world for the summer.

The rest of the magical world quickly found out and flocked to Hogwarts.

Anastasia was brought out of her musings as she nearly crashed into a preoccupied wizard. She swerved out of the way, her ice blue hair and silver eyes catching many people’s attention, yet not this man apparently.

Some people groveled and bowed, while others simply grinned at the look of consternation that spread across Anastasia’s face. She had stated in public repeatedly that she didn’t want people bowing to her. Some had listened, but many had not. The hero worship that she had garnered from killing Voldemort when she was sixteen didn’t help.

Anastasia and Dumbledore had spent several months hunting down and destroying the Horcruxes that Voldemort had made. It was a good thing that Anastasia had practically forced Dumbledore to take her along, seeing as he would have been fatally cursed by the ring. He had given the odd stone from the ring to her after he had removed the curse and they destroyed the Horcrux. He had told her that she would be one of the few to not abuse the Stone’s power. She still didn’t know why he had capitalized the word, nor what was so special about the stone now adorning her finger in a new setting.

In those long months, Dumbledore taught her everything that he knew. When he believed that he had located another Horcrux, he drug her out of school to help him. Anastasia had finally managed to retract the wings and tail after destroying the locket. Sirius had been horrified to discover he had a piece of Voldemort’s soul stashed away in his house.

It was after she had killed Voldemort in the Battle of Hogsmeade in early June, that she discovered Magic had named her its heir. She had screamed and kicked, throwing a tantrum that made up for all the years she had been forced to repress them. After a hellish year of extreme tutoring and being around stuck up pricks like Lucius Malfoy, she was declared competent enough to claim the throne. She had to be tied up and delivered via phoenix to get her to the I.C.W where she was to be crowned. She had mulishly refused to accept the throne, forcing Hermione to threaten her with blackmail. She had cooperated after that. That was over six years ago.

Anastasia flicked her wand at the joke products wreaking havoc. The firecrackers fizzled out and the strange concoctions turning people into animals or causing swamps to pop up vanished.

“Really, just because today is Halloween, doesn’t mean that it’s ok to cause chaos.” Her mumbled words were lost in an explosion of sound.

People began to follow her lead, banishing or destroying the pranks still active. The swamps would take a bit of work, but other than that, the clean up went relatively quickly.

Anastasia re-holstered her wand, the wand that Dumbledore had previously used until she finally managed to beat him in a duel. Magic now came more easily than ever before, and she relished in its ease.

She continued on her way, dressed in fine robes of black and purple that she absolutely despised. She would much rather wear jeans or some other tight form of pants than cumbersome robes, but she didn’t need to kick up a fuss among the Purebloods this early in the morning.

Hermione had contacted her around six, begging her to come take a look at the Veil of Death. The archway had been acting oddly recently, giving off strong waves of magic. After the incident with the Veil of Death and the blue light, her emerald green eyes changed, both turning the color of the Killing Curse. They constantly glowed now, no matter how much she repressed her magic, she could not get rid of the glow. She wore sunglasses when she went out into Muggle areas, or simply cast spells to prevent the Muggles from noticing. They tended to unnerve people.

Striding past the security check without stopping, she marched grumpily to the nearest elevator. There were three other people inside, all but one falling into a bow.

“You’re looking a bit frazzled there Potter.” Trust Draco Malfoy to be the one not to bow, the arrogant snot.

Her attitude had changed tremendously after becoming part dragon. She was much more aggressive and powerful, her body having finally obtained something to drag it kicking and screaming into what is should have been, if not for the Dursleys.

“Nice hair Potter. I especially like the eyes.” Malfoy was smirking at her, his handsome face observing her in amusement.

“Of course you like my eyes, they match your own.” It was true; Draco Malfoy had silver eyes as well, though he didn’t have to suffer his always glowing. She knew he was being sarcastic about her hair though. Grinning mischievously, she decided to throw him off.

“Hey Malfoy, look, I’m your twin.” He recoiled from her as she shifted into a feminine version of him. He looked smug suddenly.

“I knew you thought my looks were superior to your own.” Anastasia gaped, aghast. She hurriedly switched her hair to a blend of many different blues, giving it a beautiful effect. Her silver eyes danced with mirth.

“Well, this is my stop cousin.” With that parting statement, she strolled out of the elevator, leaving the two stunned Ministry workers behind. Draco hurried after her, curious as to what his cousin was doing on the level containing the Department of Mysteries.

“Potter!” Anastasia stopped, and turned her head over her shoulder.

“Why are you following me Malfoy?” Her voice carried irritation. He caught up with her, tweaking her pointed ear, earning him a swat and a squeal from his shorter cousin. Her pointed ears refused to be changed, due to a part Elf inheritance that the dragon forced out. She was still bemoaning the fact that the genes that were once recessive and dormant were forced to become active when the dominant alleles where mutated. Everyone but Dumbledore, Poppy, Severus, and Hermione had given her blank stares. Hermione had then proceeded to given them all a lecture on genetics and the effect of mutated alleles.

“Dammit Malfoy! My ears are sensitive you prat.” She swatted him some more, Draco darting away from her.

“Why are you here, this is…”

“I know perfectly well where I am cousin, now Hermione is waiting for me.” Facing forward once more, she set off as a fast clip. Draco tagged along, not deterred in the slightest when she gave him a dirty look.

They soon came upon the door leading to the Department of Mysteries, and the Unspeakable that emerged from the shadows when they drew close enough to touch the door. Anastasia grinned as Malfoy jumped in the air.

“Luna! Don’t do that, you nearly gave me a heart attack.” Luna grinned at them dreamily, her serene smile ticking off Draco, but amusing Anastasia.

“Hello Ana, Draco. Hermione is about to have a conniption fit. The Nargles are getting to her.” Draco snorted, rolling his eyes at the woman.

“Ah, yes, those pesky Nargles, lead the way Luna.” Anastasia had no idea if there were such creatures, but she wouldn’t be surprised if there were.

After suffering the spinning room, Anastasia trudged her way to the door that Luna had opened. Standing at the top of the stairs that lead down into the chamber, Draco, Luna, and Anastasia silently took in the other Unspeakables. Terry Boot was talking to Hermione, while four other older and unidentified Unspeakables examined the fluttering Veil of Death.

Anastasia felt a tug on her magical core, one that grew more insistent and had her dragon snarling as she stood there in shock. Snapping out of it, she made her way to Hermione, who had yet to see her.

“So, what was so important that you needed me of all people, the one who is least qualified to mess around with the Veil of Death?” Hermione spun around, eyes red from lack of sleep and dark half circles underneath them.

“You’re finally here. What are you doing here Malfoy?” Hermione’s tone was sharp.

“Don’t mind him, he’s like a fungus, he’ll eventually grow on you.” Draco let out a hiss of anger, going for his wand before he found himself under the other wands in the room. He held his hands up, looking sheepish.

“Like I said, a fungus.” Hermione rolled her eyes and drug her best friend over to the Veil.

Anastasia squirmed, the tugging much more insistent and bordering on painful now. The whispers that were normally calm seemed agitated, matching her dragon’s mood. She fidgeted, trying to focus on what Hermione was saying.

“Are you even listening to me?” Anastasia gave her an innocent look.

“Let me guess you want me to see if there is anything from Voldemort’s memories about the Veil of Death.” Hermione nodded, and Anastasia sighed. Mentally preparing herself, she did her best to ignore the now painful pull on her magic.

Diving into Voldemort’s memories was never a pleasant experience, though she continued to do so in search of his knowledge. After seven years, most of it had merged with her own, all but the last year of his life, which was were she was now looking. She found what she was looking for in the midst of gore filled memories.

“He was reading up on it after he found out that I came into contact with it. He wanted to know what the Veil might be capable of. He somehow got ahold of ancient scrolls that mentioned a gateway between the worlds and hiding from an unnamed enemy. He translated some of the runes that Rookwood copied for him, after discovering that the same runes were contained in the scrolls. He never got the chance to examine the Veil himself, but he did translate the scrolls and read all of them before I killed him.”

Everyone was gaping at her, then the Unspeakables converged together, wild hand gestures and moving mouths the only things Anastasia and Draco had to clue them in on what they were saying due to the silencing ward.

Anastasia drew closer to the Veil, not paying attention to where her feet were being placed. She sensed Draco following her, but ignored him.

“Careful Potter, don’t fall in.” Anastasia shot him a look that said quite plainly she thought he was an idiot for even suggesting that.

“I’m not going to fall in cousin.” She rolled her eyes, sweat beginning to bead on her skin as the pain grew worse. Draco noticed her clenched jaw and strained face.

“Are you…” He never got to finish his question. An explosion from the testing room next to the chamber housing the Veil of Death shook the ground. Anastasia, on uneven ground, lost her balance, gabbing at Draco to prevent herself from falling over. Unfortunately for both of them, he was in an even more uneven spot, causing him to stumble, then lose his balance.

“Ana!”

“Your Majesty!”

No one called out for Draco, far too worried about their Queen as she and her cousin toppled back into the Veil of Death. Hermione cast an overpowered summoning charm, but was too late. The Unspeakables could only watch in horror as their ruler disappeared into the Veil. Hermione and Luna charged after them, only for Hermione to trip and nearly fall in herself. Luna wasn’t so lucky, tripping over Hermione and tumbling in after Anastasia and Draco before Hermione could grab her.

“Fuck!”

And thus, Hermione Granger cursed for the first time in her life.

LINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINE

Anastasia shifted to her dragon form instinctively, curling around Draco and Luna as they tumbled through space. She clung to them, tucking her wings in close so that she wouldn’t injure them. The tunnel they were shooting down was filled with every color imaginable, creating a psychedelic effect. She forced her eyes to stay open, knowing that she had to be prepared for anything. She had just enough time to see the ground coming before snapping her wings open and halting their descent. She let Draco and Luna slide from her now uncurled body. They sank to the ground, trembling and pale. Anastasia turned back into a human, quickly casting the necessary spells to remain unseen and undetected. The Royal Crest was etched into the ground, her eyes widened as she saw the world around them. A beach, they were on a beach.

Grabbing Luna and Draco, and dragging them to their feet, she pulled them away from the water and up to the cliff that towered over them. They ducked down behind some boulders.

“We need to get out of here. That undoubtedly drew attention to our location. Where are we anyways?” Draco amended that problem by casting a location spell. Their mouths went dry.

California, United States of America.

Draco then cast a Tempus.

7:30 AM, October 31, 2014.

“Oh gods. We need to leave, now.” The three Seidr bolted up the deserted beach, praying that they were still on the same world. Fortunately their magic and Anastasia’s quick thinking had saved them from procuring any injuries.

Anastasia noticed that the tugging on her magic had completely disappeared. She growled as they ran up onto the ground on top of the cliffs.

I hate Halloween!

LINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINE

“Director! Our sensors picked up a massive disturbance off the coast of California.” Agent Hill had come running into the Avengers’ meeting, normally neat and tidy hair askew.

Fury stared at her, then stood, marching over and snatching the folder from her. His remaining eye scanned the contents gravely. He turned to the Avengers.

“I thought you said Thanos was no where near Earth.” He directed the accusation to a stunned Thor. He looked ready to shoot Thor, his hand twitched around the folder, bending it.

“How many has he killed?” Thor’s deep voice was grave, the other Avengers looked to be despairing.

“None.” It was Agent Hill who answered him.

“None? Then tis not Thanos, mayhap a scout or…”

“So, what’s the coordinates?” Stark was trying to peek over Fury’s shoulder, though he wasn’t having much luck. Fury elbowed the insufferable man, driving the air out of his lungs with an “oomph”.

“We are not going to rush in like idiots Stark.” Fury began barking orders, trusting that none would dare to defy him.

LINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINELINE

Thor paled and shivered as he stared down at the symbol in the sand. Bruce shifted uneasily, the Hulk agitated for some reason. Natasha, Clint, Steve, and Tony noticed both Thor and Bruce’s odd behavior.

“Is there a reason you’re staring at the symbol like it’s about to eat you?” Tony went to poke at it, but Thor stopped him.

“Nay, do not touch it!” The Avengers, except for Bruce, gave him bewildered looks.

“Come on Shakespeare, it’s just a…” Tony poked it with his suit-clad foot, and that suit was the only thing that saved him.

Electricity arched from the glowing design to Tony, picking him up and slamming him into the cliff. He crumpled, sparks arching over the suit, shorting it out. He managed to get out of it with the little power it had left, and ran from the suit. He made it just in time to dive behind some large boulders before it exploded.

The other Avengers dove for cover, all making sure to stay far away from the glowing symbol. Captain America peered over his shield at the panting and trembling form of Tony Stark. His black hair was standing on end, looking slightly singed. His shirt was burned in several spots, but otherwise he was fine.

Clint snorted, before laughing at the stunned look on the genius’s face. Tony scowled, hauling himself to his feet, pulling out his phone to take pictures of the symbol, only to realize to his ever-lasting horror, that it was destroyed by the electric surge. Growling, he picked up a rock and chucked it at Clint, who was still laughing, his bow laying forgotten on the sand as he clutched his gut while pointing at Tony. He saw the rock coming and neatly dodged it. Clint retaliated by throwing a rock a Tony, which he did not manage to dodge.

“Boys!” Natasha, fed up with their antics, decided to put a stop to it. People were on the beach, getting closer than she would have liked. She cursed in Russian when she spotted the reporters that were descending down upon them.

“Mr. Stark! Mr. Stark!” Tony cursed as he turned around, a devil may care grin on his face that slipped when he saw just how many people were present.

“What the hell is a Seidr!” The crowd grew quite at Bruce’s shout. Thor glared at him for drawing the attention onto them. He grimaced. Bruce flushed as he realized the Hulk was increasing the level of his reactions.

“They are beings of magic, Thanos is said to be the one that tried to wipe out the Siedr. All the other races had assumed he destroyed them, but now I am not so sure. This is the crest of the Royal Seidr family. It was magic that destroyed your suit, Man of Iron.” There was a brief lull in conversation as everyone gaped at Thor and the glowing crest with a dragon and phoenix.

Then an explosion of questions erupted.

Chapter 2: Legends Among Us

Notes:

A/N: I do not plan to ever abandon my stories, the only one that I might not get back to is my first one, but it’s so bad that I shudder at the thought of trying to fix it. If I do, it’s likely to become completely different. Do you want longer chapters that will take longer, or shorter ones that will be uploaded sooner?

Chapter Two: Legends Among Us

Thoughts whirled through Thor’s mind. The stories he had been told as a child about the Seidr, had been just that, stories, legends of past times long gone. The only remains of the Seidr having inhabited Midgard were places like Stonehenge; places full of magic.

“Thor, what do you mean by ‘beings of magic’?” It was a miracle that Thor had even managed to hear Bruce over the din. Thor wasn’t the only one who had managed to hear Bruce’s question.

“What is a Seidr aside from ‘a being of magic’?” The reporter’s question was shouted from a small woman with an amazing pair of lungs. A hush fell over the crowd, including the law enforcement that had began to push people back and set up barricades.

Everyone looked at Thor inquisitively. Microphones and cameras were pointed in his direction. Thor shifted with unease, not comfortable having all of the attention suddenly directed towards him again.

“The best way to describe the Seidr is to ask the question of not what are they capable of, but rather, what are they not capable of. My father is one of the few still alive that had met one of the Seidr. They were our allies, ones that we dared not cross. Our mutual enemies feared and envied the Seidr, and this was only exacerbated by the creation of the Tesseract. We believe its creation is what triggered Thanos to attack them with everything that they had. They simply disappeared after holding him and his forces off for three days. Something happened to Thanos, something that forced him to retreat. The Tesseract also disappeared from existence, and was believed to have been destroyed until it was found.”

Thor paused, letting his mind plan out the rest of what he wanted to say. Everyone was silent, watching him wide-eyed. The wind ruffled his blonde hair, kicking up sand slightly as well.

“There was little known about the Tesseract aside from its creators, and Odin promised them that should anything happen to them that he either protect it or destroy it. Thanos now knows about the Tesseract still existing, and he will focus on that more than destroying Midgard.” One reporter was frowning, the news having released information about Thanos being an impending threat and to prepare for the new laws and regulations.

“Why here though? Why was the Tesseract found on Earth and not the home of the Seidr?” Others murmured, wanting to know the same thing; Thor shifted uneasily. A look if dawning realization crept over several people’s faces as the puzzle fit together.

“Midgard was their home. When the Seidr disappeared, Thanos abandoned Midgard. We arrived too late to help due to the Bifrost being tampered with.” Dead silence, even the wind paused.

“I’m sorry, but are you saying that Earth was the home planet of the Seidr?” A young woman from the crowd piped up, jarring people from their shock.

“Aye, places like Stonehenge are all that remain of their civilization. Atlantis was said to be the heart of it.” If Thor thought that the crowd had been loud before the explanation, it was nothing compared to now.

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Anastasia grabbed Draco and Luna when they almost ran out onto the road. A car shot past them, scaring both of the Purebloods. Oh, they knew what cars looked like, and had been around them, but they hadn’t had to deal with them on a fast and busy road. The parking lot was rapidly filling with cars and people. Anastasia grabbed both of them and without a sound, they disappeared. The trio reappeared on the other side of the road, well away from the mass of activity.

Faint shimmers betrayed their location, but was necessary for them if they wanted to be able to grab each other. Only an unusually observant person, or one who knew what to look for would discover them.

“Right, we need to see if by some miracle, we are still on the Earth that were when we fell into the Veil.” With that, she leaned down and plucked a branch off of the ground, murmuring and performing several strange wand movements. She made sure to keep the branch hidden behind some bushes so that none of the Muggles would spot a floating branch. “Here we are, one international portkey.” The wood glowed a brilliant shy darker shy blue, signaling that it was active, before fading.

“How about you go and see if we’re still on our version of Earth, while Luna and I stay here?” Draco absolutely hated international portkeys and was not at all anxious to experience one after falling through the Veil. Anastasia huffed, as Luna nodded her head serenely, not that the others could see her do it very well.

“Fine, I’ll go and you two stay here and try not to get into trouble.” Luna placed her hand on Anastasia’s arm briefly.

“Come directly back if there is no sign of magic, don’t try to find more elsewhere without us.” Anastasia pat Luna’s hand reassuringly, noting that it was cold and clammy. She cast a warming charm over both Draco and Luna, hoping that it would help them get over their shock.

“Portus.” With that extremely unoriginal trigger word, Anastasia disappeared with a loud whooshing and popping sound.

Anastasia somehow managed to only stagger slighty when her feet slammed down on the roof of a building. Her eyes widened, and a noise of horror escaped her throat. Nothing, absolutely nothing. Where the entrance to Diagon Alley was supposed to be, there was a bakery; a normal, non-magical bakery. Her legs wobbled and she collapsed back against the wall of the door leading to the top of a building. Her eyes squeezed shut, fear grabbing at her. She really just wanted to cry. Why, why was it that every Halloween resulted in some sort of disaster? This one was tied with the one her parents had been killed on. She took several deep breaths, glad that the spells keeping her from being seen had held.

She simply stood there, staring blankly at the bakery for several minutes. She closed her eyes and shook her head; she needed to get beck to the others. Taking one last look at the bakery, she made another portkey out of the branch. She disappeared, not knowing that she had made a fatal error.

Being raised in Muggle world and isolated from it at the same time, had not given her knowledge of certain CCTV cameras that were harder to spot, and much more abundant. A ripple in the air was odd, but not enough to set off alarm bells. A floating branch suddenly appearing and then glowing blue was more than enough to set off alarms.

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The security guard peeked in the monitor room, curious as to just what was happening in London. He idly gazed at the frantic rush of people, eyes skipping over one of the few without much going on that was interesting. He really wasn’t supposed to be in the room, but he was bored and his best friend was one of the people who worked in the room, so he could use the excuse of coming to see him, only to find him missing from the room.

A ripple on one of the screens caught his attention, the camera going slightly fuzzy before clearing. A strange, almost-mirage caught his attention, he moved closer, bending forward and squinting. The strange ripples moved backwards, coming to a halt at the door of the topmost part of the building. His eyes narrowed, fingers itching to zoom the camera in.

“Charles? What are you doing in here?” Charles didn’t turn around, tilting his head from side to side, trying to figure out what it was he was seeing.

“James, come take a look at this, can you zoom in the camera?” James, a tall and lanky man with brown hair and blue eyes peered over at the screen his best friend was pointing at. Unlike James, Charles was more stocky and shorter, but no less intimidating. James frowned, having caught sight of the strange ripples as well. They were faint, but both he and Charles had been trained to pay attention to every little detail, especially Charles.

“Yea, hold on a moment.” James fiddled with the camera settings, zooming in on the ripples a bit more. They were easier to see now, more defined and clear. The camera was having a much easier time of spotting the spell than any human could without training.

“What on Earth? Is that a floating branch!” Charles’s shout drew James’s attention, his eyes snapping to where he was pointing. They hadn’t been able to see it earlier all that well, assuming that is was a shadow. Now, with the camera zoomed in and focused better, the details of what they had assumed to be a shadow stood out as something else entirely.

“Bloody hell, it is!” James’s shout drew attention from some of their fellow coworkers, who came running down the hall, skidding to a stop.

“Guys come look at this, hurry!” The two men and one woman in the doorway rushed over, gawking at the floating branch. The ripples began moving violently, and the small branch suddenly began to glow blue. The CCTV camera began to fuzz, the picture distorting. With a last ripple, the glowing stick and ripples disappeared.

It wasn’t until later when they all heard about the Seidr incident in California, that they began to connect the dots. The CCTV cameras were obsessively checked after that and the tape that contained the small glowing branch disappeared mysteriously. More like SHEILD managed to nab it when no one was looking.

An innocent comment about how the blue glow was the same as the Tesseract would cause mayhem in SHEILD once Fury heard about it.

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Anastasia reappeared, the air rippling with her arrival. “There was a bakery, a normal, non-magical bakery where the Leaky Cauldron should be. Draco cursed, and Luna sighed.

“We need to get into the city and find shelter, or at least information, not to mention food.” Draco had calmed down and reluctantly agreed with Luna’s statement.

“We need to remove the Disillusionment charms from our bodies, there is little point in using them. I’ll transfigure your robes, seeing as I grew up in the Muggle world.” The trio made their way further from the road, hiding behind the larger plants that grew there. The charms were cancelled with a small flash of light, and the three were once more visible.

“Here, hold still for a few moments Draco.” Draco held very still having learned long ago that to move while clothing was either being altered or having measurements taken resulted in pain.

“Keep a lookout for us Luna.” Luna smiled serenely, large mercurial eyes sparkling with excitement.

Anastasia quickly transfigured Draco’s robes into a three-piece suit, knowing that if it were anything less than sophisticated, he’d throw a fit. Draco gave the charcoal pants and jacket, with a white dress shirt a considering look. She conjured a tie and handkerchief. Draco looked reluctantly impressed by the outfit. Luna was much given a yellow summer dress strappy sandals. Draco’s boots were painstakingly dealt with. Dragon hide was notoriously hard to get magic to stick to. Eventually, Anastasia threw in the towel and conjured two more handkerchiefs and simply transfigured those into dress shoes.

The boots where shrunken down and stored in a pocket of Draco’s jacket. Anastasia decided to just go with jeans and ended up transfiguring her own shoes out of conjured handkerchiefs. She had a normal, dark green, V-necked shirt and a black jacket with silver accents.

“Right then, off to blending in with the masses.” Her flame-like hair and vivid, glowing green eyes contradicted her statement. Draco snorted and Luna looked around herself in a daze. A few spells took care of the Muggles noticing anything odd about her though.

“So, where should we try next?” Anastasia shrugged, not really wanting to use another international portkey. Luna looked to be considering a great mystery.

“Hmm, the Blibbering Hummdingers are growing in number.” Anastasia stared at Luna blankly. The sirens that had been growing steadily closer, were suddenly bearing down upon them. Several black, official looking cars pulled up not long after. It clicked suddenly.

“Government, you were talking about government officials weren’t you Luna?” Draco, who had been lost in thought, suddenly gave the two women incredulous stares.

“Oh Merlin, please tell me that she doesn’t use imaginary creatures to describe everything.” Draco whined, sounding just like the little boy he once was, from Hogwarts that just wouldn’t shut up.

“So what if she does? Besides, how do you know that the creatures aren’t real? Muggles don’t think that magic is real, let alone unicorns or dragons, yet they exist.” Draco’s face scrunched up, a grimace contorting his features.

“Look, we either need to get to the nearest…oh! We need to get one of those government officials to create false identities and backgrounds for us before we do anything else. Luna, why don’t you and Draco check out other areas that should contain magical communities. Hell, forget that, use the Point-Me spell. I can’t believe we’d forgotten that.” Anastasia moaned, irritated that she had completely forgotten about the spell, which would have most likely saved her that international portkey trip.

Anastasia took out her wand and placed it on her palm. “Point-Me nearest magical community.” The wand spun and spun, but never once settled on a single direction. Anastasia groaned, yep, she was cursed.

“Great, so no magical communities here then.” Draco’s voice was filled with horror, the prospect of having to live with Muggles terrifying.

“You two stay here, the last thing we need is to have you mouth off Draco, or you Luna, start commenting on Nargles and whatnot.” Draco looked both relieved and offended. Luna just smiled dreamily, like usual. “You need to be prepared to get into the car that I get in, so make your way over after me and Disillusion yourselves.” Draco’s look of relief vanished, and Luna nodded, surprisingly serious for a second.

Anastasia carefully watched the road, then dashed across it when she couldn’t see any cars coming. Though, from the looks of it, the road might have been blockaded out of sight. She cursed when several men gave her the once-over, and glowered at them. She began wandering, searching for one of the government officials whom must be an agent of some sort. She spotted one, chatting away on his phone. He had an eye patch and dark skin. She casually strolled closer, slowly making her way over to the secluded area he was in.

Leaning against a tree, she palmed her wand, slowly crossing her arms. Her right arm pointed at the man, who was now scowling at her as he hung up. She gathered her magic, and waited for the opportune moment.

“So, what’s got everyone in a tizzy?” Her British accent caused his eye to narrow, and his lips to form a firm, small line. She didn’t give him a chance to answer, instead hitting him with the pearlescent Imperious spell. He blinked, eyes glazing over.

“Now then, here’s what I need you to do.”

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Nickolas Fury felt strange, his mind was hazed and he had not a care in the world. He grew slightly alarmed, but the strange feeling of euphoria grew stronger. He needed to do what he was being told. He began typing away on his phone, luckily able to take care of such matters on it. He began walking to his car, not paying any attention to the agents looking at him in concern. He turned to the woman behind him when she asked if he was all right. He had a blank expression on his face when he answered that he was perfectly fine.

Anastasia walked off to the restrooms, and cast an illusion of herself exiting after belatedly remembering she had an invisibility cloak and putting it on. Making sure that her illusion wandered off, she silenced her feet and quickly made her way back over to Fury.

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Anastasia felt bad about having to use the Imperious on the man, but it was necessary. She and the others followed him to the car that he had chosen and as he opened the passenger door in the back, an agent came running up. Fury wasn’t going to drive himself obviously. The three slipped into the car under Fury’s arm, settling in the backmost seats. Fortunately none of them were stupid enough to reach for the seatbelts and blow their cover, though the chances of the other two actually knowing what they are were about zero. Still, their purpose was fairly obvious when one took in the clip and metal part that is inserted into it.

Luna and Draco both had the foresight to use silencing charms as well, so there was no need to worry about being heard.

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Fury mechanically went through the process of getting the fake ids created, he would need pictures, but that was no problem. Anastasia knew she could simply use a spell to make their pictures appear on the little plastic cards, she had done so back in their world when she was younger. Little did she know was that the other Shield agents were worried about Fury, and decided to tail them. Luckily, they would keep the stealth spells in place.

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Loki was asleep when his father entered the room, he looked troubled even in his sleep. Odin knew that Loki would be needed in the coming war. He stared for a moment longer before turning back around and leaving. What he didn’t know was that Loki would be needed much sooner than he thought.

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Thor grimaced as he thought of the coming confrontation. He knew that against a Seidr, there was little he could do. While Asgardians were stronger and faster, Seidr could simply use magic to compensate, or at least he assumed they could. In the time they had been in hiding, there was plenty of room for improvement. He doubted that the Seidr were still only capable of large enchantments that were often of a destructive nature. No, he was willing to bet his life that they were much more subtle, and far more dangerous because of it. Had the Seidr that came through not been, then he or she would have been spotted immediately. With any luck, they would still hold a grudge for their enemies.

Out of all the Asgardians, Frigga, Odin, and Loki were the three most likely able to at least hold their own, or even beat a Seidr. While Odin didn’t have magic that was largely destructive, he was a formidable opponent. Loki was more likely to hold his own or win, seeing as his magic was closer to the magic of the Seidr than their mother’s or father’s.

Wait…

“Loki!” His shout scared several agents.

“Um, what?” Tony was confused. Why had Thor suddenly decided to shout his brother’s name?

“Loki has magic similar to the Seidr, he can help.” Everyone gave Thor looks of horror and disbelief.

“Are you insane! The last time Loki was on Earth, he tried to enslave it!” Thor was losing popularity for suggesting Loki.

“No, I think Thor might be right. Think about it, Loki is powerful, and so are the Seidr. According to Thor, Loki has similar power, meaning he would have the best bet at dealing with them.” Bruce mused slowly.

“What’s to stop him from trying to enslave Earth again, or worse convince the Seidr to side with him against us?” Thor looked at Barton, and didn’t know what to say.

Fortunately for Thor, the agents and police had managed to corral the civilians and block off the area, meaning they couldn’t hear the conversation.

“Hey, has anyone seen Fury?” Blank looks were traded as Natasha’s question drew their attention.

“No, you don’t think?” The Avengers traded worried looks.

“Oh, Fury left about ten minutes ago. He was acting really odd though.” The poor agent suddenly found himself the subject of intense looks. “H—He had a dazed look in his eyes and looked…out of it.” The agent squeaked out, shuffling nervously.

“And you’re telling us this now!”

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Loki sat up, a chill running down his spine. He had a feeling that life was about to get very interesting for him. He didn’t know whether to be glad, or run away screaming.

Chapter 3: The Legacy Left Behind

Notes:

A/N: I went back and changed some stuff in chapters one and two, nothing big. The names I choose for the OCs almost always have a special meaning. See if you can spot what the name of the OC connected to Odin refers to or look it up. There is a poll up that will be coming down later this moth or in January most likely. Keep checking my profile (FanFiction.net) for the status of a story update wise.

Chapter Three: The Legacy Left Behind

Anastasia ushered Draco and Luna to the elevator, wanting to simply collapse onto a bed. Draco looked like he was thinking the same thing as her. Luna was half-asleep already, forcing her two friends to practically carry her. Draco evidently deciding that he wasn’t willing to continue on so slowly picked Luna up. Luna fell asleep as soon as her head hit his shoulder. Anastasia chuckled quietly and Draco gave her a halfhearted glare in response, to which she smiled sweetly. He mind began to wander as the elevator began its assent.

The government man she had Imperioused was on his way, nursing a headache and cursing fate. Little did he know was that the headache was from Anastasia messing around in his head to alter his memories. He would never remember the feeling of the spell, nor the exact actions he performed earlier as well. Anastasia had luckily actually listened to Hermione about cell phones and conveniently shorted it with a surge of magic, only to find she overdid it.

Unfortunately, it also took out any electronics nearby as well, but it didn’t annihilate them like it did the poor phone. All that remained of the phone was a twisted clump of metal and plastic. She had been at a loss as to how to provide a realistic memory for that and simply transfigured the clump back into what it once looked like, but it would never again work.

She was jolted out of her thoughts by the sound of a ding and the elevator doors opening. Grabbing Draco’s shoulder, she helped guide his stumbling body down the hall. He looked more dead than alive at the moment. The dark blue and green carpet seemed to stretch on forever, the doors unending. Finally she managed to find the right room and carefully inserted the plastic keycard into the lock. She glared balefully at the lock as it once again displayed a small red light. She’d never live it down if the twins found out about the queen being defeated by a Muggle lock. After the tenth try she was rewarded with a glorious green light. She didn’t think she had ever been so happy to see the color green in her life. She maturely stuck her tongue out at the lock, refraining from shouting: “Ha! Take that you stupid piece of Muggle machinery!”, but only just.

The inside wasn’t anything special, just two beds, a small table, nightstands, TV, chairs, and a desk. There was a small almost kitchen consisting of a coffee pot, a few mugs, complementary dried beverages, a sink, small fridge, microwave, and various other little items, but no stove. The bathroom looked like a bathroom, nothing special about it.

Anastasia led Draco to the closest bed after making sure the door was secure, almost cooing as he practically wrapped himself around Luna like she was a giant teddy bear. Luna mumbled something about Nargles in response. Snickering, she stumbled into the bathroom, determined to shower before sleeping. She absolutely hated going to sleep for long periods of time without taking a bath or shower first. In general she didn’t like baths as they took too much time and she never really felt clean afterwards.

As the hot water poured over her stiff and sore muscles, she silently contemplated just how weak the trip from her world to this one had made her. It was like her magic had been sucked out but adrenaline kept her going. Now that she was able to relax, her body was throwing an absolute fit. Perhaps their magic had been used to fuel the trip? If so, thank Merlin Draco and Luna were with her, she might not have survived it or would be in a lab at the moment if she had been alone.

Eyes drooping, she finished as quickly as possible and still wrapped in a towel, shuffled her way to the other bed and crawled under the blankets of the other bed. She was asleep the next moment.

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Loki stared at Odin with a dark glare, a snarl curling his lips. Odin had a grave look on his face and the look in his eye was not encouraging.

“Well? You obviously came here for a reason, so speak.” Odin glared menacingly.

“Have care for how you speak my son.” Loki snarled and flew at the glass in a rage, eyes red and blue creeping over his body.

“I am not your son!” He roared, mind seething with pain and anger. Odin stopped glaring and gave Loki a sad look.

“You are my son, if not by blood, then by heart.” Loki screamed in rage and slammed his arm against the special glass.

“You are an old fool!” Odin closed his eye and inhaled deeply.

“Did you never wonder why your magic is so different from other’s?” Loki paused in his cursing at Odin to give him a suspicious look.

“There is not a day that goes by without asking myself thus.” Odin looked pained, like he couldn’t decide whether to continue the line of conversation and potentially cause both of them more pain, or to drop it and spare them both more torment and misery.

“You are not only my son in heart, you are connected by blood as well.” Loki stared at him blankly, then laughed and laughed.

“You have finally gone insane old man.” He wheezed, struggling to breathe. Odin simply stared at Loki with a sad, bitter smile.

“I speak only the truth.” Loki stopped laughing. He knew that tone of voice. It was the one Odin used when in the most serious of situations. Disbelief filled him along with hot and potent anger.

“Do you take me for a fool? You and I both know you would never betray moth—Frigga.” A spark of happiness flickered to life in Odin’s eye at the slip. Loki silently cursed himself. A feeling of dawning dread suddenly filled him when Odin appeared to be bracing himself.

“Millennia ago, when I was a young Asgardian of three hundred and thirty-two, I was given a great gift by an even greater man. A Seidr to be exact, one of great power and well known for his potions and visions. His name was Llewellyn Dragmyrn, a man I saw as my older brother.” Loki was giving Odin a look that screamed his thoughts on Odin’s dubious sanity.

“I do not see where this is going old man.” That was a lie; Loki had a very good sense that he wasn’t going to be happy with the news, if only because it was one more secret kept from him.

“We had been friends for three hundred and twenty-six years when one day he came to me with a small vial. He pressed it upon me, not letting me turn away such a valuable gift. It was a new concoction he had recently created. When I asked him about it, told me, oh did he tell me.” His eye was sad and haunted as he spoke to Loki.

*Flashback*

“Odin.” Odin looked up from his book with a look of delighted surprise on his face. A tall man with long, glossy straight hair as black as space and eyes as green as spring grass grinned at him with brilliant white teeth. He noted absently that the Seidr’s hair seemed to absorb the light in a fascinating display of subtle magic.

“Llewellyn, what brings you here brother?” He stood as he said this, smiling in return and stepping forward to clasp the man’s forearm in greeting. The Seidr suddenly looked more serious than he had ever seen the every happy and mischievous man before in the many years they had known each other. The two had been thick as thieves from the moment Llewellyn first arrived on Asgard with his father who was helping build the Bifrost.

Odin looked at a small purple vial that Llewellyn was now holding up in confusion. “I want you to do something for me little brother.” Odin gave him a baffled stare as he said this.

“You know I will try my best to help you with anything brother, be it to the end of the realms or to home.” Something entered Llewellyn’s eyes at the words. He gave Odin a sad and strained smile, his eyes looking suspiciously wet.

“I knew you would say that, which is why I know you will keep your word in this.” Odin felt fear slither down his spine at both Llewellyn’s choice of words and the way he looked.

“What are you saying brother? If you are in trouble, I can help. No matter what.” Llewellyn smirked at that.

“Oh, what about that time I upset your betrothed Frigga?” Odin grimaced before giving him a mock look of outrage.

“I had to avenge my Lady’s honor you scoundrel. She nearly took my head off for laughing as her hair fell out from that potion I saw you slip in her drink.” Odin laughed at the indignant look Llewellyn was giving him. Llewellyn gave a snobbish sniff of offense in response, causing Odin to laugh harder. He grew serious once more. The light and happy mood vanished just as quickly.

“There will come a day far in the future when you will come across an abandoned baby. The child will need you and Frigga if he is to survive. I want you to give the boy this when you find him. You will not be able to touch his skin until you do so.” Odin looked at his brother in alarm and refused to take the vial.

“Brother what are you saying?” Llewellyn looked away briefly, biting his lip and taking a deep breath before turning back to Odin.

“The child will be a son to me and a nephew to you, yet remain as the son of his original parents. My claim will be weak and muted by his blood, but be it there it will be. My magic and a single drop of my blood are in the potion to achieve this. Normally this would not be needed, but the boy will have powers of his own that will fight the potion if mine are not there to ensure the potion takes effect. The blood will anchor the magic and allow for the changes, nothing more I expect.” Odin shook his head slowly, tears filling his eyes. He heard the unsaid part that his brother would not be around for this event. “This way you will have something to remember me by.” There it was.

“No! You will not die!” Odin roughly grabbed the front of Llewellyn’s fine robes, shaking the man in anger. “I will not let you die!” Llewellyn said nothing, did nothing as Odin shook him violently, he did however wrap his arms around him when he began to cry. The vial remained clenched in his fist as he comforted Odin the best he could.

“I said nothing about being dead brother.” Llewellyn said this softly, quietly. Odin snarled and shoved away from him.

“Yet you say not that you will live!” Odin turned away from the Seidr, fists clenched and body heaving with harsh breaths. He heard the rustle of Llewellyn’s dark green robes as the man moved. He felt like he was suffocating, like his world was crashing down upon him before his very eyes.

It was startling that his shouting had not yet drawn the guards he thought miserably. Mayhap he could imprison his brother somehow to ensure none could kill him? No. He discarded the thought as soon as it came. His brother would find a way out. He was well known for his slyness and ability to free himself from all that would imprison him. A warm hand settled on his tense shoulder, gripping tightly. He felt the man’s magic seep into him, calming his raging emotions and allowing him to feel like he could swallow around the stone in his throat that was strangling him.

“Brother, please, do this thing for me.” Odin slowly turned and saw that Llewellyn had tears swimming in his vibrant green eyes. Odin felt shamed and humbled in that moment. Here was the man he saw as an older brother asking him to make sure some small part of him lived on, no matter how small, and he thought to deny him. This was a man who braved the pain and fear of rejection to tell him of the future rather than letting it play out without leaving anything for Odin to cling to. How could he deny his brother this when the man had sacrificed so much for him, when he would continue to do so? It was Odin’s turn to help his brother.

He nodded sharply and watched as Llewellyn closed his eyes and sighed in relief. “When you are to give the child the potion, do not hesitate to do so. This will allow enough of a change to hold him safely. He will always remain a Frost Giant, yet he will be a bit like me as well. Follow these instructions to complete the ritual.” Here he handed Odin both the vial and parchment. Odin took both, cradling them against his body protectively.

Llewellyn’s lips twitched as he fought a grin at how Odin looked to be cradling an infant, but was really holding a potion and parchment. In a way the boy would be related to Odin after that time when they were young and foolish. They had the brilliant idea to become blood brothers, only it became a bit more literal, not fully family by blood, but a connection was there nonetheless. Even now Llewellyn could feel the bond pulse slightly, such blood magics were dangerous and volatile, they had been foolish to have used it so.

“Name him Loki, God of Mischief, Lies, and Trickery.”

*Flashback end*

Loki gaped in horror as Odin broke down and started to cry. He had never seen the man cry before and it was a rather terrifying sight to see so strong a being be so vulnerable. He supposed everyone had a breaking point.

“He gave me a potion that would allow me to touch your skin, that would ensure some part of my brother lived on. You look just like him. He named you, gave you your titles, and lived up to them you have done well.” Ghosts of memories flittered across Odin’s pale face as he stared at Loki.

Loki stumbled back from Odin in shock. No, no, it was impossible…and yet, it would explain so much. It would explain the powers he had that separated him from others, powers that while not of the Seidr, were similar in nature. At least the magic he had used, mayhap there was other magic locked away in him waiting to be found?

“How did he die?” Odin looked at Loki with a heartbroken face.

“Thanos.” His voice contained a fury and hate Loki had never before heard, one that portrayed the utter loathing Odin felt for the monster called Thanos. He would never forget, never forgive; he would have his revenge some day before he died.

“Tell me everything.” This must be the reason Odin never talked about Thanos, at least not without destroying something, why others sometimes tiptoed around him when the name was spoken, why he went rigid and crushed whatever was in his hands at the time. He knew Odin had had a brother of sorts, but he didn’t know exactly what happened to him, it would appear that he was to finally find out.

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Anastasia leaned against the balcony of the hotel room and stared up at the full moon, her hair now silver and glowing in the light. The night was chilly, but it was nothing compared to the frigid winds of Scotland during October. Being part dragon certainly helped as well. Being creatures of fire, the cold did not truly affect them unlike other reptiles. Just as water would not affect a phoenix, ice and cold in general did nothing but perhaps make a dragon a bit more lethargic.

Her dragon stirred restlessly, wanting to stretch her wings and soar. She grumbled to herself, knowing that to do so would invite nothing but disaster. The dragon hissed in anger at the thought of being restrained. Anastasia ground her teeth and took several deep breaths, eyes squeezed shut tightly as the dragon tried to force her to change. She stiffly turned and walked back into the room, smirking at the sight of Luna and Draco still curled up on one of the beds.

Her stomach rumbled and Anastasia knew she would have to eat unless she wanted the dragon to make an appearance. She wrote a quick note for Draco and Luna, folding it up, and using a sticking charm to put it on Draco’s forehead. Cackling internally, she went snatched one of the key cards and left the room. She completely forgot about dealing with her eyes and aura.

The hallway was empty and silent, as was the elevator, but the lobby had a few people in it. Ignoring the heated looks two men were shooting her, she seemed to glide out of the lobby and onto the sidewalk. Anastasia inhaled deeply, only to regret doing so immediately. She coughed as cigarette smoke drifted down with the wind suddenly changing direction and pretty much ran to get away from the smoke. She glared at the foul Muggle reclining against the building, smirking at her over his cigarette. She gave him her I’ll-kill-you deluxe glare, wishing he would choke. The man blanched and cringed away from her. She turned around before she could see that her wish came true not seconds after, ignoring the strange sounds coming from behind her. She briefly considered taking a look, but her rumbling stomach killed that idea.

A delicious smell drifted across her nose and her head snapped in that direction, glee pouring through her at the thought of ripping into the source of that glorious scent. Walking faster, she eventually found herself standing outside of one of those small diners that never seem to close. Mouth watering, she eagerly made a beeline for the door, ignoring the other pedestrians cringing away from her. She was just so hungry. A blast of warm air smacked her in the face, sending her hair billowing back.

Her eyes locked onto an empty seat that faced the rest of the room and had the wall behind it. Without hesitating, she claimed it as hers, waiting eagerly for the tired looking waitress to reach her. She was lucky that it was so late and there were so few people. Those few people quickly abandoned the diner as soon as they were able.

A frown crept onto her face when she took notice for the first time how tense and scared people looked. It was as if they were waiting for a madman was about to jump out of the shadows and kill them all. A sinking feeling hit her gut, but before her mind could figure out exactly what was going on, she pierced the young waitress with penetrating acid green eyes. The girl blanched and began trembling, though she tried to hide it.

“What is being cooked right now, meat wise?” The question clearly threw the blonde-haired waitress for a moment. Mild irritation filled Anastasia and she forced herself not to growl at the Muggle. It wasn’t her fault that she practically screamed prey. No, no, mustn’t attack the Muggle.

“Uh, Tim is making meatloaf.” Anastasia raised a delicate brow. Meatloaf at, she glanced at the clock on the wall, one am? Well, to each their own. Wait, it was one in the morning!

“I’ll have that if it’s available please? Oh, and what is your name?” The girl blinked.

“Yes, it just came out of the oven ten minutes ago. My name is Nancy.” Before Nancy could scuttle away, Anastasia asked another question. She could tell that Nancy was terrified of her, though why that was the case remained unclear. Was it because the dragon was so close to the surface, or was the Muggle unusually observant? Perhaps a mix of the two?

“May I please have water?” Nancy blushed in embarrassment then paled in fear as she realized she had forgotten to bring the woman water. Mumbling a small quiet agreement, she hurried off. Anastasia stared out one of the large glass window nearest her in silent contemplation, not realizing her lack of movement was not normal and made everyone suddenly feel like a dangerous predator was amongst them.

It would appear that the dragon was not doing her any favors in trying to keep a low profile.

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Nancy was tired and not in the best of moods. After the day she had had it was no wonder. Strange people had been coming and going through the diner, all talking about the Seidr. It sounded like the makings of a horror story, one she was not anxious to star in. Normally she would have left hours ago, but Brenda had called in sick and no one else was able to fill in for her shift but Nancy. So here she was, bored out of her mind and half asleep.

A rush of cold air drew her attention and involuntarily she shivered. A woman with a body many would kill for seemed to flow into the diner. Her silver hair and ice blue eyes made her look even less human than she already seemed. There was an…aura for lack of a better term around her. Her instincts were screaming: “Predator! Run! Hide!”. Swallowing with difficulty, she reluctantly approached the woman. Terror shot through her when acid green eyes pierced her like a bug under the eye of a massive predator. Wait, acid green? Weren’t her eyes ice blue when she walked in?

Unease slithering through her, she barely heard what the woman said. It took her fear-fogged brain several seconds too long to process the answer if the look of irritation that flashed through the woman’s eyes was anything to go by. She felt like a mortal before a goddess that was contemplating smiting her as she shakily answered. Those eyes felt like they were baring her soul for all the world to see and she began to tremble. The woman’s voice put a stop to her hasty retreat, and embarrassment flushed her cheeks pink.

It was the unnatural stillness of the woman that was the most terrifying. No human could ever be that still, but surely she was human, right? It’s not like she was a Seidr, no, not even she could be so unlucky despite her sudden streak of bad luck.

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Tony fiddled with his phone as he walked down the street, dodging plebeians as he liked to call them. Pepper had hit him over the head with a book for calling the sheeple that. Of course he was kicked in the shin for that term as well. Sheesh, it was like no one could appreciate a joke anymore. Humor was dying a swift and horrible death it seemed.

The hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stood on end and he froze. Looking around warily, he noticed a distinct lack of people around a certain diner just ahead. People were jaywalking or dashing past in an effort to avoid going near the building or for too long. Tony put away his new phone and marched towards the diner not at all amazed to see that there was only one patron that didn’t look like she was about to pass out from sheer terror. The woman was beautiful but terrifying. He could see her mouth was pressed in a firm line and the hunger filling her eyes. She also appeared upset, like she was either going to burst into tears or start slaughtering people. Hmm, how interesting. It reminded him of Bruce when he was in a bad mood or hungry, not to mention in his Hulk form.

The door swung open and he was met with silence, the sizzle of meat the only sound. No, wait, was that a growl? He locked eyes with the woman and squinted. Hmm, interesting, I wonder…He shook his head like a dog shaking water off after a bath, drawing a smile and small chuckle from the woman… he really needed to learn her name, he was getting tired of calling her ‘the woman’ in his head.

Gathering his courage and plastering a playful, flirty grin on his face, he slumped down into the seat on the other side of the woman’s table. “Tony Stark, genius, playboy, philanthropist…” He trailed off as the woman began laughing at him. Her eyes glowed and he smiled as she perked up.

“I’m sorry, it’s just, two really good friends of mine say pretty much the same thing. Anastasia Evans.” She offered her hand and Tony gingerly shook it like he expected her to rip his throat out if he moved too suddenly.

“Um miss?” Tony and Anastasia both looked at the pale-faced waitress holding a glass of water and plate filled with delicious smelling food. Tony’s mouth watered.

“What’s a man have to do to get the same thing she’s eating?” Tony winked at Anastasia who rolled her eyes at his antics.

“Mr. Stark!” Nancy’s sudden shout had Anastasia almost throwing her knife at the waitress. She managed to catch herself, but it was a close call. Tony looked resigned.

“Yes that would be me.” Anastasia snorted at that. Tony gave her a look of mock shock. “Now about that meatloaf?” Nancy nodded, blushed, and hurried off.

“So…you new around here?” Anastasia swallowed and narrowed her eyes at Tony.

“You could say that. My friends and I are on a vacation of sorts.” Tony smirked at her suddenly, causing Anastasia to feel slightly nervous.

“Then you’re in for a treat. I have decided to be your tour guide for the duration of your stay sweetheart.” Anastasia gaped at Tony in slight disbelief. If she didn’t know any better, she would say that Sirius was pretending to be a Muggle.

“Uh…” She didn’t know what to say and floundered for a suitable response.

“Great it’s settled then!” Anastasia glared at him.

“Oi! Don’t call me sweetheart Stark, and my friends and I are fine on our own, thanks though.” Tony laughed and smirked.

“Nope, sorry sweetheart, your fate has been decided.” Tony was doing his best to curb the urge to run screaming for his life. The glares Anastasia was shooting at him certainly weren’t helping his resolve to stay.

“Fine, you want to show us around? Prepare for a slice of hell.” Tony blanched at that. He actually jumped up out of his seat and took several steps back when Anastasia shot him a truly evil grin. She knew it was time to rein in the dragon before Tony passed out or something. She never knew it would have such an effect on Muggles if it was close to the surface.

Tony felt the odd terror leave him suddenly and the glow in Anastasia’s eyes seemed to dim ever so slightly. What was she, an experiment gone wrong? Could she be a Seidr? He looked at her more closely, taking note of the inhuman beauty, the flawlessness of the being in front of him. Perhaps magic was the cause? If so he didn’t plan on ratting her out anytime soon. Were would the fun be in that? He smiled evilly at the thought of all the nasty things they could do to make certain people’s lives more difficult.

“Why are you smiling at me like that?” Anastasia shifted warily, muscles tensing.

“This is the start of what’s going to be a beautiful friendship.” Well, that was encouraging…not.