Chapter - 61 : Shadows of the Past part - 2

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The fourteen year old observed his odd, and truthfully somewhat frightening, appearance in the frosted mirror and couldn't help but think the question Voldemort had asked him all those nights ago.

What was he?

It took very little effort to repair the damage the freezing temperatures had done to the Dursley's bathroom, all it took was a few waves of his hand and the ice was gone and the warped tiles and wallpaper were pristine once again. However, it took five nerve racking minutes and a shower in lukewarm water (any warmer and it was almost painful) to return his skin and eyes to normal, and another ten to calm his jittering nerves. When his hands had finally stopped trembling, Harry left the bathroom, crossed the hall to his bedroom, and collapsed onto his bed.

"Well, I know you're no longer a child and thus are too old to give me the flying hugs you used to, but I must say I expected a warmer hello than this."

At the familiar voice Harry was out of bed in a flash and in his father's arms. He hadn't seen him since the night of the third task several weeks ago; that night Loki had been furious with Dumbledore, with Fudge, with Voldemort, but especially with himself. He blamed himself for the injuries Harry had sustained in the graveyard, believing that if he hadn't been paying so much attention to his brother he would have noticed the danger Harry was in sooner. But buried beneath the anger had been something even worse. Fear. Because he knew that if he had been even a second later in transporting Harry from the graveyard, for it had been him that had done it, his son would be dead.

It had taken Harry the better part of an hour to calm his father down, but even then Loki had been so agitated he added a plethora of spells to the ones that had been on Harry since birth, one that included a ward to alert him when an Unforgivable was being used on Harry. It wouldn't help much in the face of a Killing Curse, but it would do a world of good when being put under the Cruciatus or an Imperius.

"It seems I must go back on my previous assumptions, apparently you aren't too old for flying hugs."

Harry burrowed himself deeper in his father's arms, the horror that came with Voldemort's return added with the stress of his odd reaction to subzero temperatures was weighing down on him, being held in his father's arms made things better, if only for a while.

"I'll never be too old," he muttered.

Loki seemed to pick up on Harry's sombre mood and pulled away to study his face. "Are you all right, little trickster?"

"I…" Harry hesitated, unsure whether to tell Loki about his odd form, the man had enough things to worry about already. "I'll let you know when I find out," he finally settled for.

Loki seemed displeased by the noncommittal answer, but let it be for the time being. "How have the mortals been treating you?"

"Pretty well, all things considered," Harry shrugged. "Dudley's still too scared to look at me, let alone lay a hand on me, he's lost a bit of street cred with his friends because he refuses to start anything. Vernon needs a bit of reminding every now and then, but Petunia's been a gem, she's called me down for dinner every night, informed me when they were going out, and she hasn't attempted to hit me with a frying pan in years."

Loki's shoulders tensed, but he nodded in satisfaction. "Good, those mortals need to know their place."

"Which, of course, is beneath me," Harry said faux arrogantly.

"Precisely," Loki laughed, "I have taught you well, little trickster." He looked at Harry sadly. "Well, perhaps not so little anymore."

"Aw, don't do that." Harry sighed laying his head on Loki's shoulder. "I'm still plenty young,"

"In Asgardian years you are still just a babe, but here…you're almost an adult. As old as I am!"

"Whoa, slow down now! I'm nowhere near as old as you are. You're ancient."

Loki sniffed in mock offense. "I would hardly call myself ancient, I am at the prime of my youth. Your grandfather, on the other hand…"

"Is older than dirt." Harry agreed. "But what about Grandmother?"

"She is just as old, but she does very well to assure that it does not show. Asgardian women are quite vain when it comes to their appearances. As is your Uncle Thor."

"I would be too if I had such luscious blonde locks."

"Please," Loki scoffed. "Do not insult the dark hair I have gifted you, it's far better than blonde," he spat the word as if it was a curse. "Besides, it makes you look mysterious."

"Mysterious?" Harry laughed. "I suppose that isn't a horrible thing to be."

"Of course it isn't. Why, if I wasn't dark haired, you wouldn't be here right now, your mother liked her men, tall, dark haired, and mysterious."

"Oh Merlin, spare me," Harry cried, slapping his hands over his ears. "That's too much information."

"But it's true" Loki protested. "She told me on many-"

"If you love me at all, you won't finish that sentence."

Loki hesitated long enough for Harry to almost feel offended. "Very well, I'll spare you the details of your conception."

"Thank you."

Loki laughed. "My pleasure. Now tell me, what plans do you have for this summer? I hope you don't intend on staying here for the next two months."

"No, Dumbledore was gracious enough to give me permission to stay with Sirius and Remus this summer, wherever that is. From what I can tell from the vague letters they've sent me so far, Ron and Hermione are already there, Neville will be showing up a few days after I will, but Blaise and Draco haven't said anything about going."

"Good, when will you be leaving this despicable place?"

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Loving the story so far? There's a whole world of magic and mystery waiting for you with over 85+ chapters still to come! By supporting my Patreon.

You not only get early access to new chapters but also exclusive content, behind-the-scenes insights, and special perks just for fans like you.

Join us on this enchanted journey and help shape the future of the tale. Your support makes all the difference—discover more and become part of the adventure today!

http//patreon.com/Kun_kanshi

(P).(A).(T).(R).(E).(O).(N)

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