Intent Chapter 8

New Faces (2)

26 September 2010

Castle, New York

As he reached down to retrieve a pot from the cupboard, Hadrian couldn't resist the urge to let out a yawn. Despite the relatively early hours – the clock had barely struck 1 in the afternoon – he was abnormally tired. He didn't know why that was since he had slept pretty well the previous night. 8 straight hours wasn't anything to sneer at; it was more then his usual 6 hours in any case.

Hadrian had never been someone who liked to sleep for a long period of time. He firmly believed that sleep should only be done to recharge one's body. For that purpose, 6 hours was long enough, so for him to sleep 8 hours without waking once was frustrating.

"Did you have a late night?" Jennifer asked, smirking as she observed Hadrian through the window separating the inner and outer kitchen. Around her, waiters and waitresses bustled to deliver the plates of steaming food to the awaiting customers.

"No Jennifer," Hadrian replied, rolling his eyes. He let out a small sound of triumph as his hand touched the handle of the pot he had been searching for. Carefully, he straightened up with his prize in hand and deposited the heavy object on to the stove. "I slept rather early, thank you very much."

Jennifer hummed non-committedly as she continued to stare at him with an unnerving intensity. Hadrian resisted the urge to tell her to stop it because it was truly making him uncomfortable and settled on asking her if she had other things to do then wasting her time bugging him.

Jennifer's mouth opened, obviously about to deliver some sharp remark, when a small commotion in the dining room drew her attention away. She straightened, eyes brows raised in confusion, her entire body tense as she listened to the rising volume of voices just outside.

"I'll go take a look," she told him before Hadrian could ask and in a whirl of her uniform skirt, Jennifer was gone.

Hadrian waited for about 2 minutes before she was back again, smiling brightly.

"What happened?" Hadrian asked without preamble.

"I think we have some sort of celebrity in house," she said in a confessing tone, "There's a man out there, dressed like a movie star and accompanied by 4 bodyguards. And he's gorgeous too."

"God save us all from women and their hormones," Hadrian said, only half-jokingly as he turned back to his pot of boiling water. And here he thought that something extraordinary had happened.

Hadrian yelped in surprise when a hand suddenly grabbed his elbow, making him turn around. He did so, a frown marring his features as he glared at his assailant.

"Really Jennifer? I'm busy."

"Oh come on," Jennifer pleaded, "Come have a look. You're bisexual right? I'm sure you'll appreciate the view. Besides, Mr. Wayne is accompanying him. Don't you want to know what that is all about?"

"Bruce is here?" Hadrian asked in surprise. The last he heard about Bruce was that the man had been busy negotiating some kind of acquisition. A big part of that negotiation involved wining and dining the clients before they can get any ideas of going with another company. Apparently, Stark Industries had also made their interest known in this particular matter. "What is he doing here?"

"Why don't you go look?" Jennifer encouraged, "I'll keep an eye on the pot. Don't worry about it."

"Jennifer," Hadrian started a little hesitantly, "You're one of the only people I know that can actually burn water."

"Don't worry boss," Jimmy piped up, smirking at Jennifer, "Go ahead. I'll keep her in line."

Outnumbered, Hadrian sighed in resignation and headed towards the door, the sound of bickering trailing behind him.

26 September 2010

Castle, New York

"So what do you think of the décor?" Bruce asked, looking intently at Carlos, mentally cursing the man for having such a wonderful poker face.

"It's nice," Carlos said while his brother beamed at Bruce.

"I can't wait to try out the food. Do you think we can also meet the chef?"

"I don't know," Bruce replied, but cut himself off when he recognized a very familiar figure heading towards them. "On second thought…Hadrian, what are you doing out of the kitchens?"

As Hadrian drew close, Carlos' four bodyguards moved aside to let him pass, knowing without being told that he was allowed to. Bruce noticed from the corner of the eye the way Carlos straightened in his seat, his expression turning to something other than polite boredom. He frowned, wondering just what was going on in the other man's head.

"Your guest has been causing quite the raucous with his movie star good looks and all – Jennifer's words and not mine," Hadrian said dryly, "And since I knew you are supposed to be extremely busy today, I was curious as to why you are here rather than in Gotham City.

"This is Carlos and his brother Cyrus," Bruce introduced, gesturing to the two men one after another, "They are here on a visit and wanted to try Castle's food."

"That's not really answering my question," Hadrian replied before turning towards the other two men. "Hadrian Potter, at your service."

Bruce smiled as Hadrian took Cyrus' hand in his, gave it a good shake and let go. Then he turned towards Carlos, hand outstretched once more.

What happened next was something Bruce couldn't explain. One moment Hadrian was standing there, waiting for the other man to accept his handshake and the next, he was on the ground unconscious as people started screaming for medical help.

All the while, Carlos gaped, staring at his hand as if he was seeing it for the first time.

26 September 2010

New York

Loki's eyes snapped open as a wave of concentrated magic coursed through his body, making him almost breathless with the sensation.

"Loki?" Thor questioned in concern as Loki gasped, "What is happening?"

"Someone in this city has just let off a lot of magical energy," he said, trying to focus his mind so he can pinpoint the source of the disturbance, "I think Fate has finally smiled upon us."

"You think it's the child of the prophecy?" Thor asked eagerly, eyes intent on Loki.

"Yes I do," the God replied, "I do not know what had caused this "explosion" for lack of a better word, but I do believe that only the Child chosen by magic itself can have this much power to dispense."

He smirked in triumph as he succeeded in pinpointing the exact source.

"Let us go," he said, "Let's hope no one gets there before we do."

26 September 2010

New York

Carlos Juan Abalos prided himself for being a rather knowledgeable young man. He was intelligent and well read; his experiences making him a rather difficult person to shock. But even he had to admit that this was the first time something so out of the ordinary has happened.

"Who on earth are you Hadrian?" he asked the unconscious young man lying on the bed in front of him and, of course, getting no response. Carlos closed his eyes, remembering the events that had led to this moment. The wave of pure magic that had come off the small body of his future consort, the moment their hands had touched, was something that Carlos hadn't thought possible. Not only had he not expected Hadrian to possess any magic at all – his visions were limited in that way – but also how someone could have so much inside him and not go crazy with it all confused Carlos.

"The doctor doesn't know what is wrong with him," Bruce said tiredly as he came back in to the room, "None of his scans seemed to indicate any trauma."

Of course they won't show any trauma, Carlos thought to himself, there's nothing physically wrong with Hadrian.

For a moment, Carlos pondered about ways to get a Healer here without revealing too much to Bruce when the door opened once more and two tall figures came in.

The taller of the two was blond, dressed in a fashionable jacket and tight leather pants. The only thing out of the ordinary with him was the giant hammer he held in one hand. He was extremely good-looking – more so then most people Carlos had met, but it was the shorter one, however, that drew Carlos' attention. The way he held himself, the way he regarded Carlos with that smirk playing on his lips, sent a shiver of excitement threw the Prince's body. He didn't have to have any supernatural power to know that this man was dangerous; a predator; a master manipulator like himself. And if there was one thing that turned him on like nothing else, it was danger.

"Are you acquaintances of Hadrian's?" He asked, coming forward to intercept them.

"My brother knows what is wrong with him," the blond one said as the dark haired one gave Carlos a subtle once over. He didn't say anything, but Carlos could bet his entire fortune that whoever he was, he could feel Carlos' magic and liked what he felt.

"Let them pass," Bruce said to Carlos' immense surprise. He knew that Bruce and Hadrian was close, based on his conversation with the billionaire, so he would have thought Bruce would protest at the appearance of strangers when Hadrian was so vulnerable.

But nonetheless, with Bruce's permission, Carlos stepped aside and let the duo approach the bed.

The blond one moved to stand near Carlos while the darker haired one leaned down over Hadrian, one hand extended towards the teen. For a moment, he closed his eyes and concentrated, one hand on Hadrian's forehead. Carlos could feel the thrum of magic echoing around the room as they waited for the verdict.

"What happened before he fell unconscious?" the darker haired man spoke for the first time, his voice a low drawl.

"I shook his hand," replied Carlos, stepping forward. "Then he just fainted."

"It seems that contact with someone whose magic is compatible to his accelerated the disintegration of the block put upon him as a child," the dark haired man explained, eyes never leaving Hadrian. At the word magic, Carlos eyes immediately turned towards Bruce, but the man didn't look surprised at all, instead continued to stare at the bed with a blank expression.

Hmm…now that is interesting.

"How can we get him to wake up?" Carlos asked, turning his attention back to the magic-user in front of him.

"We will need to stabilize his magic," the other answered, "Since you are the only one compatible for the moment, you will have to bond with him."

"You got to be kidding me," Carlos said, eyes wide. Bonding was something sacred in his family. Everyone knew that you don't bond unless you are certain that you are willing to spend the rest of your life with that person. Although he had seen Hadrian as his consort in one of his visions, he was nowhere near ready to bond with him. If he did so right now, his parents would strangle him and he would let them.

"Loki," the blond spoke up, finally putting a name to the other's face, "This is a lot to ask. I believe that Midgardians regard bonding as something that can only happen between two romantic partners."

Loki made a face at that; his thoughts on that particular social norm clear.

"Then what are we supposed to do? He'll never wake up with his magic so out of control. He'll go crazy. And reestablishing the block is out of the question now that it is broken."

"What about you?" the blond tried, "The fact you were able to diagnose him with your limited powers, doesn't that mean you are compatible on some level?"

This made Loki stop short.

"Yes," he finally said, "You are right Thor. I hadn't realized the implications until now. I will bond with him."

"This is to help him control his powers and not to manipulate him for your own gain," Thor warned him, eyes blazing with an indescribable emotion.

Loki rolled his eyes, waving Thor's concerns away.

"Yes, yes. Now let me concentrate so I can get this done as painlessly as possible."

25 September 2010

Hogwarts, Scotland

Headmaster Dumbledore was in the middle of a rather interesting conversation regarding defensive shields when the sudden whirling of his numerous warning devices stopped him mid-word.

"What is going on here?" Minerva asked, eyes darting towards the shelf. Out of the 15 little gadgets Dumbledore had on display, 10 of them were going off like crazy; flashing their lights and emitting high-pitched warning sounds.

"Huge energy spike," the Headmaster said in surprise, quickly taking out his wand and casting a series of diagnostic spells, "Extremely potent as well. I wonder what has caused it."

"Does it have a magical signature?" Minerva questioned, coming closer to observe the unusual scene, "Where is it coming from?"

"It's coming from our friends across the sea," Albus answered, reading the results of his diagnosis. He froze however, eyes wide, heart pounding when he got to the part regarding the magical signature.

"No," he gasped, staggering back, "No."

"Albus?" Minerva said, concern coloring her tone, "What is it?"

Albus didn't reply, mouth open like a fish out of water.

"Albus!" Minerva repeated, now starting to sound frantic, "What is going on?"

Dumbledore ignored her; ignored the hand she had put on his shoulder to stabilize him and ignored the numerous calls of his name to get his attention.

"It couldn't be," he said softly, almost to himself.

Harry James Potter.

TBC

A/N: Asgardians have a different view of bonding than Midgardians. Midgardians may believe that a person can only have a single bond, but Asgardians believe that one person can have multiple bonds and not all has to do with romance.

So Harry's power finally made a big mess; Loki agreed to bond with him to stabilize his core enough for him to wake up. Although a bond is somewhat permanent, this has nothing to do with romance. Loki saw this as an opportunity to gain power and to circumvent his own restrictions. After they bonded, Loki will have access to a small amount of Harry's magic - earth magic - which Odin doesn't really have control over. Harry will also be changed by the bond, but the effects won't show immediately. A bond also means that they can communicate mentally. Loki will also be able to see through Harry's eyes. It will be fun to see how things goes with that little addition.

Although Carlos had visions of Harry being his consort, he's more interested in Loki right now because he sees Loki as dark and dangerous and that excites him. Remember, the future is always changing so a vision isn't guaranteed to come true if you decide on other courses of action.

Next chapter: Harry wakes up and people get to explain to him what happened. Also, Dumbledore and Company are finally taking a more active role.

Should Harry go to Hogwarts? What is up with Bruce? Well, stick around and you'll find out.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter and don't forget to review. See you soon.