Chapter 6

Both Hermione and Loki sat facing each other fidgeting, each waiting for the other to start. Finally, Hermione broke the silence.

"I was tortured." The temperature in the room dropped drastically. At first Hermione thought she was imagining it until she noticed the frost spreading out from Loki. She looked at him. The anger on his face was apparent and expected, but the despair was a complete surprise.

"There was nothing anyone could do. There was a war, a second one, that we all knew was coming. Loki. I chose to fight. To defend not only myself, but others as well. I knew the risks, I knew what could possibly happen. I am, after all, the smartest witch of the age." Hermione paused before continuing, "Do not feel anger for me Loki. The one who tortured me is dead, those who wanted me dead are in jail or have been kissed by a dementor."

Loki sat there for a while longer taking a while to reign in his anger before he spoke. "I am sorry my lady. It is…I am…I cannot believe anyone could hate someone like you." Hermione felt a very weird fluttering in her chest cavity as he spoke.

Once again both sat in silence, Hermione giving Loki the time he needed and Loki trying to pull his emotions back in check. He took a few deep breaths before the air lost its biting chill and the frost began to recede.

With Loki finally calm Hermione continued, only this time she started from the beginning. When she and Severus had first introduced Loki to the wizarding world, they had avoided the war as it was still a sore topic for the both of them.

As she walked him through the first few years of her schooling, Loki couldn't believe the amount of times she was put in danger because of some stupid mortal boy. Fortunately, he was smarter than to announce his personal opinions to Hermione seeing as she cared deeply for this Harry Potter. Unfortunately, as she continued through her forth and fifth years, Loki knew he was being tested. His control was close to snapping as he heard of the horrors she had to face. He was able to reign it in as she went through her sixth year, but he nearly lost it as she recounted her time during the horcrux hunt.

The only thing that stopped his intent to destroy everything around was the first silent tear that ran down her face as she showed him her scars. Soon the others followed. She closed her eyes as she remembered the events that led up to the final battle. When she reached the part of her torture, her voice faltered, and the stream of tears became an unstoppable river.

Unsure of what to do, Loki raised a hand. He took a deep breath and hesitantly placed a hand on her cheek using his thumb to wipe away some of her tears. He released his breath as Hermione continued to cry. Taking another risk, Loki put his arms around her, dragging her small body into his much larger one. He held her close, her hands grabbing his tunic and her head buried in his chest.

At first, he was uncomfortable in wrapping his arms around her, but a few moments passed, and he became more relaxed. He relished in the feel of her in his arms. The feel of her body pressed intimately against his.

It has been so long since his last felt this…contentment. Deciding to ignore his feelings for the moment he stroked her hair as her sobbing continued. Lightly pecking the top of her head as he breathed in her scent.

When Hermione had finally calmed down she pulled away, albeit reluctantly. After a few deep breaths she had finally calmed down.

"I'm sorry for crying all over you."

"Its okay I…I understand." Loki said hesitantly. Hermione looked at him with patience and encouragement.

Loki couldn't look her in the eye. She never succumbed, but he did. How could he look her in the face after she knew…well everything.

He felt a small soft hand on his cheek. He resisted the urge to look into her eyes. The pressure on the side of his face slowly increased until he couldn't resist anymore. When he finally turned his head, she was looking at him with an undefinable look in her eyes.

"Its okay. You can tell me. Your safe here." She told him softly. "I'm here for you."

"You'll hate me. You don't know… you would have never helped had you known." He said as he jerked his head out of her hand. Silence fell as they sat together. It was Hermione who had finally broke the stillness.

"I know who you are Loki. I saw the headlines and the papers. I know what happened in New York." Loki's head shot up so fast it almost gave him whiplash. Green shocked eyes locked onto brown ones. Those beautiful brown eyes that held no anger, or resentment. Only understanding and a want to learn. She wanted to learn about his side.

"Why?" Was the first word out of Loki's mouth, it seemed to start a flood of questions that he didn't think he wanted the answers to. "Why did you save me if you knew? Why didn't you killed me were I lay? Why did you heal me? Let me stay? I could hurt you! I…I…how…" Loki grew frantic as he continued looking a her with a mix of fear and uncertainty.

"Loki, I healed you because you were injured. No one deserves to be left to die," Loki went to interrupt, but Hermione stopped him with her hand raised in front of her, "Whether or not they did something wrong. Besides I can hold my own." Hermione ended with a smirk. Though it slowly slipped away as she noticed indecision war with fear on his face.

After what felt like forever he finally started speaking. "It felt like ages. I begged for him to stop so. Many. Times. The…pain… it wasn't physical…at first." Loki forced himself to swallow down the panic that rose at the memories. "It was mental attacks. He dove into my memories and…and I tried," Loki's voice cracked as a wave of emotion flooded through him, "I tried so hard to keep him out, but I couldn't. I wasn't… I wasn't… strong… enough." The last two words were told in a whisper as if he was confessing a great sin.

Silenced engulfed the pair as they sat absorbing everything that was said. Before long Hermione raised her hand to his face.

"Loki, there is no shame in what happened. Don't think less of yourself because of what happened."

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" Loki suddenly felt furious, "YOU DON'T KNOW ALL THAT HE MADE ME DO! EVERYTHING THAT I DID! It was horrible, I took innocent lives, I destroyed cities! How can you bare to even touch me with all of this blood on my hands and the worst part is that I couldn't ev… I couldn't even stop. I couldn't stop it. I just kept going." Tears ran down Loki's face and it took a while for him to even realize that he was kneeling on the floor with his hands gripping his hair rather painfully. An attempt to prevent himself from breaking down completely.

It took him even longer to realize there was a gentle hand rubbing circles in his back as he cried. All it took was one look into her molten brown eyes, full of understand and pain… pain for him, for him to completely and utterly break down in her arms. Sobs racked his body as he clutched her to him. He was desperate to make her stay. To keep her close. This Disir from the heavens.

Hermione simply held him as he cried. Whispering words of encouragement and understanding. Holding him as his tears dried and as his breathing turned soft and rhythmic.

"It'll be okay. That wasn't you, it never was."

The clouds were an ominous black and thunder could be heard off in the distance. A promise of dark and dangerous things. It was the usual setup for those consumed with evil and all things dark. And like in all good horror stories a building, obviously on its last legs and mostly abandoned, sat in the middle of the woods.

The light that seeped through the cracks in the rotten wood came from hundreds of candles. The light from the candles illuminated pictures, hundreds of them. Some moved, some didn't, but the subject of all the photographs remained the same.

The door opened letting out a wheezing sound. The person stepped into the room before falling onto their knees. A veil covered their face and their dark attire hid their body from any onlookers. The image created was like that of a person before the altar of their gods.

"I will find you," the mysterious person whispered, "I will find you and put you in your proper place. I promise it."

"Mi…Mis…"

"What? I've told you not to bother me when I'm thinking."

"We um were wanting to show you some interesting um things we found."

"What?"

"Well…um…It's well, we were able to catch the magic trail, but unfortunately it disappeared before were finished tracing it."

The darkly clad person gave a banshee like scream, before proceeding to destroy the room.

The trembling man left the room without a second thought. The person still destroying the room was left alone. Just as abruptly as they had started, the temper tantrum stopped. Heavy breathing floated through the room causing some of the candles to flicker slightly.

The person looked around at the splintered wood and torn photographs, "I'm sorry my love," The person said as they pieced back together two pieces of a picture, "Soon, soon you will be given your rightful throne and I will be by your side for all eternity. We will make them see and I will kill anyone that gets in your way. Don't worry, I'm coming for you."

A hand stretched out to touch the dark-haired subject as their hungry eyes traced the body in the photograph.

"Yes, I will find you my Guden. Even if I have to tear apart the world to do it."

Loki was hesitant at first. He told an emotional secret to this mortal. Of course, she understood, she understood what it was like. As the weeks went by Loki learned more than he ever had before about the humans on Midgard.

As his knowledge grew he couldn't help the increasing lust he felt towards his hostess. He buried his emotions deep or tried to at least. The few nights a week that he would sleep his fantasies would hit him like a freight train, causing him to wake up damp with sweat, tangled in sheets, and annoyingly hard.

He refused to give in though. He didn't want to ruin the friendship he had with her.

Little did he know that he wouldn't be able to resist much longer.

And it was all Fenrir's fault.

A/N: "She's alive. SHE'S ALIVE!" Yes, I'm alive and continuing the story. Life has been busy and my creativity was shot all to hell. But I hope you enjoy this newest chapter.

-Please review. I enjoy hearing from y'all.

-I am only going to be updating this one chapter per month. I know. It sucks, but between being a full time student and holding 2 part time jobs and volunteering I have very little time. So I appreciate your patience.

-On the flip side I will be starting a new Hermione/Newt fanfic that will have shorter chapters that will hopefully allow me to update faster.

-Don't be afraid to check out my other fanfic. Don't let the OC scare you, I at least think it is a decent work of art.

Thanks for all the support! :)