Chapter Text
Come.
Loki questioned his sanity for the sixth or seventh time today.
'Come.'
"What?" Loki frowned before looking around for where the hum of a voice could have come from. Yet he once again learned he was alone among the chairs he sat in and Peeves wasn't in the vicinity.
"Come with me, Loki," Madam MacTaggert repeated with an expectant look in her eyes. "How hard did you say you hit your head?"
"Hard enough to be around you, dear," he said, thankful to finally leave the waiting room of the medical wing since time alone with his thoughts was just not a great place right now. Especially when all he could think about was how he'd done a great job in scaring away Wanda today. Why didn't he just ask about her convict father as well? Don't just make her feel crazy for liking you but also make her question your ability to be normal. Go Loki!
The next twenty minutes were a fun retelling for Loki who doesn't want to tell the real reason so he made up a story about slipping on the stones outside. Madam MacTaggert didn't need to know that he hadn't actually seen the Quidditch match today.
He almost wished he'd gone to the game now if it meant he could have avoided Wanda and not made an ass of himself. His stomach did this horrible dragging motion along the floor at the stained image of Wanda's eyes when he- Ugh! Nope, he wasn't going down that road again. He was still so embarrassed on how he grilled Wanda for having… What? The guts to seek him out? Maybe like him?
Fuck! He was so embarrassed. He rubbed at the spot between his brows as Madam MacTaggert casted a couple of vital signs channelling spells over him. He looked off to an aimless direction, trying to forget how Wanda saw right through his bullshit.
And it was bullshit, right?
Maybe he was wrong to assume she was using the Veela thing as some sort of excuse. He'd just gotten so caught up. One moment Wanda was talking about mudbloods, Veelas and then his mind was jumping to conclusions about why she would be telling him about any of this so of course, his mind just couldn't help but go down some dark, twisted path.
As usual.
Because why would a girl like Wanda Maximoff seek him out?
That fear/thought persisted through him like a chill of the mind.
What he didn't expect was the whisper from before to come back.
"I'll be back with your night serum soon."
Come…
Loki nodded, wondering if he should mention this quirk to Madam MacTaggert. Or was it just an odd effect from the soothing tonic the medic witch gave him at the start? He half convinced himself about the tonic when a new effect materialised.
Or more like re-materialised.
The skin on the back of his arms prickled as the calling came in stronger. No longer was the beacon just whispers but now as if somebody was pulling on light strings connected to his body and skin. An urge. An ushering.
A deep desire.
The entry door never called to him more before as the exit to the medical wing was now beckoning. The door stretched and begged for him but Madam MacTaggert said she would be back soon and held the power to summon him back if he left unsanctioned. He shouldn't ditch even if he was sorely tempted.
He still weighed the pros and cons of a concussion on a young mind when the healer finally returned with the serum and his nighttime instructions for it. Which was for the best because at this point his skin was practically vibrating out the door. He tried to calm himself by drumming his fingers on his knees.
"You need to take this immediately before bed and return to the medical wing tomorrow when you wake," Madam MacTaggert explained as she carefully corked the newly administered serum for his convenience. She gave a couple of other warnings about the importance of good footwear before finally letting him leave once he promised to return.
He quickly packed up his stuff, needing to be gone from this place as soon as possible even if he didn't know where he was so desperate to be. His feet seemed to know though.
He barely ripped back the wing's door when a new barrier came into view. "Sif."
"Loki!" Sif's eyes grew large. "Are you okay? What are you doing here?"
Typical Lady. "I'm fine," he answered before frowning at her. "What about you? Why are you darkening this particular door?" Sif outwardly seemed healthy so his eyes went to hers for answers.
In more than one way. Was she the reason for this magnetic pull? The calling had been bothering him since he had gotten here and it wasn't just a coincidence that he saw her on the way out, was it?
Logically, the scenario made some sense. They shared history and in the past, Sif always served as his complication. At one point, he thought that they could be something more, especially after how they spent the end of fifth year exchanging first kisses to each other.
Loki shook his head, not wanting to go down memory lane and trying to catch the tell end of her story as to why she was here. He tried to not be surprised that it was about Thor. It was always Thor and hell, maybe if he hadn't just spent the last couple of hours in the medical wing and he was a better brother, he would go and check on Thor, who'd broken his wrist while being a Beater for the Gryffindor team.
"What about you?" Her eyes filled with compassion. The look had once made him feel so seen and now it only felt akin to charity work with everything he now knew.
This feeling was only solidified when the fated whisper rang again. Come…
This urging really wasn't about Sif or their fucked up dynamic with Thor. Something he didn't want to get into again and yet something he once feared would always be an issue.
Yet looking at Sif's curious dark eyes now, their issues didn't seem as much of a problem as it once was. He was being drawn somewhere else now.
"Great catch up but sayonara," he said, clamping one hand on her shoulder before moving past her and the door. He wasn't even entirely sure of what he was looking for.
But the source wasn't here.
His stomach was quick to remind him that food was also not here and how he missed supper for the infirmary. While he didn't have Thor's famous appetite, he was still a growing boy. He considered the kitchens but it was Saturday night and that meant date night for most couples. It didn't help that the house elves encouraged the whole thing by setting up the kitchens of Hogwarts with adorable, white and red cloths and sparse flowers everywhere. Very Persian cafe. He didn't think he could take all that romantic nonsense on an empty stomach.
Plus there was a game today, which meant the most appetising spreads would be snatched up by the party crowds already. He frowned at the thought of even being near a party but then his stomach thought about all the best spreads in one place with most people too boozed up to eat…
Already his feet were bringing him to the said party location. More like being pulled. To the food or something else? Loki wasn't sure.
He wished he would get there already because he didn't want to think the thoughts in his head right now. The reason for being in the infirmary. He tried to fight the thoughts off but his unnaturally curious and inquisitive mind wouldn't leave the situation be. Even if he does go down swinging.
Does getting a concussion not count as fighting to the bitter end?
"Fucking hell!" Loki let out all of a sudden in the hallway that caused a couple of Hufflepuff second years to scurry away and he bit his expression in embarrassment at having been seen. He hadn't seen them there.
He couldn't help the self-deprecating laugh that came next now that he was for sure alone. He wondered how he'd gotten here. Sure, last night was crazy with the kiss with Wanda and the face off with her brother but today was supposed to be the return to normal, right? Instead, Wanda was sneaking away from Quidditch games to come see him and inform him that he might be part Veela… What in Valhalla!
He was feeling so overwhelmed and the memory of earlier kept wanting to return. Loki had no energy to fight reruns as he sat down on a nearby granite bench and the back of his head hitting the wall behind. He was running on no food, a concussion and so much confusion, he had to sit down. He didn't care that the voice in his head and the beast in his stomach complained.
He was done and needed a moment.
Which left him powerless to the incessant memory in his head right now. The reel patiently waited until his ass was firmly in the unforgiving stonebench and the back of Loki's beanie was pressed against the wall before promptly starting to play.
His eyes may have been staring at the adjacent wall but his mind's eye was far off. Like a silent film, he remembered Wanda ditching him earlier for-
'Making assumptions about things you have no idea about?' a helpful voice supplied and Loki tried to not think about how it sort of sounded like Wanda.
Or how correct the voice was.
Yeah for that, he silently admitted. Which was the reason he also attempted the stupid act of trying to go up the girl stairs. In his haste to chase after Wanda, he forgot about that small defence detail.
He didn't have many friends that were female or in Slytherins so he didn't have much reason to be staring at the girl's side without feeling like a freak. Imagine his surprise when the stairs turned into a slide for his personal enjoyment. So not only does he scare Wanda off today, she will also probably be hearing about the staircase crash after he tried to chase after her.
Good thing he had no reputation to actually worry about.
Loki wasn't sure if he should feel like a bigger asshole or idiot. He really was sharing qualities with both right now, which confused even him.
'Sharing qualities with Veelas as well,' the helpful voice added in, which Loki had to concede that may be true. Hell! He would know more if he'd just let Wanda finish her explanation earlier rather than give her the third degree for coming to hang out with him.
Come…
The incessant pull began again and Loki wondered if the seeking pull had anything to do with the Veela component… Especially because now he was thinking what did her compulsion issue have anything to do with his questionable bloodline? He scratched at his bottom lip in thought. He tried to figure it out there and then with the limited knowledge of Veelas but also the expanding overall wisdom that came from being a bright student in a multitude of classes. A few theories came and passed but at the end, all they were were theories since he wasn't even willing to hit the library tonight.
The concussion gave him a library pass, right?
His stomach gurgled in agreement, giving him the jail free card. Especially because a hole in his stomach was opening up with the idea that his parents may not be legitimately his. A startling thought too powerful for a moment like this. Wanda could be wrong.
Yet she knew his full name. A name he hadn't heard in a decade or more. A name different from the rest of his family. Fuck!
He thought about all his grievances one last time before deciding this all could be dealt with after he ate something. So he went back to his plan A. Hit a party for its grub.
Come.
Did the voice sound more playful there? He frowned and shook his head.
He had a better time getting across the castle now. He went down a floor and heard the roar of the music. The usual Slytherin affair guaranteed with winning a Quidditch match. Usually he would avoid such gatherings or run for the comfort of his dorm. He was a rare occurrence for attendance and it was always for the food and mischief if he did.
The incessant pull from before returns at full force at the entrance to his common room. The air of the room was alive and infinitely inviting.
Come here.
It was ridiculous but while in this smoke clouded room, he suddenly focused into clarity. The voice… It was her. He sounded foolish. Even to his own mind but it hadn't sounded like her or maybe it was in a tone of hers that he was less familiar with. But somehow now he knew it was her.
This fucking realization was the first breath of fresh air or maybe it was the very sight of Wanda that brings this forward. The sporadic and harsh lighting of the party seems to only highlight her beauty. A hidden ache eased with her presence, which caused his lip to curl. He does not get attached to people this quickly.
Did others feel or sound anything compared to Wanda though?
Rather than answer that thought his body responded by taking on the crowd he would usually baulk at. He couldn't really explain it. He was on autopilot and not a single instinct fought against his choice, which added an interesting thrill to the whole situation. His eyes wouldn't leave her. She danced in the crowd yet the crowd seemed to surround her rather than engulf her. A vortex of her and he seemed unable or disinterested in fighting the force.
"Wanda."