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A/N: I was asked for a pronunciation guide to Kysa's name, so here it is! Kiss-ah

Chapter 15

Kysa grinned at the letter. Apparently her grandfather had approved of the plan. While there were some aspects of it that she did not like, the advantages would outweigh those. She put the letter away and looked up at her three friends. "Do you fancy visiting my home for the Christmas holidays?"

In union their jaws dropped. "You mean Asgard?" Hermione asked.

"Yes. My grandfather has given you the permission to come."

"I'll have to write to my parents, but I would love to!" Hermione nodded.

"Me too," Draco grinned.

"Me as well," Daphne added.

It only took them a couple of days to get positive responses back. All three were positive, but she got the feeling that the Greengrass and Malfoy parents had slightly different reasons than the Grangers, the latter just seemed to be glad Hermione was making friends. The former wanted their children to Make Connections.

The holidays arrived quickly, without any other incidents. Sif had seen to that. She had been able to work with the head of Slytherin in order to keep the Potters at bay. Lily Potter appeared to have a very healthy dose of respect for the warrior, one borne from years of acquaintance. Thanks to that, her husband and son were well informed of Sif's prowess. However, the three were willing to back off, as they believed they had been presented with an opportunity. The Potters, Dumbledore and even the Minister for Magic and a few of his staff had also been invited to visit Asgard to experience the Yule celebrations. Everything had been planned to ensure that the Potters would be blocked from any mortal legal support from their government as well.

As the Hogwarts Express reached Kings Cross, Kysa said goodbye to her friends. They would be visiting her home in three days' time, giving each of them a chance to spend some time with their families. Sif was the first to spot the group waiting for her and began steering her charge in the right direction, always on alert for any threat that may present itself. When Kysa saw them, she took off running. She threw herself straight at her father and found herself enveloped in a tight hug.

"It is good to see you too, daughter," Loki said, smiling down at her. "How has school been?"

"Good. Everything has calmed down considerably. I've been able to focus on my classes without the interference of idiots."

"I am glad to hear it. Now go and say hello."

The moment he released her, Kysa was grabbed in a hug from her uncle. "It is good to have you back safe, Kysa. Aaric and Amdis have missed you greatly. They cannot wait to see you again. And neither can your grandparents."

Kysa smiled. "I can't wait to see them either." Her grin got wider when she saw Caia, and slipped away from her uncle to hug the Kitsune. "Caia! I didn't expect you to be here!"

Caia grinned. "Well, seeing as I am coming with you to visit your home, it made sense to be here to greet you so we could all head back together."

Kysa's smile widened. "How long are you going to be visiting for?"

"The holidays. You'll be glad to get back to school by the end," Caia joked.

"Never. It's good to see you," Kysa responded, wondering when it was arranged that Caia would be coming to Asgard. She had been unaware that Caia had gotten to know her father and uncle well enough to get the invitation, but was extremely glad she had.

"Any problems, Sif?" Loki asked her.

"Very few. And very basic. The Potters knew quickly to steer clear."

"Good," Thor growled. "This plan of yours better work brother. I still do not see why I cannot simply-"

"Because that would just cause more problems. This will gain us allies within the Ministry, and cut the Potters and Dumbledore off at the knees."

"Well, we should go. Before I do something they will regret," Thor replied.

"Of course," Loki nodded.

Kysa had barely reached her rooms when her cousins rushed in, swamping her in a large hug, and both talking a mile a minute. She did not help that however.

"I've missed you!"

"How was it?"

"Are you both recovered?"

Eventually they all calmed down enough to get their questions out and their answers in turn. The three of them were relieved they were all well. They knew others had been killed by the illness. Not many this time, but it could have happened to them. Kysa would have been especially vulnerable, considering the fact that if word had not gotten out thanks to her friends, she would not have had proper treatment. That one act had ensured her friends, when they arrived, would be welcomed warmly.

"Professor Snape, my Head of House and potions teacher, took me aside yesterday after class and told me he was going to start assigning me work that's usually for second years as homework instead of first year assignments."

"Really, why?" Amdis asked.

"Apparently I'm a natural. I was finding the work rather easy, and he had me complete a potion on my own time last week, which I found out was second year material, which must have told him I was ready for it."

"Are you going to do it?"

"Of course. He says if I can skip a year and then take my O.W.L's and N.E.W.T's in fourth and sixth year instead of fifth and seventh, I would be able to get a head start in a mastery if I was interested in it."

"What would you do with that?" Aaric asked her.

"Well, it would open up all sorts of doors for me in the Wizarding community all over Midgard. Being able to work in a profession within the society may be able to help the Avengers and SHIELD if there is ever a problem that comes from the wizards. An inside source, if you will."

"Would you not be able to get that from just going to this school?"

"There is only so much a student can experience. I have been to Diagon Alley to shop once and Hogwarts. I have little understanding of their economy and government. Yet we all have had far more experiences with normal mortals. I just want to be able to help if I can."

Aaric nodded. "I understand. Information is vital in any situation."

Kysa was with her whole family for dinner that evening. Rhan was laid out under the table, occasionally being slipped bits of meat. Her grandmother was grilling her extensively on her classes and the opportunity she was being given in potions. Kysa told her everything, talking a mile a minute about each subject and what she had learnt so far and what she would be taught in the coming months. When she finished she turned to her dad.

"Can I get some potions books from the library?"

"Of course, why?"

"I want to research a couple of potions, and compare them to their mortal counterparts. See what differs and if anything can be enhanced."
"Well, it will definitely prove you are eager about this opportunity to your teacher. I will help you select a few tomorrow morning."

"Thanks dad!"

Caia smiled as she watched Kysa pouring over books and scribbling things down. She had decided on a burn salve and a calming draught as her areas of study and was already making remarkable headway with her comparisons. She could definitely see Loki's influence in the young girl, having seen the exact same concentration in him when he had been planning various things the times he had been in New York.

"She is very dedicated," she said quietly to Loki.

He looked up from his book and smiled. "She is indeed. Whenever she finds something that takes her interest, she will search everywhere she can until she feels she has learnt as much as she possibly can, and even then she does not completely put it aside, always aware there will be more to learn at some point."

"That is a very good habit to have, being able to understand that your current information may later become outdated. It's good she's already picked that up. Though, I think she has you to thank for that."

"Oh my mother played a large part in that too. But I am incredibly proud of her," he smiled at Caia. "The day I adopted her, I can honestly say I never knew what to truly expect. Kysa just kept surprising me."

"Kids have a tendency to do that."

"She is very fond of you, you know?"

"I am very fond of her as well. I was worried more than I can say when she fell ill."

Loki rubbed his eyes. "I have seen and done many terrible things in my life. Nothing felt quite as bad as seeing her so helpless and vulnerable. The only time that was close was when she went missing. Thankfully, she has come back each time. And then there are the Potters."

"They are a family used to getting their own way. You need to be careful around them."

"Oh I will be. But everything is in place. Having spoken with both Heimdal and Hela, I am well aware of just what I need to do to corner the Potters and Dumbledore. They will have only themselves to rely on after Yule."

"Why do I get the feeling that, whatever the full extent of your plan really is, they should all just run, change their names and appearances and hide out for the rest of their lives in some backwater?"

"Because by the time Kysa is seventeen, that is exactly what they will wish they would have done. This is simply the first phase of the plan," his countenance changed quickly, however, as he changed the topic. "How about we leave Kysa to it? I am sure she will be fine, absorbed as she is. I could show you the city?"

"That sounds like a wonderful idea," she smiled widely at him.

Kysa led her cousins quickly over to her friends when she saw them enter the entrance hall of the palace. Considering who else was coming, she and Amdis were both wearing dresses, while Aaric was in his first set of armour, which consisted of a very light but intricate chest plate, vambraces and a red cape. "Hermione, Draco, Daphne, these are my cousins, Aaric and Amdis. Cousins, these are Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy and Daphne Greengrass, my friends from school."

Amdis was the first to react, hugging each of them in turn. "It is wonderful to meet you. Thank you so much for sending that letter about Kysa being ill. You could very well have saved her life that day!"

"Indeed. We owe you all a debt," Aaric responded, grinning. "And gained our friendship."

"It was Hermione's idea really," Draco said. "She was the one who knew about Caia, and that she would be our best bet."

"You still played a part, Draco," Kysa said, noticing Hermione was blushing.

"She's right Draco," Daphne pointed out. "And thank you for inviting us to visit. This place is stunning!"

"It's home," Kysa smiled. Her uncle and the Warriors Three had greeted the adults and Hadrian, who, while looking awed at the scenery, was looking incredibly bored with the conversation, as well as Susan Bones, who had been brought by her aunt, the head of Britain's Aurors.

"Welcome to Asgard. You must be Cornelius Fudge, Britain's Minister for Magic? I am Thor, Prince of Asgard."

"It is an honour to meet you, and a surprise to get such a wonderful invitation for myself and some of my staff."

"My father is waiting to see you in the throne room. But if the younger members of the group would like to remain with my children and niece, I am sure they can keep them entertained until lunch?"

"That sounds wonderful, Prince Thor," Amelia said, urging Susan in the direction of the others her age. Susan smiled warmly at the others. They had never had any problems with each other, so she was not so nervous. And, if Kysa was anything to judge her cousins on, they would not be so bad to spend time with during this visit. At least she would not be stuck in boring meetings.

Hadrian also seemed eager, a bit more eager than Susan. Kysa was sure he would try and convince her that her home and family was with the Potters. She was going to show him just how wrong he was. The two groups separated and they headed away from the throne room. Their first destination would be to show the others the training grounds.

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