A/N: This story is based on a short drabble found in Vampirezdarkgurl's "Crossing the Verses" collection. She has kindly allowed me to expand it into a multi-chapter story. Thank you, and I hope I have done your idea some justice

A/N 2: Hi everyone, a new story for you all. This one may run about 4-5 chapters, not sure yet, though don't hold me to that as I tend to ad lib a fair bit and end up blowing out the outline more than expected! I will try and update around once per week or so, but as you all know, a lot depends on RL.

I'd like to dedicate this story to my daughter and beta-reader Sharusha89. Thanks my lovely, though next time, it would be awesome if you could remember that you're supposed to be giving me feedback, not just getting sucked into a new story and impatiently waiting for the next chapter! :P

PS: I own nothing relating to any of the Harry Potter or Avengers/Marvel worlds. I write for fun, not profit. Please R&R :)

Found

Prologue

Odin slumped back on his throne now that all of his advisers had left the throne room, taking Loki with them to allow their King time to come to a decision on Loki's punishment. He heaved a great sigh, looking, for the first time since Thor could remember, as if he could actually feel the weight of the 9 realms on his shoulders. Thor stood next to his father, waiting for him to make a decision regarding what to do with Loki, now that he had been returned to Asgard. He could see that Odin was reluctant to pass judgement on his son. No matter what had happened with Loki in recent times, he was still his son and he loved him, despite what Loki had come to believe.

Thor placed a hand on Odin's shoulder, giving a firm squeeze to show solidarity and understanding. He knew well how his father was feeling. He could hardly believe that the man he called brother had hurt so many people in his quest to rule Midgard. He had truly strayed from the path they had been set on their whole lives. Not that he didn't understand Loki's bitterness.

When Loki had lost the throne of Asgard to Thor, it had been a bitter blow. Then, to add insult to injury, finding out that he was not Odin's true blooded son and had, instead, been taken away from his home realm of Jotunheim after a fierce battle, must have been so difficult. However, Thor had never dreamed that Loki could turn on their people like this. He had been such a loving, although mischievous, boy and had grown into a young man that Thor had been proud to call brother. Now he felt like he didn't know him anymore.

Finally Thor broke the silence. "Father, please, tell me how I can help you. Would you share your thoughts with me?"

Odin sighed again as he turned to look at his oldest child. His countenance was grave and he seemed to have aged considerably in the past few weeks. Thor was taken aback. It was rare for the AllFather to allow anyone to see his emotions. He was a strong ruler and made sure that no one ever say him otherwise.

"I miss the laughter your brother brought to this realm. I miss the sparkle in your mother's eyes when he pulled off a prank against the guards, or the other soldiers, or even you," Odin said as he smiled softly. "Mostly, I miss being able to hold my son. I might not have been the most demonstrative father, but I enjoyed the occasional times when Loki would let his guard down enough to seek me out for advice or just to vent and allow me to soothe his troubles. What am I to do with him now Thor? How do I help him?

"I know he must be punished for his part in Midgard's recent battles, but I find myself sympathising instead. If only I had been honest with him when he was younger and raised him to know that, although he isn't our child by blood, he is our child by choice. I wanted to give him a better life, to see if being raised with love would make him more peaceful that the others of his race. I constantly pushed him to be more like you, a soldier instead of the magic-user he was born to be. I made him feel like he was less in my eyes because he chose to wield staff instead of sword. It was no wonder he didn't believe me when I told him I considered him my own. I failed my son, and it hurts to know that there is no one to blame but myself for the situation we now find ourselves in. How can I punish him for what I essentially drove him to?" he asked, pleading with Thor to counsel him.

Thor looked at his father while he pondered the dilemma his proud father and King now found himself facing. Suddenly, he had an epiphany. His eyes brightened and Odin raised an eyebrow, silently asking him to share his thoughts.

Thor smiled at his father, for once feeling like maybe everything would go well if all went according to plan. "My father, what if you de-aged Loki and placed him with someone who is pure of heart? Someone who will love him and raise with the values that he should have? If we let that person know that he must be told of his heritage while growing up, so that he could better come to terms with it as he reaches adulthood, perhaps he can have a second chance to become what he could have been?" Thor finished in a rush.

Although he knew his father loved him and had chosen him as his successor, he still had moments of doubt of his own worth. When he had been banished to Midgard after his foolishness in attacking their enemy without his father's consent, he had felt the loss of Mjolnir keenly. His mighty hammer had been his constant source of strength and he felt weak without it. He knew it had only been lost to him because he had become arrogant and foolhardy, and he worried that he might slide back into that behaviour if he didn't keep a constant watch on his own actions.

Odin started to speak then stopped himself and thought deeply about Thor's suggestion. It's not like it wasn't within his power to do this, and he felt that perhaps the victims would feel like justice had been served. He became more excited the more he thought it over.

The King turned to look at his oldest son. He stood and placed a hand on each of Thor's shoulders. Looking him in the eyes he told him, "I am proud of you, my son. You have presented me with a solution that would be both merciful and productive. Loki could have the childhood he should have had without being constantly pitted against you in competition, and I would not have to imprison my son indefinitely. Thank you Thor, I appreciate your willingness to believe in your brother. I know that if he has the chance, he will become what I always knew he had the potential to be. I believe this with all of my being," he said as he gripped Thor's shoulders firmly.

Odin gave his son a fond smile before quickly turning to his chief guard and asking them to bring Frigga to him. He waited impatiently, drumming his fingers on the arm of his throne. Finally Frigga arrived on the dais, taking her seat beside him. Her entire posture was one of defeat, radiating sadness and despair. She knew that Odin had no choice but to punish Loki for his crimes and the mother in her despaired of ever holding her son again. "Husband," she said quietly, "what is it you need of me?"

Odin sat next to her, gesturing proudly to Thor beside him. "Our son has made a suggestion on how to deal with Loki that has eased my mind greatly. I wished to hear your thoughts on the matter before pronouncing judgement on him at Court," he said with a gentle smile for his beloved Queen. Frigga raised a curious but hopeful gaze to Odin's, waiting to hear this plan.

"Thor has proposed that Loki be de-aged and placed with a family of good standing on Midgard. This would allow him to be raised with gentleness and love and, hopefully, become the man we know he is capable of being. I want him to have this chance, to be able to grow up with love in his heart and compassion for his fellow man. Tell me, my love, what do you think of this suggestion?" Odin finished.

Frigga stared at Odin numbly, then seemed to shake herself out of her stupor. She turned her head and lost herself in thought for a moment. Finally, she turned to Odin and gave him a somewhat watery smile. "I believe that this will show mercy and yet honour the suffering of his victims. I will miss him, but he has been lost in one way or another for so long now, and when he returned was not the same. If he can be given a chance to be happy, I will support this decision with all my heart," Frigga replied.

The Queen turned to Thor and gestured him to her side. Thor made his way over to her and knelt in front of his mother. She placed a hand on Thor's cheek and bent forward to brush a kiss on his forehead. "I am proud of you, my son, for thinking of what is best for your brother and not allowing bitterness to take hold. Thank you," she said with a grateful smile, "for thinking of a way for him to have a new beginning."

Thor placed his hand over Frigga's on his cheek and nuzzled into her palm. "I love him too, Mother, and I will miss him greatly. However I know that he must be given the chance for redemption and peace. I hope that he will return to us when he is ready and greet us once again as family."

Odin turned to the guard and asked them to reconvene the court and have Loki brought back in to hear judgement.

After a few minutes, Loki came in, head held high but without his usual arrogant smirk in place. He well knew the seriousness of the situation in which he now found himself. If he was sentenced to the prisons in Asgard he knew his life was forfeit. No one had ever escaped the Asgardian prison, and he knew he would not be the first. They would keep him locked down and under constant monitoring to ensure that he could not use his magic to escape. He waited silently for his father to speak. No, not your father, Thor's father, he reminded himself harshly.

Odin looked at his son with a sorrowful gaze. "Loki, son of Odin, we are convened to announce the sentence you will receive for your crime of waging war on a realm that is under Asgardian protection. Although we find it easy to understand the bitterness you hold that drove you to your most recent actions, we cannot simply forgive and forget. To this end, your sentence is thus. You will be de-aged and your memories removed. We will find a loving family for you to be placed with and you will begin again, with the chance to redeem yourself for your past actions." Here Odin paused, looking away from his son as he gathered himself before continuing. He sighed, then returned his gaze to Loki.

"I wish you well in your new life, my son. Although you likely despise us at this moment, know that we have every hope that you will return to us redeemed and ready to take your rightful place in this realm," Odin finished softly, his words for Loki alone.

Loki paled significantly, lowering his eyes to the floor and shuddering with horror at the thought of growing up….again! Puberty had been hard enough the first time, but to have to go through all of that again? The idea was torturous! He started to seethe the more he thought about it. Not that this was anything new to Loki, he seemed to always be angry these days. Ever since he had been lost to the void, he felt like he had only a tenuous hold on his emotions. The slightest thing would make him explode with fury, disregarding anyone who may be near enough to get hurt. He recognised, on some level, that he was not who he used to be, but had no idea how to become what he once was.

He raised his eyes and locked sights with his father once again, eyes blazing with fury. "So you would ship me off to be someone else's problem then? I am not worth the trouble of my supposed family personally overseeing my redemption?" he finished, voice cracking brokenly on the word 'family'.

Odin drew in a harsh breath. "No, my son, never that. Understand that this is the only punishment I can give that does not end with you languishing in the Asgardian prisons, stripped of your magic and forever waiting to die. I could not bring myself to send you there, however I knew that you needed to be punished in some way in order for your victims to be given closure. This way, you have a chance. You can grow and learn to love and be loved. You will be able to have a family that will support you in all you do. No matter what, I hope you will remember that we love you. We will always want you with us, but this is something that needs to be done in order for you to have a new beginning. Where you will be going, no one will know your history. They will be told you name and your heritage in order to prepare you for your future, should you decide to return to us. There will be no judgement from those around you, as no one will know what you have done. My hope is to give you peace, my son. I would hope that you will grow up in peaceful times and have a normal childhood. One where you don't have to constantly compete against your brother for attention and recognition. Can you not see what a gift this could be for you?" he pleaded fervently.

Loki lowered his eyes again and refused to respond. He would not meet his father's eyes again. Thor watched his brother, knowing how he must be feeling, as if he was being thrown away. However, nothing was further from the truth.

Odin waited for Loki to acknowledge his words, his heart aching at the pain he had seen in his son's eyes. He sighed again when he realised that Loki was shutting him out. He knew that Loki would not hear anything else he said now, he had shut down completely and was standing silently, waiting for his punishment to begin.

With a heavy heart, and before he could change his mind, Odin intoned a few words in ancient Norse and the air around Loki began to glow. A bright golden aura surrounded him as he was lifted off his feet and hung suspended in mid-air. Loki met his father's gaze one last time, this time his eyes held remorse and a plea for understanding.

With a great flash that had everyone blinking furiously to regain their sight, he was lowered gently to the carpeted dais in front of Odin's throne. Frigga hurried over and picked him up, cradling him to her chest lovingly as she wept tears of sorrow for her son. Odin placed an arm around Frigga's waist and she turned to him, burying her face against his chest. She sobbed and held Loki close, and Odin rocked them both gently side to side.

Finally, Odin spoke softly to his Queen. "My love, we will find him a worthy family. One that will raise him with wisdom and honour. I will ask Heimdall to recommend a suitable family for him. He watches Midgard closely now that Thor has returned and should be able to tell us where we need to place him. I know Midgard has some magic-users. He will be placed with them so he can be taught to use his powers with compassion and wisdom."

Odin stepped back from Frigga, still holding her waist, and they exited the throne room, heading towards Heimdall and the Bifrost. They were in no rush to part with their beloved son, and so walked slowly, murmuring soothing words to Loki as he slept against his mother's breast.

When they reached Heimdall, he turned towards them. "My King, I have seen what you require of me and I have found what I believe to be the perfect person to raise Loki to his full potential. He is a warrior, a man of honour and pure of heart. Although he has suffered, he is strong in his determination not to allow any other to go through what he has. He is young, yet has already triumphed over a great evil. I will stand and wait for your word when you are ready for me to activate the Bifrost," he said sadly to Odin, his eyes resting briefly on Frigga as she continued to whisper to Loki.

Odin turned to Frigga and waited for her to let him know she was ready. Frigga looked up at Odin, knowing that she had to let Loki go. She could feel her heart breaking at the thought of possibly never seeing her son again. Odin waved a hand and a note appeared, pinned to the rich gold-embroidered blanket that now covered their son. He waved toward Heimdall and asked Thor to take Loki to the family that Heimdall had chosen. Heimdall spoke quietly with Thor and let him know the name of Loki's new parent and the location he was to be taken to.

Thor stepped towards his mother, and gently took Loki from Frigga's arms. She clung for a moment before letting her arms drop and turning back to bury herself in Odin's comforting embrace. Heimdall waited until Thor had taken his leave of Odin and Frigga before activating the Bifrost. With one last bright flash of light, the platform was empty and their children had gone, one to return soon, and the other they knew not when.