25 Chapter 25: Loki Suggestion!

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For a moment, Harry was silent. 'Uh, Loki, that's kind of weird.'

He sensed the god give a mental shrug. 'I tend to get carried away when talking about world domination….'

'Or how stupid humans are,' Harry added. 'Or capes, or spears, or-'

'Yes, I understand what you're getting at, now you should probably talk to the mortal, you have both been silent for a few moments.'

Harry snapped back into reality and found that he had been staring at Maria, and that she had been staring at him.

This evening was either going to be very boring, or someone would try to attack them. He wasn't really sure which one he preferred.

'It could be worse,' Loki reminded him. 'At least she's attractive – by mortal standards anyway. Befriend her now and reap the benefits when you're older.'

'I can't "befriend" her if you keep talking to me, can I?'

"Anyway," Harry began. "If anyone asks I'm an associate from Russia named Harry Kamisky." He wasn't very good at making up names,

"Can you do a Russian accent, or are you just going to look like an idiot?"

Harry winked, saying in his Russian accent, "Funny, your brother said exactly the same thing."

Maria raised an eyebrow. "That's actually quite good. So how do you know Marco?"

Harry's expression remained flat as he deadpanned, "Take a guess."

"The family business," she said, and Harry nodded in confirmation. She looked over Harry. "A little young, aren't you? I'm not sure that I need some pickpocket whose never been to a magic school and has an imaginary tutor protecting me."

He snorted. "If I was incapable, I wouldn't have been chosen to guard you. There's a reason I don't go to magic school. Like I already said, they have nothing useful to teach me. I have full confidence that there isn't a single person in any magical academy in the world that can beat me." Well, if he had the element of surprise, but it sounded better if he didn't say that.

"A bold claim," she said, "but can you prove it?"

"If you're suggesting that we duel, Miss Aurelius, I'm afraid we will have to wait until after the ball," Harry said with a smirk. "After all, I don't want to ruin your dress, or your face for that matter."

She matched his expression. "I think you'd find it to be the other way around, Harry."

"Sorry, but I'm not wearing a dress, though I'm flattered that you think my face is good enough to be ruined."

After a while more of talking, Harry was managing to chip further and further away at her cold exterior.

He supposed it was understandable that she would be hostile when she was forced to be taken to the ball and guarded by someone younger than her who she didn't know, denying her the chance to have someone else as a date.

Harry's illusionary form was completely average – not unattractive, not attractive, just average – for it was designed to blend in.

Maria on the other hand, was attractive, and that might have been another factor in her annoyance. He didn't really care as long as he got paid.

Before long they moved into the mansion's ballroom where guests had already began to arrive.

Harry hung back slightly as Maria mingled with the new arrivals, avoiding notice but ready to leap into action at the first glance of a wand.

Soon they moved over to tables to eat. Harry ended up next to Maria, though played dumb when anyone spoke to him, replying in a heavy accent with his Italian completely fractured.

This did, however, give him the opportunity to listen in upon Maria's school friends with them not knowing he was listening. There was a blonde girl and a brown-haired boy who was apparently her date.

They both attended Beauxbatons with Maria, the boy was French and called Jean, whilst the girl was the daughter of one of Lord Aurelius' "friends" and was named Julia.

Harry noted that she was attractive, though not as much as Maria.

'Making important observations, I see,' Loki commented.

'It isn't as though there is really much else I can do, and you'll tell me when you see any assassins.' Harry paused, and flashed a mental smirk in Loki's direction. 'Anyway, you can't blame me; I am, after all, a hormonal teenager.'

Loki groaned, and Harry refocused on reality as Maria turned to him for the first time in a few minutes. She got to her feet with a smirk and asked, "Would you like to dance?"

If this was her attempt at embarrassing him, it would fail. Allowing Loki's knowledge and supernatural grace to be channelled through his mind, Harry rose to his feet, accepting her hand with a matching smirk before leading her out onto the dance floor, into the twirling couples.

Harry found his movements not to be his own, unnaturally elegant and light as he moved flawlessly, leading Maria to the music with a hand on her hip and another holding her hand.

Needless to say, if anyone was getting embarrassed, it was her.

When the song ended they moved back over to their table, Maria slightly gasping for breath and sweating whilst Harry looked as if he had taken a casual stroll.

After seeing his performance, Julia had to ask him to dance as well. After a brief moment he grudgingly accepted upon Maria's insistence and promise that she would stay there. Who would be stupid enough to leave anyway?

Nonetheless, he kept his eyes on Maria. This was possibly a better position to observe from anyway; his turns allowed him to look in all directions for any possible assailants. As he turned once again, he swore; Maria was gone.

Loki was immediately on alert. 'Jean's eyes are on the exit on his left. Go!'

Releasing Julia, Harry dashed forward, keeping Loki's Asgardian agility as he wove through the crowd of dancers. He moved out of the door and caught sight of the tail of a black dress moving around the next corner.

She was going of her own free will, then. That decreased the risk of the situation, but not to zero. She really was an imbecile.

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