'Just a little bit more and this will be perfect.'
Dropping the Error Blasphemy card onto the table, Loki exited the Sefirah Castle. Once outside, he wore the clothes he had borrowed from his previous body and immediately set out of the room.
With short but quick steps, Loki walked towards the Gryffindor Tower.
He set up a short ward that would produce a loud noise upon being activated and walked toward the closest exit from the tower.
He waited there patiently for about half an hour while consulting with the Marauder's Map every few minutes to see if his target was walking back to the castle.
It didn't take long.
Loki soon saw Harry Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Severus Snape along with Peter Pettigrew, Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley appear on the map.
Curiously, a different name also existed on the map which was moving along with the somewhat large group of people, Loki.
They were heading straight back to the Gryffindor Tower.
Loki quickly used illusions to hide under the cover of darkness inside a broom closet as he held his breath and waited.
The sound of shuffling footsteps reached his ears, but Loki did not emerge from his hiding spot.
A sliver of gap in the broom closet was all he used to carefully peer through the darkness and look at who was passing by.
*BANG*
*SSSSRREEEEEEECCCCHHHHHHH*
A loud noise distracted everyone for a second which was enough for Loki to open the door and pull Hermione into the closet as soon as she walked past him.
Hermione attempted to scream but Loki held her mouth and brought out his wand and cast a dim lumos charm, making a light that was just bright enough for Hermione to see him.
"Mione! It's me!!" Loki said slowly letting go of Hermione's mouth.
"....huh!?" Hermione appeared shocked. "But…but you were just…"
"Yes! I know, that's why I need your help!"
"Help..? But I'm not a Beyo- No way!!! You knew all along!!" Hermione suddenly whispered harshly.
"...I mean, I'm a Seer, it wasn't that hard to figure out what you were using to get around to so many of your classes.", Loki said shrugging his shoulders.
Hermione's mouth opened and closed like a fish for a few seconds, there was a sense of frustration that lay in her gaze as she looked at Loki but then she spoke slowly.
"I'm coming with-"
"No. I only saw myself travelling alone." Loki immediately shut down the thoughts Hermione was having.
"But-"
"You know the rules Mione, you don't mess with time as you like."
"You're one to tell me...I should be telling Professor McGonagall that you knew about it all along!!!"
"Please..?" Loki said with a funny smile.
"Arrgghhhh!!! Whatever you want. You don't tell me anything anyway." Hermione said pulling out the golden chain around her neck and wrapping it around Loki.
Although Loki felt a little weird about her last remark, he shouted a "Thanks!!!" and immediately pushed her back out of the boom closet while whispering into her ear, "Go to the women's lavatory. I planned for you to meet everyone over there, they'll be distracted by something else so you can go ahead of them."
"The women's lavatory!? Shameless! How did you go in there!" Hermione complained.
Loki just laughed and said, "Myrtle is a good friend. Charming aren't I?"
Hermione rolled her eyes and did as Loki told while leaving him to his devices.
With Hermione gone, Loki looked at the little hourglass at the end of the pendant Hermione had given him and covered it with his spirituality. Then while holding its knob, he turned it once, turning the hourglass inside its gyroscopic container once too.
Loki felt a smooth shift.
The light that entered the broom closet through the crack shifted and spun as if Loki was thrust into a ride through the rainbow.
The sound that filled Loki's ears felt like he was listening to an orchestra under the pool.
In but a moment more, everything stabilised and Loki *sighed* audibly, he pushed open the broom closet and stepped out calmly after pressing out any creases that might have formed on his robes.
Walking a little in the corridor, Loki came to rest at the exit from where he could step into the grounds of the castle.
Not long after, Loki heard soft footsteps burden his ears, causing him to turn around and look at who had arrived.
"Oh! Professor Snape! So glad you were able to make it. I suppose you've read my letter?"
"...yes." Snape said after looking at Loki with some seriousness.
"I saw Ron and Hermione entering the pathway under the Whomping Willow along with Professor Lupin."
A scowl formed on Snape's face but he said nothing else and started to walk ahead.
"I'm coming along professor, just in case I'm needed to do something?" Loki said in a slightly unsure voice making Snape pause and look at him.
But then Snape said nothing and just looked away after a short nod.
Loki internally smiled and without wasting any more time, began to follow Professor Snape as they walked under the Whomping Willow.
As they walked closer to the Whomping Willow, Loki saw Snape wave his hands and shoot a freezing charm at a particular spot on the tree, causing it to freeze while they quickly stepped through the tunnel under the tree.
Walking in silence, Loki felt goosebumps rise up his arms as he passed by the area he remembered was where Dumbledore, Harry and Cheek were.
Even though he mentally recognised the area around him, he couldn't see a single one of them without the rune of concealment covering his mind.
But Loki maintained his composure and continued to follow Snape who hadn't indicated he could see anything else otherwise.
Walking through the darkness, Loki found himself stopping a little behind Snape when he froze stiff.
In the silence, Loki could hear the argument between two students.
"Where's Harry Sirius!?"
"I don't know Lupin!!!!! Why do you think I took him!?!"
"Because my friend is a seer and he saw you guiding Harry using the Imperious curse!!!"
Loki held his breath like Snape and paid attention to the conversation that was going on inside the Shrieking Shack.
Counting down, Loki soon found himself tensing as he slipped into cogitation, and it was a good thing he did, because-
*SSSSRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECCCCCHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH*
-an unholy scream filled the tunnel, reaching Loki and Snape who were both immediately feeling the effects of losing control.
But the scream vanished as soon as it arrived.
Snape immediately turned around and looked into the depths of darkness beside Loki while Loki did the same.
Turning around and looking at Snape, Loki raised his eyebrows in worry, indicating he was asking for what he should do next.
Snape just raised his finger and silenced him by putting the finger on his lips.
That was when a confused voice came out of the shrieking shack, "Blimey…what was that?"
Suddenly, a crisp crack was heard behind Loki and Snape inside the darkness of the tunnel, but before they could react or even turn around they felt a wave of calmness pass over them.
Loki and Snape froze on the spot as their eyes closed while their brains stopped functioning for a few moments.
*snap*
Loki opened his eyes along with Snape and the two remained silent, as if nothing had just happened, paying full attention to the argument that was going on in the Shrieking Shack.
"I know why you brought me here!" Harry said accusingly.
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A/N : Since we're so close to two hundred powerstones, I'll upload an extra chapter tomorrow! Thank you for reading! Let's goo!!!!
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