Loki Odinson and the Prisoner Of Azkaban

Chapter 12; Childhood Issues

(Told from Loki's Point of View)

Now... it wasn't actually me that left that piece of paper around. I had a good enough memory to keep track of all those passcodes— and a whole lot more. The thing was that I knew it was Neville who had lost them, and it wasn't even his fault.

At that exact moment, a wave of empathy and understanding flowed through me. I knew that Neville would be punished way worse than me if it was him who was blamed. Plus, I like testing my limits. If I was able to talk my way out of a detention... well, lets just say that my persuasive tongue knows no bounds.

So I slowly raised my hand, casting a warning look over to Neville.

McGonagall told me to meet her in her office tomorrow morning. I could tell talking my way out of this was not going to be an easy task.

I sat in the corner of the common room that night, and Hermione sat next to me.

"How could you?" She asked.

"It wasn't me." I say. "It was Neville. I only took the blame." I answer.

She looked shocked, and I didn't blame her. "But that's so unlike you!"

"You know, I don't know what came over me... I suddenly felt all this sympathy for Neville... and I decided that he would suffer way worse than me." I say, shrugging.

Neville walked over to me and Hermione. "Loki...?"

"Yes Neville?" I say, raising one eyebrow. I knew he was slightly afraid of me— it was quite cruel actually to keep him standing there while I sat high above him on a stool.

"I just... it was me. I was going to take the blame. Why'd you..." he stopped, shuffling on his feet..

"My pleasure. No need to thank me." I smirk.

"Ok... thank you..." he says, and shuffles away.

No one slept that night. We continued to wait until McGonagall returned with news about Black— which was that he escaped once again.

Unfortunately she took me away right after that and practically dragged me to her room. She parked me in the chair in front of her desk and gave me a deadly glare.

"I'm very disappointed." She began. I knew she was trying to get me to look guilty, so I gave myself a confident posture and a bored expression. When I didn't react to this comment, she moved on.

"I'd like to make my intentions perfectly clear— your carelessness and foolishness deserve to be punished severely." She says, continuing to give me that same deadly glare. I don't react and continue to stare at her with a monotone expression on my face.

"I feel that these punishments are suitable." She continues. "You will be banned from all further trips to Hogsmeade, given a detention, and all other Gryffindor students will be forbidden from giving you the password to the Gryffindor common room."

I had to resist my urge to show any emotion to her. Ooooh, even I had to admit, that stings. That was more punishment I had bargained for. Luckily, I was already a master of hiding my emotions.

I blinked a few times. "That's harsher than I imagined."

"You were endangering the lives of all the Gryffindor students by leaving that paper around. I can't imagine why you would do something like this!" She says angrily.

I take a deep breath. "This could simply be a coincidence. Professor, Sir Cadogan must have been—"

"There's absolutely no reason that this could be a coincidence!" She roared. "There's no reason for Sir Cadogan to lie, and you very willingly admitted that you were the one to leave around that piece of paper!"