Fickleness of Fate | Loki Laufeyson

Chapter Four

The cup of coffee warmed her frozen hands as she cradled the mug, sipping gingerly. Her back rested against the office chair in which she was perched upon, her gaze not relenting on the blonde haired man that sat defeatedly within the secure white room. Coulson had interrogated him mere moments ago surrounding his training, trying to determine who sent the assailant to recover the hammer.

But Harry felt within her senses that she was missing details. As if she were trying to determine a figure within a painting whilst the artist still had the brush in their hand. But even so, the hairs on her arm stood on edge as Coulson left the interrogation room, Harry believing for a split second that another witch or wizard was present.

Through the one-way glass, however, she saw no one but the unidentified man. Although he was now talking to himself, adding only to the number of questions on the witch's list.

Agent Coulson, as Harry had expected, walked directly towards her, stopping a respectful distance away. Harry stood slowly in return, though her leg throbbed slightly from the fall earlier that evening.

"Agent Potter," Coulson started when Harry was on her feet, "I would like to thank you for your assistance in detaining the intruder. Your skills were remarkably impressive, and if you weren't already working for the Secret Service, I would be offering you a job at S.H.I.E.L.D."

Harry smiled genuinely. "Thank you, Agent Coulson. I'm just glad that we were able to apprehend him with minimal casualties. Has he provided any insight on who sent him to retrieve the hammer?"

Coulson shook his head twice. "Unfortunately not. I've put him on time-out for a while, his selective mutism isn't exactly helpful."

Harry regarded the crazed man over Coulson shoulder, head tilting slightly to the side in consideration. "Might I suggest that I try to pry some answers out of him?"

Coulson's regarded the request silently, before asking, "I'm not sure if your duties as liaisons cover this element, Agent Potter."

"Quite true, but I can assure you that I have a wealth of experience in the area." Harry explained, trying to assess the best way to wrench answers out of the now silent man.

Coulson shrugged, stepping out of Harry's way. "We have nothing to lose, so by all means."

Harry nodded her thanks, before tenderly shuffling past Coulson, towards the entrance to the interrogation room. The access to the controls shone green as the guard outside granted her permission to enter, the sliding door whirling back to reveal the man that had been hand cuffed to the chair.

But now that she was in here, there was no denying that there was a magical essence within the room that had not been there before the blonde man's arrival. It was as if the air sung around her, dancing and toying with her. It was the personification of Fred and George, tricksters through and through.

The blonde man was already regarding her whilst she scanned the room for the source of magic, of which she could find nothing. His blue eyes were cold and hard as their stares connected, but not from hatred. It was as if the man's life and purpose had been stripped from him, leaving only his beaten self.

Harry didn't move. She stood with her legs spread in a wise stance, hands behind her back in a casual manner. Her face was calculatedly neutral as she asked, "Are you going to apologise?"

The man said nothing, only continued to stare blankly at her.

Harry's nostrils flared in faked anger. "You hurtled me over the side of a railing, you arse. Could have snapped my bloody neck and I don't even get an apology?"

Something behind the man's eyes flickered, seeming to sense her, to actually see her for the first time since she walked in the room. And so she waited, counted in her mind to fifteen; the perfect amount of time to make someone reconsider she knew from helping to raise Teddy. "Well?" She finally probed after the time was up.