Unfinished Gems

An Angel and a Trickster - 2

Chapter 2

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Loki discreetly followed Angel into an unused room. There was a tub full of warm water, animal-friendly soap...and her beloved pet owl Hedwig.

Loki's eyebrow rose up when he realized why Angel had slipped away from her 'minders'.

She was cleaning Hedwig. Owls were clean creatures by nature, but Angel enjoyed lavishing attention on her owl's feathers and Hedwig loved having her feathers cleaned.

She seemed to notice him once he closed the door.

"You can watch if you like," she said with a shrug. This was her private time, and unlike Hermione or Ron she had the distinct feeling he wouldn't try to ask why she was doing this or bother her about studying.

She worked with a deft hand, as she had become quite good when it came to removing the unwanted dirt and grime from Hedwig's feathers.

It was fascinating to watch as the water slowly became dirty from the muck she was cleaning out. He idly wondered how she would react to his wings, and if she was as good at cleaning angel feathers as she was at owls. He hadn't released his wings in years. They were probably gray from all the crap in them.

"You seem unusually fascinated by my little hobby of cleaning feathers," said Angel amused.

A few other owls joined Hedwig, as her owl had been quite vocal about her human being so thorough. Loki seemed very amused by the fact that the headmaster's pet phoenix had even shown up. She soon had quite the production line going, cleaning the feathers in a soothing motion. Loki had noticed that the room had a warming charm around them, despite being the middle of October.

All the 'cleaned' owls were perching on spots that had appeared a few minutes after she started. When the last bird had perched itself to dry, she cleared out the water which had become rather grungy looking. She had to refill the tub five times in order to ensure that the birds were properly cleaned.

"They sure seem to like you," he said.

"I like birds. They're freer than any human, though flying a broom comes very close. If I could, I would fly all the time and never land," said Angel, looking wishful.

Loki looked at her and considered something for a moment. On one hand, she might react rather badly to his true nature. He could always remove the knowledge. On the other, she might react favorably.

Angel was busy checking on the birds when she heard the sound of wings. They were louder and more powerful than she was used to, and she turned around wondering what it was.

Imagine her shock to find Loki still sitting nearby with his hands on the reversed chair, laying his head on them while his back was exposed. Only instead of there being a cloak on his back, there were now six pairs of magnificent wings. They almost looked pure white in color; except they were quite dirty. They hadn't been cleaned in years. Her hands twitched as her habit of cleaning feathers felt like it was about to kick in full force. She hated dirty feathers.

Loki seemed amused at her reaction.

"You're not a god at all, are you?" she said finally, having repressed the urge to clean his wings.

"Nope. I just go by Loki to avoid my brothers," he said amused.

"You are the Loki though, aren't you?"

"Yup."

"Do you have another name, or do you prefer Loki?" she asked. She had a suspicion what his real name was, he wasn't exactly trying to hide it and six pairs of wings was a dead giveaway.