Bewitched by You (A Marvel/Harry Potter Crossover) COMPLETED

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Power for a Price

"I still can't believe I'm physically inside this room," Hermione said, even as she moved to the closest wall to examine the glowing golden symbols hovering there.

Bucky shifted in place, edgy, as though preparing for combat as he watched her. "Yeah, we're not here to play with them while you're awake, remember?"

When she seemed unable to tear her gaze from the symbols, Loki took the liberty of clamping his hands over her hips. Yanking her backward a few steps, he spun her to face the center of the room.

Bracing her hands over his, she gave herself a shake to get her bearings. "Woo. Sorry. So, um, okay, now I can't . . . um . . . ."

Loki and Bucky exchanged a worried look. "What is it?" At this point, they couldn't even get exasperated with one another that they'd asked the question at the same time, anymore.

Being on the same page more often than not was to be expected, they all understood that. Didn't make the more obvious indications of it any less jarring when they happened, though.

Meeting Bucky's gaze, and then Loki's, she shook her head. "I've never performed astral projection before the sensory deprivation chamber at the Tower a few hours ago. I'll need you to put me to sleep so you can pull me out of my body."

"That is madness on the face of it," Loki said in a mildly awed whisper. Just when he thought she could not come up with an idea more insane than bidding the room uncreate itself while they were inside it . . . .

She let out a sigh, closing her eyes as she pressed the fingertips of one hand against her temple. "No, it's not. You're a Frost Giant, right? That grants you an ability to freeze things, doesn't it?"

"It does."

"So, you can lower a person's core body temperature fast enough to knock them out instantly, can't you?"

Wide-eyed, Loki glanced at Bucky. Bucky, in turn, only shrugged, puffing out his cheeks as he exhaled and shook his head. "Don't look at me, I'm just here as an exit strategy, remember? Bat-shit crazy schemes are her department."

Certainly, she was correct. Loki had used his abilities in such a way before, but not on someone dear to him.

"And you can control those abilities so that you would only do enough to knock me out without damaging my body, can't you?"

Now, his eyes narrowed at the barely veiled challenge in her voice. "Well, of course I can. To whom, precisely, do you believe you are speaking?"

Getting exactly the reply she wanted, Hermione granted him sly smirk.

Loki shook his head, even as he grinned in spite of himself. "Oh, you are wickedly clever, you."

When she beamed at the praise, Bucky leaned down to whisper in her ear, "Don't break your arm patting yourself on the back, doll."

"Right! Focus, Hermione," she said to herself, nodding. "Okay, so as I was saying, just put me to sleep and then pull my astral form from my physical body. I mean, that's what you must've done to ensure we were here last night for that chat, right?"

Loki narrowed his eyes at her, once more. "That keen insight of yours is going to get me into trouble someday, is it not?"

Again with her smirk. "Probably. Is it going to be weird to be here and here? I suppose it will. I mean, it would have to be, right? Of course, it would! So, when do we—?"

Loki pressed two fingers to the side of her throat, putting her out sooner than she could even finish the question. Blinking in surprise, Bucky moved like a shot to catch her before she hit the floor.