The Witch's Familiar

Chapter 45

You picked up the dragon egg and headed downstairs with Loki to grab a bite to eat before you headed out to the magic school. The team was in the dining room already and you passed the egg to Loki so you could greet them. They were all so anxious and worried. You didn't blame them, you'd been asleep for two days recovering from recent events. So you hugged them all and reassured everyone that you were alright.

"Where are you off to?" Cap asked, concerned when he saw you in real people clothes and not pajamas. You and Loki both took your seats at the table for Clint's delicious pancakes.

"The magic school. Loki is coming with me," you reassured them quickly before they all started blowing gaskets. "We have to take the dragon egg to them. Hopefully they can find a new witch to pair her with," you explained.

"I don't understand. Isn't she your dragon?" Tony asked.

You sighed. "She was. I repudiated her for her actions, broke the connection between us," you explained to them. "She wanted to destroy every human on earth, and that included me when I refused to agree with her. The spell I cast gave her a second chance. She'll be reborn and assigned a new witch and hopefully do better with them and proper training than with me," you knew you were a strange case. You hadn't taken up any kind of normal witch job and that had probably hindered Sera. She needed structure and guidance and you could offer her neither.

Tony nodded his understanding, but Nat pushed the issue. "You need to get a new familiar," she announced in a manner that left no room for arguing.

You blanched and fought not to hyperventilate at the suggestion. "Not yet," you told Nat, trying to fight back the feeling of panic welling up in your chest. You couldn't fail another familiar. Not now. Not so soon after Sera. You couldn't fail another one. You just couldn't.

"Your mental and physical health go to hell without one," Nat reminded you. She actually liked you and wanted you safe and happy. You appreciated that the assassin liked you, but she wasn't helping right now.

"I know," you admitted softly. "I know, it's just... the loss is hard and I'm not ready to take on another familiar yet,"

Clint ruffled your hair. "It's ok, kid. We'll accept your new familiar when you're ready to choose one," he reassured you. You smiled up at him, grateful for the reassuring words. They'd accept no matter what creature you brought into their lives.

"Can you try for a cat this time?" Stark teased and you fought not to huff.

They didn't get it. You didn't want another familiar. Not now. Now ever.

You couldn't fail another familiar.

Not like you'd failed Sera.

Tears welled in your eyes and you looked down at your plate. "I'll try," you said softly. Loki's arm went around your shoulders, pulling you close.

"It will be alright, darling. I can mask the symptoms for you for a little while," he reassured you softly, gently, and you nodded. Loki in cat form could stave off the symptoms of being without a familiar. Not all witches needed familiars to help them, but you'd had one for centuries. And you had so much magic that you needed the emotional support they brought.

That didn't mean you wanted another familiar.

Ever.

You finished your breakfast and vanished the dishes. Loki did the same and the pair of you stood. You carefully lifted the dragon egg into your arms and Loki's arm went around your shoulders. "I will teleport us," he told you and you nodded, letting him take care of this piece of magic. You knew it made him happy to take care of you and you could let him this time.

Green magic shimmered around you and a moment later you reappeared outside of the shield around the magic school. You took Loki's arm when he offered it and the pair of you walked through the shield into the school. "Where to, magelet?" Loki asked, unsure of your plan.

"The headmistress' office. She'll be able to give the Sera's egg to the witch's council to be rehabilitated and she's our best shot on Midgard, besides Strange, of how to remove this mark from my hand," you explained and summoned a pair of gloves to hide the mark on your hand with. It wouldn't do to have the kids see it and panic. It wouldn't do for the adults to see it either. You nodded politely to the people you passed, but headed straight for the headmistress' office.

Your grip on Loki's arm was firm, betraying your nerves. He pressed a kiss to your hair. "Everything will be alright, darling," he reassured you as you approached the office. You dropped his arm to knock on the door.

"Enter," came the headmistress' reply.

You opened the door and nervously stepped into her office, cradling the dragon egg to your chest as you did. The office was comfortable with a huge desk and way too many books in the shelves around the room. She looked up at you and Loki as you entered and she jumped to her feet to rush over to you. "Y/N! We were so worried!" she told you as her arms wrapped around you.

"Thank you, headmistress," you told her and hugged her back with one arm. She led you over to the comfortable chairs in front of her desk and you set the egg on your lap as you caught her up on everything that had happened. It took a long time to tell her everything, but you finally caught up to recent events and through what you had done to Sera.

"What do you require of me?" she asked when you'd stopped talking.

You set the dragon egg on the desk in front of you. "Can you see that she's taken to the witch's council and given a proper second chance? I don't think all hope is lost for her, if she can be taught properly from the egg,"

You saw tears in the headmistress' eyes, at knowing what you'd sacrificed and knowing that you were trying to do your best by the dragon who had been the sister to your soul. "I will see that she is given a second chance. It was kind of you to give that chance to her, not many witches would," the headmistress told you.

You nodded and squeezed Loki's hand for reassurance, which he offered readily. "Thank you, headmistress. There's one more thing I could use your help with," you added, hoping against hope that she had a solution for you.

"What is it, dear?" she asked. She, along with many of the senior witches had a soft spot for you.

"Do you know of any way to get rid of this?" You carefully stripped off your gloves and showed her the mark in magic ink on the back of your hand.

You tried not to cry at her gasp of horror at how you'd been branded by the witch hunters.

At the hated symbol inked on your skin.