A loud crack disturbed the otherwise silence afternoon as suddenly, an untouched landscape was host to a group of British wizards.
Harry, Emma, Bella, and Hermione Apparated to the location marked on the Ministry's map, and appeared outside of two great, giant stone doors set into the mountain. They were truly awe-inspiring, ornate doors three times as tall as they were, and inscribed with a message in ancient Norse runes.
"I don't suppose anyone can read that." Bella asked the group.
"I recognize that symbol there." Hermione pointed, "It means blood, and I think that symbol beside it means gods."
"That's not good." Harry muttered.
"How do you think we open these doors?" Emma asked hurriedly. Right, Harry nodded, his eyes narrowing. Astoria's life was on the line.
"We knock." Harry suggested, and strode forwards. The three witches followed behind him, and Harry rapped his knuckles on the solid rock of the doors. To his surprise, they began to groan, and Harry scooted back as the one Harry had touched began to slide open.
"I guess being polite really does work." Bella said in astonishment.
Harry pulled his wand out of his pocket, and the others did the same.
"We have no idea what's in here, or even if there's anything at all. Be careful." Bella told Harry, touching his arm. Harry nodded at his godmother, and she kept a loose grip on his arm as they walked into Fólkvangar together.
Bella's hand slid down Harry's arm until she was holding his hand, and Harry squeezed her hand.
"Lumos." Harry said, and his wand tip ignited. Bella, Emma, and Hermione followed suit.
Fólkvangar was definitely abandoned, and probably had been for centuries. It was dark and decrepit inside the hall, and all of the furniture was smashed apart. Skeletons were laid out across the floor, and dark red stains were similarly strewn.
"What the hell happened here? This school didn't go out of use, it was destroyed." Bella said in astonishment.
"Did something attack?" Hermione asked.
"Or someone." Harry observed.
"The skeletons are wearing different colored cloaks." Bella pointed out, "Two different colors, black and gold. I wonder if they fought some kind of battle here."
"You think they had Houses like we do?" Harry wondered, holding his wand out over a skeleton with a gleaming silver sword stuck out of his ribs. The handle was simple and black, with a gray half-circle pommel.
"You think this was an Inter-House conflict?" Hermione raised her eyebrows.
Harry tilted his head back and forth.
"I don't know. I do know that Norse gods were separated into two different groups, Aesir and Vanir, and we see here two separate groups of people. I have no clue if that's relevant, but I could see there being two Houses, one for each group of gods." Harry shrugged.
"That's a good theory." Bella said approvingly.
"Any sign of Freya?" Emma asked. Harry couldn't blame her for being laser focused on finding Freya.
They were so close to a possible solution, and they all knew they were on the clock. Isis could only do so much, despite her promises.
"Looks like the hall branches off multiple ways." Hermione called from furthest down the long, huge hall.
"Do we split up?" Bella asked.
"How many ways does it branch?" Emma asked.
"Three." Hermione called.
"Alright. I'll go with Hermione." Harry said, and Bella nodded at him.
"Be safe." Bella said, and kissed his cheek. Harry smiled at his godmother and then him and Hermione walked down the rightmost tunnel, while Bella went down the middle and Emma the left.
———
Emma Greengrass was worried sick. As she trudged along the tunnel, wand held aloft, her mind was far away in a hospital ward in Britain.
Her husband, in his infinite wisdom, had never thought to tell her about his family's blood curse. She had learned about it when Astoria got sick, and had also learned then that no one had ever survived once the curse took hold. Who wound up with the curse's effect was unpredictable, apparently, and also infrequent. Emma was still pissed that he hadn't told her about the curse, no matter how small the chance was it would activate.
These were her children. Her children's lives at stake. Her daughters, and right now, her baby girl was sick and dying.
Emma owed her current sanity to Harry. That wonderful young man had taken about five seconds to grieve Astoria, before Emma had seen a change in him. His mind had started whirring, and he had decided almost in an instant that he wasn't going to let Astoria go without a fight.
He had summoned a goddess from Ancient Egypt to examine Astoria, and when told she couldn't save her, had instantly launched a crusade to locate a Norse goddess.
Emma reached the end of the tunnel, and found a statue of a scantily clad woman and a spiral staircase leading down.
The statue of the woman was clad in a metal armored bra and a sort of armored metal short skirt. The woman was busty and had flowing hair down past her sizable stone bosom.
At the base of the statue, a symbol was carved into the pedestal. It was a triangle, with a spiral swirling outwards from each point of it.
Emma tilted her head back and forth, considering the statue.
"Freya?" Emma whispered. She didn't know the policy for addressing statues that were probably of goddesses.
She did not expect the statue's eyes to glow.
Emma took a step back, wand tip lifting reflexively.
"Stay your hand, Midgardian. I am not present, but I heard my name invoked in front of one of my sigils. What business do you have in Fólkvangar, Hall of the Damned?" a voice came from the statue.
"I… my daughter. She has a Norse blood curse on her. I came here looking for some magic that could save her." Emma said desperately.
"What is the nature of the curse?" the statue inquired.
"I have no idea." Emma confessed, "She was sick for three days, and then she had a seizure and we took her to the hospital."
"I cannot decipher the nature of a curse from that vague description. However, if you would allow me, I can put some of my consciousness into you. When you stand over your daughter, I will be able to determine the nature of the illness." the statue spoke.
"You would possess me?" Emma whispered.
"Temporarily" the statue said.
"I…" Emma hesitated. The statue's eyes glowed brighter.
"Another Midgardian approaches, but this one… he is different. He bears the mark of the Egyptian goddess Isis. If you do not wish to allow me access, I would gladly accept the boy in your stead." the statue said.
Emma hesitated, then looked at the statue.
"No. Take me." Emma said. She would not let Harry bear another burden if she could help it.
"As you wish." the statue said.
———
Harry and Hermione walked down their hall to find a simple painting at the end of it. The painting probably concealed more of Fólkvangar, but they had no way of opening it, no matter how many spells they tried, and when Hermione tried to use a spell like Reducto, it rebounded and nearly hit her. They decided to leave the painting alone and hope what they needed wasn't behind it. The hall was quick to search, and then they went back and divided, so Hermione went to find Bella and Harry went after Emma.
Harry walked down Emma's hall, and found the busty blond MILF kneeling before a statue of Freya. The statue wore an armored bra and an armored short skirt.
"Emma. You OK?" Harry asked, walking up behind her. Emma turned and Harry stared at her eyes. Her irises had turned gold rather than their usual color of green.
"The woman who once inhabited this body is gone. I am Freya, goddess of magic, fertility, and war." Emma said, and though it was her voice, the words were spoken in entirely different ways. There was a trace of an ancient accent, and the inflections of her words was different, too.
"Where's Emma?" Harry asked, a cold feeling running down his back.
"She willingly gave over her body so that I could heal her child. And I will. But I do not intend to return her body." Freya said dangerously. Harry nodded slowly.
Healing Astoria was the major, time-sensitive concern. Once Storey was alright, then Harry could worry about how to retrieve Emma from Freya's clutches.
"That's fine. But right now, Emma's daughter desperately needs healing. We need to go right now." Harry implored. Freya nodded.
"Of course. Take me to her." Freya said, rising to her feet.
Harry nodded and led Freya back down the hall, where they encountered Bella and Hermione waiting for them.
"No luck for you guys either?" Bella asked disappointedly.
"No, we found Freya." Harry said, gesturing to Emma.
"Hello, Midgardians." Freya inclined her head.
"Wow." Hermione breathed.
"Freya has agreed to help Astoria." Harry said.
"Where's Emma?" Bella queried.
"The Midgardian woman is gone, submerged beneath my consciousness." Freya explained. Bella opened her mouth, but Harry held up his hand.
"We're going to take Freya to Astoria, so she can heal her." Harry said carefully. Bella looked at Harry and then slowly nodded.
"Harry, my love, can I speak to you in private?" Bella asked.
"Sure. Hermione, can you lead Freya outside? We'll be right there with you." Harry said, then turned to Freya, "Hermione's very interested in Norse myths. Maybe you could help her understand some things?"
"It would be my honor." Freya nodded to Hermione, and the two girls walked back down the entrance hall.
"What the fuck?" Bella hissed once they were out of earshot.
"It sounds like Emma made some kind of deal. Freya heals Astoria for Emma, and Emma gives over her body to Freya. Astoria doesn't have long, so for right now, we just play along. Once Storey's fully healed, then we can worry about Emma, but for right now, we just act like we're fine with a goddess tagging along." Harry said. Bella looked at him.
"You're the boss." Bella sighed, and Harry kissed his godmother.
"You liked hearing that, didn't you?" Bella teased, putting a hand on Harry's cheek, "You like being in control?"
"Maybe a bit." Harry said with a shrug.
"You think you're in charge of me?" Bella asked saucily.
"I know I am." Harry said, "But let's table this for another time."
"You got it, sir." Bella said sexily, and Harry's cock stiffened a little as he and Bella walked back to the great stone doors to leave Fólkvangar.