CHAPTER FIVE
CLINT, LOKI, AND THOR

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England, Leaky Cauldron

"The Leaky Cauldron," Clint sounded out as he looked at the pub sign. He then looked at his brother, "Why Barney?"

The question was simple.

Why did his older brother drag him out of bed before eight on a Saturday morning? Why did he have to beg Mrs. Harp's permission to leave and then stop at a pub in London, England? Why? Why? Why?

Was his brother thirsty? Was this a practical joke? Or was Barney really just trying to grate on his last nerves before school even started?

See, the question was simple.

Barney grinned. "You'll see, now come on!"

He took Clint's wrist and pulled until they were both walking through the pub's front door. All eyes were on them and then they weren't. It was like the entire bar just knew something the rest of the normal world didn't and it proved Clint's thoughts right when a man behind the counter smiled and waved at his brother, it was warm and like they'd known each other for years.

"Barney, good to see you again," Tom, the barman greeted. "And who might this young lad be?" he asked looking directly at Clint, who shifted uncomfortably under the sudden attention.

"Good to see you again too, Tom," Barney smiled before throwing an arm around Clint's shoulders in comfort before ruffling his hair playfully. "This is my little brother, Clint, I told you about him, remember?"

"Of course," Tom nodded. "Nice to meet you, boy."

Clint, even though hesitantly, shook the man's hand with a smile. "Nice to meet you too, sir."

"Oh, I'll have none of that," he waved a hand carelessly. "Call me Tom."

"Tom," Clint said trying it out and Barney smiled as Tom chuckled in approval.

"So, what can I get you two today, Barney?"

"Nothing, thanks," he shook his head. "I'm just passing through. Clint here, needs his school supplies from Diagon Alley it's going to be his first year," Barney informed, smiling proudly at his little brother, a rare thing for Clint to see.

Tom smiled. "Well, best of luck to the both of you, lad."

"Thanks."

Barney took Clint by the arm maneuvering them around the bar and into the back room. They were walking out a door again and being met face to face with a solid brick wall, Clint's face immediately deadpanning.

"A dead end?"

"Would you just have a little patience, Clinton?" Barney asked using Clint's full name that he knew very well his little brother hated.

Clint opened his mouth to object but then it snapped closed at the sight in front of him. Barney was tapping the bricks with the point of his wand and magically, because honestly there was no other explanation, the wall started to part until it created a perfect archway to walk through.

"Amazed yet?" Barney questioned with a smirk.

Clint's eyes widened as he tried to take it all in. The shops, the people, the furniture, the cobblestone road, all of it. Magical wasn't even the right word to even begin to describe it.

With his wide-eyed expression, he looked back at his brother. "Totally!"

"Good," Barney replied as he gently pushed Clint to start walking again. "Now, remember what I told you. Follow my lead, just do what I do. Let me do most of the talking and while we're at the bank just don't talk at all, got it?"

"Why the bank?" Clint wondered.

"You'll see," Barney sighed, his face turning grim at the mere thought of the bank goblins.

They had made all of one-stop in Diagon Alley before Clint's savior or was it, kind kidnapper, from two days before found him again.

"Okay, so now you need your books, wand, robes, familiar," Barney was still listing off not noticing just how his little brother was about to be stolen from him.

"Barton!" the familiar voice called.

Clint stopped walking as his eyes shot wide at the sight in front of him. Sharp emerald eyes staring back at him with slick black hair and a suspicious smirk.

"Loki," Clint smiled.

Barney looked up from the requirements list he was reading in his hands and glanced between his little brother and his little brother's mysterious new friend.

Normally he wouldn't do this, trusting a complete stranger with the only family he had left let alone trust Clint alone in a place he had never been before. But this was good, he already had someone before school even started that didn't include a Russian redhead. Barney knew how nice but guarded Clint could be and knowing he was actually willingly becoming friends with this Loki kid, Barney couldn't help but take the leap of faith.

"Hey, Clint, why don't you take this and get the rest of the stuff you need with your new friend?" Barney asked clearly surprising his brother but then he quickly added. "I saw some friends of mine I want to catch up with before school starts."

Loki watched the brothers but didn't say a word as Clint hesitantly nodded and Barney smiled giving Loki a small look in greeting before walking off.

"Now, where to first?" Loki asked snatching Clint's requirement list from his hands.

"I don't know," Clint admitted with a shrug. "I haven't gotten anything yet we just came from the bank," he said pointing a finger behind him at the large building.

"Alright, a wand first then," Loki said a smirk settling on his lips. "This should be fun."

There he goes again, Clint thought. Smirking! What was it, a default setting?

"Brother!" a loud voice boomed making Clint flinch and Loki groan in utter annoyance. "Ah! Clint Barton, good to see you again!"

"Thor," Clint greeted as the loud blonde marched toward them a very large grin on his face.

"Thor, don't you have Sif to go and bother?" Loki questioned as he turned to walk, Clint beside him and Thor behind them. "Why else did mother insist on you bringing her?"

Still smiling Thor caught up to his little brother. "Sif is getting her robes adjusted and a new quidditch uniform made so I thought I'd see what you were up to."

"How kind of you," Loki mocked though Thor blatantly ignored it.

Clint could tell the Odinson brothers didn't really get along all that well or more like Loki didn't get along with Thor while Thor seemed to be blissfully unaware of that fact.

"Thor!" their mother Frigga's voice called. "Come here, dear."

"But mother I-"

"Sif is finished with her robes," Frigga said cutting her eldest son off before he had the chance to complain. "Hello Clint, dear," she greeted with a warm and sweet smile.

"Hello, ma'am," Clint smiled back.

"Frigga is just fine," Frigga corrected him before looking back at Thor. "And you still need your books before term starts."

"Mother-"

"Leave Loki alone to help his new friend it'll take him quite some time to show Clint the basics of everything here in Diagon Alley."

"Why can't I also help him?" Thor pouted making Loki roll his eyes as Frigga laid her hands down on Thor's shoulders.

"Come now," their mother laughed. "You have your own friend to worry about, Sif's waiting."

Reluctantly Thor let his mother drag him away as she and Loki shared a look. Basically translating into "thank you" and "you're welcome".

Frigga knew how Loki felt and she also knew how Thor unconsciously made him feel without even noticing in the slightest. She loved both her sons equally, but she also knew it was a lot easier for Thor to make friends than it was for Loki and whenever Loki did succeed in making a friend, Thor would walk in and unknowingly steal that friend leaving Loki angry and hurt.

Clint, on the other hand, was in no way going to be one of those stolen friends for two very distinct reasons.

One, Loki had helped him even when he didn't have to, a complete stranger and that would always be something Clint would remember. And the second reason, Clint just didn't feel too comfortable around Thor not like he did Loki, maybe it was his immense loudness or his excessive friendliness, he just didn't know.

"Come on, Barton," Loki pulled his arm. "We need to get you a wand."

They walked into a shop called Ollivanders it looked rather big on the outside but once they were through the door it was nothing but small and cramped. There were shelves for days all of them starting from the ground up to the ceiling, each and every one of them completely and without a space between them, occupied full with boxes of wands.

Clint, wide-eyed again asked. "Are you just supposed to pick one?"

Loki smirked in amusement, he opened his mouth to answer but then the familiar sound of a ladder scraping against wooden flooring sounded and an old-looking man appeared. He was hanging half off the ladder as he stocked even more wands onto the already full shelves. He had messy white hair and thin round black-rimmed glasses while the rest of him was dressed in a simple white coat and grey trousers.

"Ah, Mr. Laufeyson, Frigga's son, aren't you?"

Loki smiled, pleased someone connected him with his mother instead of Odin. "Yes, sir. We've come to buy our wands for school."

"Of course, of course," Ollivander muttered as he climbed down from the ladder. "Now, let me take a look at you. Oh, and who might you be young man?" he asked noticing Clint, who was nervously standing behind Loki.

"Clint Barton," Loki answered for him. "A friend of mine."

"Barton? Barton? Oh, yes!" Ollivander exclaimed. "I remember, you're brother was here only three years ago also your father both quite close matching with their wand types," he commented smiling.

"You knew my father?" Clint asked, speaking for the first time.

"Hmm," Ollivander hummed. "I remember everyone I've ever sold a wand to Mr. Barton. Now, let's see what I can do for you two."

The boys watched as he scurried away over to a shelf and a second later he was holding a boxed wand.

"I do have a feeling, Mr. Laufeyson, that your wand will be quite different from that of your father and brother. Closer to your mother I believe, but still not completely. . . Here, give this one a try," Ollivander handed Loki a light-colored wand the intricate symbols splayed over it enough to catch his attention.

Loki waved it about the feeling of balance and power enticing him. It felt good, peaceful, and like he was at home. The air around him sparked with electricity and a green glow flew out from the tip of the wand, a beautiful emerald fireworks display going off before their very eyes.

"Ah, magnificent!" Ollivander clapped his hands. "You have found your complete match, Mr. Laufeyson. Acacia wood with a rare dragon heartstring core."

Loki smirked his fingers tracing his wand from the holding point down to the tip before he looked back at Clint and grinned happily. Clint snapped out of his shock and gave Loki a thumbs up in encouragement.

"Right, now onto you, Mr. Barton," Ollivander declared returning back to the shelves. "Your father was quite the passive-aggressive type as well as your brother it seems."

Clint wasn't sure whether that was merely an observation or an insult to his family but kept quiet as Ollivander continued talking, walking back a second later with yet another wand box in his hand.

"But you come off as a more direct type of young man. Let's see if that is the case, shall we?" he asked smiling as he handed Clint a darker-looking wand than Loki's.

Clint was lost on what to do this was the first time he'd ever held a wand, let alone knew how to use one. Loki noticed and subtly flicked his wrist in a silent explanation, Clint nodded and quickly copied the movement.

The atmosphere buzzed around Clint his very breaths seeming to come out light and airy. A strange feeling starting to course through him. It wasn't unpleasant, in fact, it was quite comforting and before he knew it little golden stars burst from the tip of the wand.

"Loki, look!" Clint exclaimed in amazement.

Loki smiled genuinely at the Barton, nodding his head in approval and awareness. "Lovely indeed," he commented.

"Well, look at that," Ollivander muttered with a smile. "Seems I was correct after all. A simple combination of Cedarwood and a unicorn hair. Very rare to see the owner of a Cedar wand but also very pleasing."

"What do you mean by that, sir?" Clint asked finally looking up from where the golden stars were fading out.

"You'll understand soon my boy," Ollivander reassured. "But for now, let me wrap up your wands for you."