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Hermione watched from the balcony, raising an eyebrow in mild surprise.
The Kursed Warrior is actually quite something, she thought. To backhand Thor like a ragdoll and catch Mjolnir mid-air? He must have incredibly potent anti-magic properties or sheer kinetic density. Even the Hulk struggled to lift that hammer, and this guy swatted it away like a fly.
Thor tumbled across the marble floor, blood trickling from his lip. A look of genuine shock flashed in his eyes. This was the first time in centuries he had been physically overpowered. His beloved Mjolnir lay silent on the ground, unresponsive.
Algrim the Kursed roared, raising a massive fist to crush the God of Thunder's skull.
"Get out of the way!" Hermione's voice cut through the chaos, cold and authoritative.
Thor, recognizing the tone, instinctively rolled to the side.
"Avada Kedavra, eating a melon!"
A jet of green light, darker and more concentrated than usual, shot from the balcony. It bypassed the Kursed's physical defenses, ignored his kinetic absorption, and struck him squarely in the chest.
There was no explosion. No dramatic struggle.
The Kursed Warrior didn't even scream. His massive, burning eyes simply went dark. The monstrous body collapsed with a heavy, wet thud, shaking the floor.
Dead.
The entire room fell into a stunned silence. Even the dust seemed to freeze.
Malekith the Accursed stared, his jaw practically hitting the floor. The Kursed was his ultimate weapon—a warrior enhanced by the Kurse Stone, capable of tearing Asgard apart single-handedly. And now? Gone. Snuffed out like a candle by a beam of green light.
"WHO ARE YOU?!" Malekith shrieked, backing away. "There is no one like you in Asgard! Not even Odin wields such magic!"
Hermione leaned over the railing, twirling her wand. "I am a Midgardian. Your Dark Elf intelligence network really needs an update. It's embarrassing."
She blew on the tip of her wand like a smoking gun. Avada Kedavra: The cure for all sorts of fancy tricks and tank builds.
Malekith, realizing the tactical situation had shifted from 'victory' to 'slaughter,' made a split-second decision.
"Retreat!" he hissed.
He reached into his belt and tossed three small, black spheres onto the floor. Then he turned and sprinted for the balcony, leaping onto his waiting Harrow ship. The engines roared, and he vanished into the horizon.
Odin burst into the room just as the spheres began to hum. His one eye widened in horror.
"Damn it! Black Hole Grenades!"
Odin recognized them instantly. The singularity weapons of the Dark Elves. They created localized event horizons that devoured matter, light, and gravity.
"Get back!" Odin roared, raising Gungnir to create a divine barrier. But he knew it might not be enough. The gravitational pull was already tearing the floor tiles apart.
However, someone was faster.
"Mirror Dimension!"
Hermione waved her hand. The air around the grenades fractured like glass. The deadly singularities were encased in a kaleidoscopic pocket of folded space.
VWOOM.
The grenades detonated. Inside the Mirror Dimension, reality warped violently. Space twisted into impossible knots, tearing matter apart at the molecular level. But to the outside world?
Nothing.
The reflection shimmered, then vanished. The room was calm.
Thor, Frigga, and Jane stared at the spot where they had almost been spaghettified, a cold sweat breaking out on their skin. They looked at Hermione with a new, terrified respect. She had just contained a black hole with a wave of her hand.
Odin let out a long breath, lowering his spear. The tension left his shoulders.
Frigga walked over to him, whispering urgently about what had happened—how Hermione had saved her from Malekith's blade.
Odin turned to Hermione. The arrogance and suspicion that had defined their relationship were gone. In their place was profound gratitude.
"Hermione," Odin said, his voice deep and sincere. "We truly owe you a great debt this time. If you hadn't intervened... Frigga... Asgard..." He trailed off, shaking his head.
Hermione waved her hand dismissively. "No need to be so polite, Your Majesty. It was just a small favor. Besides, the Dark Elves are enemies of Earth too. I'm just cleaning up the neighborhood."
Even so, Odin knew the weight of that "small favor." He secretly rejoiced that he hadn't burned bridges with the young witch. An ally like this was worth an army.
Later. The Ruins of the Throne Room.
The Asgardian soldiers were scavenging the wreckage, their heads hanging low. They had repelled the invasion, but the cost was high, and their pride was shattered.
Odin stood amidst the ruins, surveying the damage. "Malekith will not let this go," he said, his voice low and menacing. "The Celestial Convergence is imminent. He needs the Aether to cast the Nine Realms into eternal darkness. He will return."
Odin paused, his gaze falling on Jane Foster, who was being tended to by healers in the corner.
"Retrieving the Aether from the girl is too risky," Odin stated coldly. "We cannot risk extracting it here. As long as she is within Asgard's walls, the Aether is contained. We will lock down the realm."
"Without the Aether, Malekith is powerless. We will wait him out."
Thor looked up abruptly, his face contorted with disbelief. "Father! What are you saying?! You're going to use her as bait? You're just going to watch her life be consumed by the parasite?!"
Odin frowned. "Thor, this is for the safety of the Nine Realms. Kings must make sacrifices."
"Sacrifice?" Thor roared, stepping forward. "Sacrifice the life of an innocent? Is that your kingly wisdom? To let her rot?"
"Actually," a calm voice cut through the tension.
Hermione stepped between the father and son. "I have a solution. One that extracts the Aether and saves Jane's life. And kills Malekith."
All eyes turned to her.
"What method?" Thor asked eagerly.
"Take Jane to Svartalfheim," Hermione said simply. "The Dark World. Malekith will sense the Aether there. He will come to claim it. He knows how to extract it safely—it's his technology."
"Once he pulls the Aether out of her..." Hermione grinned, a sharp, dangerous expression. "We kill him. And I take the Stone."
"Once and for all."
Thor's eyes lit up. "That's... brilliant! We lure him out, save Jane, and destroy the enemy!"
Odin frowned deeply. "No. It is reckless. We are abandoning the fortress to fight in the enemy's territory. If you fail, you hand the Aether directly to Malekith. I forbid it."
"I must stay in Asgard to marshal our defenses," Odin said sternly. "And Thor... you are too emotional. You will make a mistake."
Thor opened his mouth to argue, but Hermione shut everyone up.
"I know," she said. "So I don't need Thor."
She pointed a thumb at herself. "I'll go myself."
Odin paused. He looked at the girl who had killed a Kursed with one spell and contained a black hole with another.
"Alright," Odin said slowly, seeing the logic. "But Hermione... the Aether must not fall into Malekith's hands. If he takes it... if you cannot stop him..."
He glanced meaningfully at Jane. Kill the host if necessary.
Hermione smiled. She understood the unspoken order. "Don't worry, Your Majesty. I know what I'm doing."
How could something I want end up in someone else's hands? she thought. The Reality Stone is mine.
She turned to Thor. "As for you, Thunder Boy. Go back to Earth. Tell S.H.I.E.L.D. to prepare. Even without the Aether, the Convergence will cause chaos in London. Gravity anomalies, portal beasts. They need a heavy hitter."
Thor looked torn, glancing between Jane and Hermione. But he knew his duty. And he knew he couldn't protect Jane as well as Hermione could.
"Very well," Thor said sullenly. "I will go. I leave Jane in your care, Hermione. Guard her with your life."
"Oh, right," Hermione added, turning back to Odin. "Your Majesty, there is one more thing. I need a guide."
"A guide?" Odin asked.
"Svartalfheim is in a pocket dimension. I've never been there, and the portals are tricky. I need someone who knows the hidden pathways of the Nine Realms. Someone who knows the back doors."
"Who?"
Hermione smiled slowly.
"Loki."