"Thor, what's wrong? You seem really down... Did something happen?"
"It's okay, tell us. We'll face it together."
"Yeah, we're a team. No matter how tough it gets, we'll figure it out."
"…"
Inside the black van, Jane looked at the unusually quiet, pale-faced Thor and quickly tried to comfort him. Darcy, sitting next to her, chimed in supportively.
Up front, Lockhart turned his head slightly to glance at the silent Thor.
He already knew the reason, of course—Loki had deceived him.
But that wasn't something he could interfere with.
His goal was simple: raise his approval rating and draw from the reputation lottery.
Hearing Jane and Darcy's comforting words, some color slowly returned to Thor's face. He said in a low voice,
"It's nothing. I just... I might be staying on Earth... permanently!"
Jane let out a soft sigh of relief. She'd thought it was something serious.
But this? Honestly, it might even be good news.
Still, seeing Thor so downcast, she quickly reassured him, "Don't worry, I'll be by your side."
She kept comforting him, almost like a therapist. Before long, Thor's mood began to lift.
Indeed, sometimes the power of love could rival magic.
Lockhart thought to himself with amusement.
Hmm, the power of love… Didn't Dumbledore study that deeply? Maybe it really is something powerful!
Hearing Thor's earlier declaration and Jane's constant comforting, Erik, who was driving, fell silent. He focused more intently on the road and didn't say another word.
---
Back at the house Erik and the others had rented—
Once the lights were on, Lockhart gave a casual wave of his wand, and five glasses filled with water and orange juice appeared on the coffee table.
The four of them sat naturally on the sofa. Darcy looked at Lockhart enviously and said, "Professor Lockhart, your magic is seriously amazing."
"I really wish I could learn it. Just imagine giving a little wave and dinner's ready—that'd be so wonderful."
Hearing Darcy's envy, Lockhart waved his hand and said helplessly,
"Teaching Muggles magic has always been one of the wizarding world's greatest challenges. Even powerful wizards have tried and failed—some even turned to dark experiments, but none succeeded."
"I'm afraid there's nothing I can do either."
He quickly changed the subject and asked Thor,
"By the way, earlier you said you're staying on Earth. Do you have any plans?"
"If so, I could offer some helpful suggestions."
Thor's eyes flickered with confusion. The news had hit him like a thunderclap, and he hadn't made any plans.
Seeing that Thor remained silent, Lockhart realized he probably hadn't thought that far ahead, so he shifted the topic again.
"Alright, let's not dwell on that now. You probably need time to think."
"Speaking of which, could you tell me more about Asgardian magic?"
"As a wizard, I'm always curious about new magic—even a simple explanation would be fascinating."
Hearing Lockhart's question, Jane, Darcy, and Erik all turned their attention to Thor with interest.
They'd only ever heard Lockhart talk about wizarding magic. This was the first time they'd hear about Asgard's magic.
Sensing their eager gazes, Thor thought for a moment, then began explaining slowly,
"I've never studied magic deeply. My brother, Loki, trained in it. My mother, Queen Frigga, also practices magic."
"But when I was young, our magic teacher told us that Asgardian magic is rooted in runes."
"So…"
Lockhart listened intently as Thor spoke about Asgardian magic.
He even silently cast a spell to enhance his memory so he could revisit it later.
After Thor finished his introduction to Asgardian magic, Lockhart began sharing some of his own adventure stories from memory.
Jane, Darcy, and Erik also started talking about amusing or mysterious experiences from their past.
The previously somber atmosphere quickly became warm and lively.
As the mood picked up, Lockhart cast a few spells and prepared a delicious midnight snack for everyone.
That made things even livelier.
After a long while, it was already late at night. Seeing the moon shining brightly outside and noticing Erik and the others growing sleepy,
Lockhart stood up and smiled,
"Alright, let's call it a night."
"Get some rest—maybe we'll chat more tomorrow."
Then he turned to Thor with a playful wink,
"I still have a ton of questions about Asgardian magic, so don't think you're off the hook."
Hearing that, Thor patted his chest and said proudly,
"No problem, Lockhart. You're my friend—ask away."
"If I know the answer, I won't hold back."
Lockhart smiled, stood up, and reached into the pouch at his waist.
He pulled out a small bag and handed it to Thor, explaining,
"This is an expanded pouch—it's enchanted with an Extension Charm, basically a small space bag. I set it up so Muggles can use it too."
"Earlier you said you'd be staying on Earth. Life here costs money. I don't have much Earth currency, but I do have plenty of gold. There's some in here for you to use."
Seeing that Thor was about to refuse, Lockhart quickly raised a hand to stop him.
"Don't turn it down."
"For people like us, gold really isn't that valuable."
"Besides, what you shared with me about Asgardian magic was incredibly meaningful to me. Think of this as me giving something back."
"If you feel bad about it, then don't turn me down the next time I want to ask about Asgardian magic."
He gave Thor a playful wink, like he was hinting at something.
Thor clenched the pouch tightly, nodded, and said with gratitude,
"Alright, Lockhart. If I can help, I definitely will."
He knew very well that Lockhart was helping him out.
The magic he'd shared was just basic stuff—he hadn't studied it much himself.
It wasn't worth that much.
Yet Lockhart had given him gold, which was valuable on Earth.
This was a gesture of friendship.
From that moment, Thor truly considered Lockhart a friend.
Lockhart waved to the others, signaling them not to see him off, and walked straight out the door.
As he stepped outside, he seemed to hear a familiar ding from the system and smiled to himself.
---
Back in his own rented place—
Lockhart sat at his desk, softly summoned the system, and focused on the character approval page:
Character Approval: Thor Odinson (70/100)