nexus_crossings | The Lure of Learning

The Lure of Learning

Hermione is wandering the Plaza area of the Nexus, with no particular goal in mind. She is closely followed by a large orange cat, who seems to twirl around her ankles just at the right time to avoid being stepped on, but still be close to the young woman in question.

Suddenly, Hermione stops, just outside the grand library and looks up to the immense building with a little bit of awe, a lot of interest, and a glee that is very close to 'kid-in-a-candystore'. But even though every bone in her body wants to go into that library and explore (and get lost in the books), Hermione has paused. A slight confused look on her face.

She finds a place to sit, nearby the library, looking up at the building. The orange cat claims a seat in her lap.

"Would you rather take time to improve your own skills, or teach others to be better people?"

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His height comes to mind for a split second, but unfortunately there's not really anything he can do about that.

"My combat abilities," he says instead, with a certain tightness in his expression. "Sword skills, spells, physical techniques... I need to be able to handle anything that wants to get in my way." And because something else is nagging at him, he also says, a bit more quietly, "And I need control." So he doesn't hurt the people around him.

And only after that's been accomplished, maybe he can work on little personality snags like his overprotectiveness, temper, inability to accept failure, keeping people at arm's length, etc. etc. etc...

He glances at the cat, wondering if it's just a trained pet or if there's something special about it. He doesn't sense anything unusual, so he hopes it won't do something strange, but he can't help being reminded of someone he knows that can turn into a cat...

"What about you?" he asks the girl, hoping to move the topic a bit further away from his own issues. "Do you fight? Or would you rather improve other skills?"

"Spells?" That gets Hermione's attention. She straightens slightly.

"What kind of magic do you study? Perhaps I can help."

Crookshanks looks back at him, and tilts his head a little, as if sensing that he is being watched. He winks one of his big eyes.

"I know how to fight. Both using offensive and defensive spells. But I was involved in a very intense situation... and I would rather not get into something like that again."

"Right now, after everything I have experienced, I am more just trying to figure out what should come next for myself."

Hitsugaya blinks. Magic, huh?

"I suppose it could be called magic from an outside perspective, but it's actually a set of energy-based combat techniques. We call it Kido, or Demon Arts," he explains. "It's not pulling rabbits out of hats, and it's not something that ordinary humans can learn. But... you're saying you know actual magic spells?"

He would have a lot more skepticism were it not for their current setting. He's seen other strange things in the Nexus so far, so he supposes it's not much of a reach to come across someone with magic. It feels... annoyingly childish to consider, though.

The cat's wink strangely does not make him feel any better, alas. He hopes it won't start talking. He does not want to deal with some other world's version of Yoruichi.

"Knowledge of how to defend yourself is good, though," he says with approval. "You should maintain those skills in case you ever need to use them again. An enemy won't wait for you if you hesitate."

As for what she should do next, Hitsugaya probably wouldn't be of much help. His own path was decided long ago, and he doesn't see things changing much from here on. That said...

"I don't know your situation, but if you have any doubts, then you should probably "improve" instead of "teach." It would be stupid to do a terrible job at something when you could've prepared first."

"Yes. At Hogwarts, I was usually the first to master any spell among my classmates, and was capable of using spells beyond my level." Hermione answers his question.

"The last few years we concentrated on defensive magic. And I plan to keep on learning new ways to defend myself. I have been caught in difficult situations before, where an enemy had the upper hand, and I don't plan to be caught in those situations again."

"I do enjoy planning and being prepared." Hermione nods slightly. "I have excelled at so many of my studies, that I am now at the point where I need new challenges. And perhaps teaching could be a new challenge."

Hog... warts...? Okay he can't help quirking a brow at that, because it sounds ridiculous.

The rest of her reply feels far too familiar and hits far too close to home, however. Widely recognized as a prodigy, Hitsugaya practically flew through the courses at the academy, and his excelling at their assignments got him a lot of unwanted - aggressive and spiteful - attention from the other students. He wonders if it was the same for her.

"Did it ever bother you, being ahead of your classmates? Did it bother them?"

Hitsugaya gives a noncommittal hum. Teaching could be a challenge, but teaching isn't simply knowing the material. For one thing, it requires empathy - and as someone who finds a number of things easy for reasons outside of his control, it's hard for him to understand why something might not be easy for someone else. It took Matsumoto of all people sitting him down and explaining it to him to realize that much, and there's a reason she still tends to be the one leading their squad's training sessions, instead of himself.

"It could be, yes. But do you think you have the patience to teach? To be able to see why someone might be struggling, come up with different methods if they continue struggling, and help them learn in a way that they can understand? If not, you're just going to make both of you frustrated."

Speaking from experience. He's had years to try and get around this and he still hasn't really figured it out.

"It never bothered me. I enjoyed studying..."

Hermione nods slightly. "Very much so. There were some wizards who particularly hated me because of the fact that my parents were humans, while so many of their parents were wizards. They felt they should be smarter than me. Better than me."

She pauses again, considering his next question. "When I was younger, the answer to that question would have been no. I could hardly stand helping my friends with their studies..."

"But then during the war, when it was a matter of life or death... that changed. I had to adapt to the fact that other people don't learn the same way I do. That other people need to find their own way to achieve."

Tch. That also sounds familiar, and his expression darkens a bit. Hitsugaya had to deal with students from noble families who thought their wealth and status made them so much better than a mere runt from the poorer Rukon district, and of course they got pissed when he showed them up. That sort of attitude has always grated on his nerves.

"I see. It doesn't seem like you let them stop you, though." And that is something he can empathize with. "Have they changed their minds?"

Or are they still a pack of idiots? He's guessing it's probably the latter, but he can dream.

He frowns, looking away for a moment. Heh, if only the "war" in his own world could magically turn him into a better person... All it's done thus far is give him a curse, a new set of scars, and a new set of nightmares. He can't say he's not a bit envious of the girl, but... there's respect there, too. Respect for being able to make the change during difficult times and come out stronger for it.

"Then as long as you keep that in mind, it sounds like you should be able to handle yourself well enough," he says finally, turning back to face her again. "So what would you be teaching? Magic, or something else?"

Given that she mentioned offensive and defensive magic, he's assuming it's at least somewhat similar to his kind's Kido... and therefore can be encompassed in one, maybe two subjects when it comes to covering the material and not, y'know, Hogwarts' dozen or more. So unimaginative.

"Some have. But the stubborn ones are happy with how their minds are settled currently." Hermione is never going to correct that either. It is just the way life is. And she has to work to prove herself almost every single day.

Hermione nods slightly. "Yes. There are a number of magic courses that need a professor. We lost a few of our teachers during the war. And even if I didn't want to teach at Hogwarts, there are other schools. Or the Ministry of Magic."

"I could teach potions. Or charms. Or runes. I got outstanding scores in all 10 of my courses." Hermione explains.

Yeah, that doesn't surprise him. It's disappointing, of course, but people will be people.

"Hn. Some is better than none, at least."

Her explanation piques his interest a bit. Multiple schools, a ministry... It sounds like they have a full society for this magic stuff. He wonders how widespread it is, and how it affects regular humans.

"Sounds like you have plenty of options. If your scores aren't an issue, is there something you're drawn to personally? What do each of the courses entail?"

He's getting genuinely curious at this point, as it sounds like her magic has wider applications than just combat. It probably wouldn't be very useful to him given how very combat-oriented his society is, but... Well, he'll hear her out first before pondering any nonsensical ideas.

"I have enjoyed learning about all my courses. There were a few that didn't suit me. Like divination. But the others always challenged me. Made me a better witch."

"I don't think I could point to just one, to say it is my favorite."

"But each course teaches you the different aspects of the magical world. Potions teaches you how to mix and create potions. Charms teaches you how to cast a charm."

"We can use magic for a wide range of things. From growing fruit, to healing a person, to even floating objects around. The limit is only by the wizard's imagination." Hermione chuckles softly.

Partway through her answer, he gives her a look as if to say 'Well, obviously.' He's pretty sure he can gather that Charms class teaches students about charms, but he has no idea what charms are. What makes them distinct from other magic, among other things?

Her mention of a wide range of uses only sparks more questions on top of that, and he realizes that he definitely can't ask all of them at the moment. He... does have to actually go into the library at some point today instead of just stand around outside it. So with that nagging at his mind...

He glances at the towering building and sighs. "Unfortunately I'm a bit short on time right now, but... I would be interested in learning more about this magic. Would you mind if I ask a few questions some other time?"

He's not directly asking for her contact info, but he'll pull out his PINpoint to swap if she offers it. He'll be in the Nexus for a while yet, but this was an unexpected pause in the middle of his plans for the day and he'd prefer to get things back on track while he can.

"And... sorry if this wasn't very helpful," he mutters after a moment. It sounds like she has her issues mostly figured out, but given how the conversation went, he feels the apology is probably warranted nonetheless.

Hermione reaches to her side, where there is a small pouch hanging from her belt. She reaches in and pulls out a PINpoint device from it. (She must be magical, since the PINpoint is larger than the pouch itself).

"Sure you can. Here, you can have my contact information."

"And you did help distract me with questions."

Hitsugaya sees the pouch and makes a mental note to never let Matsumoto near this girl. His lieutenant always tries to weasel her way out of work and that magical bag would make it about a hundred times easier for her to just shove all her paperwork somewhere he would never find it again.

"I thought the point was to have your questions answered, not the other way around," he says, flipping open his own PINpoint to input her info and give her his. If she knows of muggle flip phones, she might notice a resemblance.

He supposes introductions are a bit overdue at this point, but better late than never, right? If they're swapping contact info, it rather helps to know the name of who's being contacted.

"I'm Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya." He gives a short bow. "Nice to meet you."

This is one witch who knows all about muggle flip phones.

"Hermione Jean Granger. It was very nice to meet you too."

"I really hope we get together soon."

He nods. "As do I. I'll see what I can do and let you know as soon as I'm able."

"If you'll excuse me." And with that, he resumes his walk to the library, his thoughts already back to being preoccupied with problems and possibilities.

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The Lure of Learning

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