nexus_crossings | when is a question not a question

when is a question not a question

Hermione has her hands full when she enters the Nexus today. She has a large box in her hands, which has Crookshanks laying on top of it.

"Where do you want to go?" She speaks to the cat softly. He blinks at her a couple of times. Hermione smiles softly, and heads towards the Grand Library. Their favorite place to visit. The same place where they first visited when they entered this area of the Nexus, so many months ago.

She sets down the box gently. Crookshanks closes his eyes, content with the location. He seems to be guarding the box. Or whatever is inside the box.

Hermione doesn't seem to have a question today. She pulls a large book out of her small beaded bag. And gives Crookshanks another fond smile, petting him softly.

Crookshanks seems to be waiting for someone to appear. Who could it be?

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"Most magic is not permanent. Usually there is a way to cure a situation."

Crookshanks twitches his tails, as he listens to Majima.

"Crookshanks is a very extra-ordinary creature." Hermione laughs softly.

That's the best news Majima's heard all day. "Really? You got some magic know how, miss? 'cause I don't know fuck all about this stuff. The only magic we got in my world is pullin' rabbits from hats and boring card tricks."

He cocks his head to one side. "Most people think pretty highly of their pets. What makes 'im special?"

"My world has a very high occurrence of magic. I, myself, am a witch."

"And Crookshanks is my familiar. He also has his own magical abilities."

"Huh. Ain't met a real witch before." He bobs his head, as if it would help him see Hermione better. "Don't tell me ya got a pointy hat and a broom there."

His stomach makes a sharp growl and he frowns, remembering the motivation that brought him to the Nexus in the first place. "Not to be a total beggar, but ya said ya had some food?

"No poison witch apples, though, 'kay? I can't afford to be in some kinda Snow White situation," he quips with a laugh.

"I was never a fan of brooms. The height is a little too much for me." Hermione smiles. "But I know of a few witches who do wear pointy hats."

Hermione waves her wand above her beaded bag. And soon pulls out a picnic basket, that she sets beside him. He might smell roast beef sandwiches, fruit, and fried chicken.

"No one to kiss you awake?" She hands him a sandwich.

Majima was expecting some kind of snack, but his mouth starts watering when he sudddenly smells a legit smorgasbord. "Damn! You just had all this on ya? Did ya just do some fancy magic and I didn't even get to see it? Shit."

He feels the sandwich in his hands and gives it an experimental sniff. Nexus food is always cause for caution, but he's desperately hungry. After he chews and swallows a bite. "I got at least one lady who'd be up to the task, so I'm not too worried. But she might wash her hands of me if she knew I was so lousy about judgin' danger around here."

"I did some fancy magic. I am still doing fancy magic." Hermione returns to casting a scanning spell over his head, so she can see the extent of the damage done to his eyes.

"So that means she doesn't know about your situation?"

Majima is doing magic of his own, making that sandwich utterly disappear. "What're ya doin' now? Can ya tell what that shitlord did to my eye?"

He pops the last bite in his mouth and it's gone. "Nope, she doesn't know. Didn't want her gettin' worried."

"I am trying to determine if it was a spell, or other damage. And if it can be healed." Hermione explains.

"Would you rather she find out from someone else, and then be upset you didn't talk to her?"

"Don't get thrown off by the left one. That one was already long gone."

Ugh, who is this lady? Calling him out on his communication skills (or lack thereof). Majima grimaces. "Look, she's already dealin' with enough crap without me pilin' on my own stupid mistakes. Maybe this'll just go away and everything'll be peachy. She wouldn't even have to know!"

Hermione smiles a little. "It does not bother me. One of the Order of Phoenix had a mechanical eye, to replace one he had lost during the first Wizarding War."

She senses that a change of topic might be necessary. And perhaps she is overstepping her boundaries again, and needs to make sure she doesn't upset him. Like she did with Reynard.

"I apologize. I do not want to assume that you need my help."

"Nah, don't worry. I didn't mean to get snippy 'bout it, either. 'specially after you bein' nice enough to gimme food and help with whatever the fuck's goin' on."

He realizes he's just barged into this poor woman's situation and blurts, "If ya need to help yer cat friend with whatever his thing is, I can get a move-on."

"I got caught in the snow too. I had a disagreement with Reynard about how I escaped the situation." Hermione moves to sit down. Crookshanks moves slowly into her lap.

"You do not have to do that." She reassures him. In all honestly, his situation is distracting her about Crookshanks situation. And losing her familiar.

Majima latches onto this new information immediately, his jaw tightening. "Reynard? That's his name? He was givin' you shit too?"

"Reynard North. I met him at Christmas."

"He was... unhappy that I used my magic to get out of the snow. That I cheated..."

"That guy has a real fucked up sense of right and wrong. So bein' a witch and all, you could tell he's doin' some kinda magic?"

Majima realizes he's focusing an awful lot on someone else's name before he's even properly introduced himself. "Name's Majima, by the way."

"It was his magic. Nothing from my world."

"Oh. I'm Hermione." She tells him.

Majima sighs and rubs a palm over his face, rasping over a day's worth of stubble. "So, Hermione-san, that means ya can't just go 'abracadabra' and undo whatever it is he did?"

"No."

"But I have some healing herbs that might help. Can I place a mixture over your eye?"

Majima balks when he remembers he's foregone his eyepatch for sunglasses, but he's all for anything that might improve his situation. "Sure. Worth a shot?"

He lifts his aviators up past his forehead. The lids of his left eye are stitched shut and sunken, misshapen by old scarring and devoid of lashes. The right is watery and irritated.

It does not take Hermione long to take out several healing herbs out of her beaded bag, mush them up into a paste, and then place the cool and wet creation onto his right eye. She is careful not to touch the left eye, out of respect of his wishes.

"Just lean your head back, and let the herbs do their job."

Majima listens curiously to her progress, impressed that Hermione has all the makings for herbal remedies ready at hand. Then again, she conjured up a whole picnic spread, so...

He flinches at the initial application of the poultice, but the resulting cool sensation is welcome and he relaxes, tilting his head as instructed. When he judges she's done, he restores his sunglasses.

"How long is it gonna take to do uh, whatever it's supposed to?"

What is even more surprising about all of her supplies is the fact that they were all stored in a small beaded bag hanging from her belt. But he can not see the magic she is using to produce the items out of practically nowhere.

"Ten minutes." Hermione tells him.

Ten minutes? Majima's sense of time is so hopelessly off right now.

After a quiet moment of staring upwards, he pipes up, "Oi, thanks again for helpin' some asshole ya don't know from Adam. I owe you one."

Hermione laughs softly. "Trust me. You are pretty low on the asshole rating list, compared to some others who I have met in my life."

Draco Malfoy being top of that list for her.

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