when is a question not a question

[mudblood_andproud]

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?

Comments

[gorogorogoro_chan]

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."

[mudblood_andproud]

"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?"

[gorogorogoro_chan]

"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!"

[mudblood_andproud]

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."

[gorogorogoro_chan]

"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."

[mudblood_andproud]

"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.

[gorogorogoro_chan]

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

[mudblood_andproud]

"Reynard North. I met him at Christmas."

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

[gorogorogoro_chan]

"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."

[mudblood_andproud]

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

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

[gorogorogoro_chan]

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?"

[mudblood_andproud]

"No."

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

[gorogorogoro_chan]

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.

[mudblood_andproud]

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."

[gorogorogoro_chan]

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?"

[mudblood_andproud]

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.

[gorogorogoro_chan]

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."

[mudblood_andproud]

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.

[gorogorogoro_chan]

"Damn, even after I assaulted a box of kittens with an umbrella?" he laughs.

"Speakin' of, congrats on fatherhood, cat-buddy," Majima clicks his tongue and holds out a hand invitingly in the universal 'here kitty, kitty' gesture for Crookshanks. "If I could see 'em, I'm sure they'd be cute as shit."

[mudblood_andproud]

"You apologized for assaulting the box." Hermione points out.

Crookshanks stretches and slowly moves over to Majima, so he can arch his head up into the inviting hand. They are brilliant and adorable, his kittens.

[gorogorogoro_chan]

"Fair enough."

Majima smiles and kills the remaining minutes stroking Crookshanks' head, occasionally shifting to give some cheek and chin scratches. It's been a while since he's taken the time to pet a cat -- the neighborhood strays are usually too wary to tolerate any kind of affection.

He peels his eye open and tips his sunglasses up to look around and test the remedy's efficacy. The light in the Nexus isn't quite as irritating, but his vision definitely isn't restored. "Ugh. Still 'bout the same. But it don't hurt as much. There's that, at least."

[mudblood_andproud]

"Well, if it helped a little, I will give you a few days of pre-prepared healing herbs. You should apply it to your eye every night, before bed."

Hermione uses a wipe to remove the remaining paste off Majima's eye.

[gorogorogoro_chan]

Well, all this assistance is just too much for Majima's Japanese sensibilities. "Yer really goin' above and beyond the call of duty here, Hermione-san. Dunno what I could hope to offer a witch who can magic up anything she wants, but ya need any help? You gimme a ring."

He digs around in his jacket and pulls out a business card -- red paper stock with gold-embossed letters. These have since been modified with a string of PINpoint contact numbers that look utterly useless to anyone not in the know. "Hopefully I'll have at least the one eye back by the time ya call in a favor."

[mudblood_andproud]

Hermione takes the card with a slight smile. "Thank you."

She knows that magic can't solve all her problems. And it is nice to know that she has someone else to call upon.

Crookshanks meanwhile has decided this man needs a little cheering up. And slowly climbs in Majima's lap. Where he settle down and starts to purr softly.

[gorogorogoro_chan]

"Glad I ran into a good witch," he quips.

Majima continues stroking Crookshanks, setting aside any thoughts that come to his mind about all the fur that's probably being shed on his black slacks. "Ya got yerself a real sweetheart of a cat here."