( #003 )

[brainiest]

Who: Hermione Granger and you!
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: On the Vanquish
When: 30/11 onwards

I think it might be time for me to ask for a little bit of advice.

I've been here a while, now, and I'm normally very good at not missing people. I used to give people tips on how to feel better about it, and it used to work for me, too, back when I was in the Drabwurld and there was a war to focus on. I would go and look in the library, but I can't imagine there's much of a help section there - dreadful, honestly - so.

If anyone has any suggestions on how to cheer yourself up, I'd be glad to hear it.

(Also: I have potions for all the ships on the fleet, now. If you'd like a set for your Lab, please let me know and I can bring them over!)

Comments

[apurrstate]

That's a good thing, though, right? There's something else you're not telling me.

War is not known to leave people unscathed. What else happened, Hermione?

[brainiest]

Harry had to die in the process. It wasn't permanent, but he had a part of Voldemort's soul in him too so he had to lie so that Voldemort would die as well.

[ There's no need to mention anything that happened to her. ]

[apurrstate]

I'm so sorry, Hermione, it's never easy to lose someone, even if they eventually came back. I've lost a number of those close to me myself, there's always a part of you that goes with them.

[And sometimes larger chunks, depending on how strong the attachment was. He'd practically been gutted with Karl's loss.]

What else?

[brainiest]

What do you mean 'what else'?

[apurrstate]

Anything else. I assumed there was more, war is not a simple thing.

And you said you've been through two.

[brainiest]

There's a whole list of things, Anders. I don't think you want to hear it all.

[apurrstate]

Am I upsetting you?

I wouldn't have asked if I didn't intend to hear every bit of it.

[brainiest]

No, of course not. It's just... A lot. I've been petrified, travelled through time, duelled and battled and fought in wars, travelled around the country chasing after magical artefacts, tortured, cursed, been targetted by assassins, hunted and... It's a lot for anyone to take in.

[apurrstate]

I want to help you. If that means carrying some of that weight with you, then I'll do it gladly. I don't have many friends, Hermione, those I've had have left for one reason or another. Allow me to do what I can for a friend who matters very much to me.

You've been through a great deal and it seems to me you've carried it all alone for a while. You don't need to tell me all of it now, just perhaps in time?

Tell me about the second war?

[brainiest]

It really wasn't just me. There were lots of people there, lots of us, brought from other worlds. I wish it was that easy.

I was brought to the Drabwurld as part of the Seelie court, fighting the Unseelie. I got close to people and we started rising in the ranks and I put my trust in the monarchy - I believed in their cause. I thought it was the right thing, because I didn't want anyone to die. The problem is that there was always another battle, another war, something going wrong, and in the end I caused more pain than I stopped. Hundreds of people died because of one of my mistakes. I hurt so many people because of where I put my trust, and I can't undo it.

[apurrstate]

[Ah, so that was it. His response takes a moment longer to come than it had before.]

I'm so sorry.

[He could tell her he understood, he could tell her he understood better than most and felt sorry for the fact that had happened to her, but platitudes only went so far and did so much. It had clearly been a while and still she was hurting from it. He could understand that as well, and nothing he said would take it away for her like he wished it would.]

[brainiest]

[ She could play it off with platitudes - she had done it before - but it doesn't feel right. Breathing out a soft noise, Hermione stares at her device before she closes her eyes, counts back from ten and types. ]

I'm working on it.

[apurrstate]

[He hesitates, types more than a few things and erases all of them before a message is finally sent. What could he say to her beyond that? What might he have wanted to hear back when the pain of knowing what he'd done threatened to tear his insides out?]

You'll be okay. It might not ever feel like it, or feel like you deserve it, but it'll happen all the same.

[brainiest]

[ Finding words is hard, but Anders is here and he's doing his best - and so she's doing to do the same. As much as she can. ]

Thank you, Anders.