(Untitled)

[evercleverest]

Hermione sits at the bar tonight with a mug of butterbeer and a book (Hogwarts, a History, the revised edition). It's been open to the same page for almost half an hour now, and her drink has likely gone woefully flat.

All of it had been meant to work as something of a distraction from ... well, everything else happening in her life

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[1st_starfighter]

Alex was guiding a small remote controlled hoverbot along the Bar, carefully avoiding bar patrons and their drinks. He's wearing dark slacks, shirt, and an open jacket, and the left chest of his jacket has a patch which says "I survived the Realm, and all I got was a Wish spell and this lousy jacket.".

Finally the hoverbot, while trying to do a complicated loop-de-loop, thumps to the bar and stops. Alex frowns at it, then grumbles and speaks. The words are slippery, like spoken far away, and as soon as he says them, the hoverbot is rising and shrinking and zooming toward his hand. It smacks into it, and then he puts it and the control away and settles to a seat next to Bar.

"Ah well, back to the drawing board. Bar, gimme a root beer and a small bowl of chocolate covered pretzels, okay?"

They appear and Alex looks around, feeling happy. When he sees Hermione, he waves with a grin. "Hiya!"

[evercleverest]

It's the thump that gets Hermione's attention; it is a bit hard to miss when you're sitting only one or two seats down from where it happened.

She follows the hoverbot's progress, curious and honestly, just a little annoyed, until it seems to return to its owner.

"Hi. Was that yours, then? That flying object?" she asks.

[1st_starfighter]

Alex smiles and nods. "Yes, ma'am. Sorry if it came a little close there. I'm testing out the newest design using a cross of magic and tech we got on loan from the Shi'ar. It's still got a few bugs in it."

He tipped an imaginary hat to her. "Name's Alex Rogan."

[evercleverest]

"Hermione Granger," she returns, smiling a little in a 'no harm done' sort of way. "So you built it?"

[humourandheart]

"What's wrong with Harry?" is what Ron wants to know when he settles into the seat next to hers.

His best mate seems more troubled than ever since they'd stumbled into Milliways and he'd like to know what he's missed this time.

He'd might also notice that not all is well with Hermione too, if he hadn't been distracted by the package Bar presents him with as soon as he sits down.

" - They're all bloody mental in this place."

[evercleverest]

"Ron!"

She's never been so happy to see him before. Quickly, she closes her book, but not before she notices the package too.

Right.

The packages from Mia. She'd taken her things up to her room already, a bit hesitant on using them for reasons that actually relate to the reason she's feeling so off.

"You've seen Harry?"

[humourandheart]

Ron doesn't understand why he keeps getting things from people he doesn't know. It isn't normal. He sniffs suspiciously at some of the preserved foods as he digs through the package.

"Just as he was headed up the stairs," he says, answering Hermione. "I don't think he even saw me."

[evercleverest]

Yeah.

They'll ... get to that in a bit.

First thing's first.

Hermione sighs, casting her glance down at the book's cover, eyes trained on the illustration of Hogwarts.

"Something happened, Ron," she says quietly.

She takes a breath, knowing Harry wouldn't mind if Ron knew the whole story. The three of them, they tell each other everything.

"Harry met his mum."