Wands and Warframes

Negotiations

Negotiations

Aurora walks into her quarters after breakfast and tries to sleep. Running through her mind is the magical trip she took to the moon, her mind full of the views of the different stars and planets. Along with the possibility of visiting those planets. She was, no is, quite prepared to sign a marriage contract to get whatever it is she needs. She's also not too humble to think that she's one of the driving forces behind Astronomy still been taught at Hogwarts. She eventually falls into a restless sleep filled with dreams of Saturn's rings.

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For Harry and Hermione, Potions, Charms, and Transfiguration all pass as expected, even down to the fact that Professor Snape is abrasive and picky. For Harry his day is a little uncomfortable for a couple of reasons. He is still feeling constrained by being in a female frame, but he knows that he will have plenty of time to relax in a different frame over the weekend. In addition, he keeps second guessing his own feelings as he wonders if he's ignoring Wisp.

In the afternoon, before Transfiguration, Hermione confronts him.

"Harry, what's going on? You've been off all morning."

"I'm, getting uncomfortable in a female frame. I didn't think it would get this bad, but this is the first time I've not been able to just change. Also, last night Wisp was, reluctant, to go into the Arsenal. Oh, yeah, I transferred Harrow Prime to you last night, I wanted to have you transfer out of your Titania to Harrow so that we could see what she can do without you present. We kind of got side tracked."

Hermione looks doubtful, so Titania sends her a feeling of reassurance.

"Ok, but why did you send me Harrow?"

"When I was looking for parts for the Prime Titania and Octavia, I happened to come across them and got lucky."

"I'm really not sure about that."

"I understand, I really do. You'll need to cross the gender divide at some point."

"It's not that, I've read about Harrow, and. I don't think I can get behind the philosophy in his design. I was talking to Kitty, and her Nezha is a frame that I think would balance me. I, I don't know, well I didn't anyway, know how to relax and have fun."

Harry shakes his head, "Hermione, I know you've been better with not going with what you read. However, you can't judge a frame by their description. Can you imagine being without your Titania?" – Hermione shakes her head vehemently – "Be honest with yourself, would you have ever picked her as your frame in September?"

"I, no, I don't think so."

"I, acquired a Harrow when I freed Rell from his self-imposed guard against the Man in the wall. I had to kill him in the end, because he gave up everything, his body and his sanity, to hold the man at bay. When I put him back together, there still wasn't enough to make a full person, and he'd wrapped himself up in his own chains. It was hard, I have memories of him, but I was only a few years old and they were fleeting moments. The other children, they kicked him out for being different. Then Margulis did the same thing. I love her, my first mother Margulis that is, but she wasn't a good person. Though, I think she was a good Orokin, and they killed her for that."

"Oh, Harry. Have you ever spoken to anyone about this stuff. I don't mean like we're talking about it, or you talk to your mother. Rather, spoken to a psychologist or councillor?"

Harry laughs, "Don't need to, neither will you. It's another 'gift' the Orokin gave us. We literally can't lay down traumatic memories, can't have flashbacks, can't have anything that might endanger us if we remembered it at the wrong time. How many times have you died now?"