"What are you doing?" Nel wondered, making me startle. I hadn't heard her enter.
"Christ! Nel! I need to put a bell on you." I exclaimed while clutching at my chest dramatically. "I almost had a heart attack!"
Nel gave me a mystified look. "What's a heart attack?"
Now it was my time to be mystified, for a moment anyway, until I recalled that heart-related issues were an unknown in the wizarding world. Not because they hadn't, or couldn't, figure stuff like that out, but because it just wasn't an issue that came up. I suspected that it was likely that any of the multitudes of healing potions that magicals regularly consumed likely either fixed the problem or reduced its effects on the body. It might actually be all, or most, of them, to be frank. Other similarly mundane health issues also seemed to be a non-issue as far as I'd been able to find out. I had a feeling that high bloodpreasure wasn't a thing either.
I chuckled helplessly before shaking my head with a sigh. "Nothing. It's nothing at all, Nel. What did you want?"
"I do not want anything." She responded airily, "But I am curious about what you are doing." Nel stated and gestured to the admittedly odd-looking object resting on the table in front of me.
I couldn't fault Nel for asking seeing as what was on there was a silicone model of my hand, which was propped up on a stand and which I was in the process of covering with what likely looked like a mishmash of silk strands and thin steel wires that wrapped delicately around the fingers of the faux hand.
I'd also enchanted the hand to be able to clench into a fist, so I could see if anything was snagging or pulling before I worked my way down from the fingers to the palm and then down further.
"I'm working on the Mark Two," I told her unhelpfully.
Nel squinted at the faux hand then at me. "Mark Two?"
"Yes," I said, nodding agreeably before pointing to the manikin where my flight suit rested. "That's the Mark One."
After another round of dubious squinting, Nel turned to me again. "Mark is its name?"
I laughed. "No Mark means something like variant or model, its a slang term often used in the muggle world to denote different iterations of the same concept," I explained to her. "In this case, it means I'm working on a better version of my flight suit."
"Better?" She asked. "In what way?"
"Well, hopefully," I said, stressing the last word. "This version will make me stronger."
"Stronger?"
"Right," I said with a nod before moving the faux hand a bit closer to her so she could have a closer look. "Here. Look at what I've been doing. See how I've threaded these thin lengths of silk around the fingers and then used these steel wires to keep them in place? Well, it is a bit analogous to how the muscles in our bodies are made up. And since the materials I have used are stronger than any human muscle, it should make me stronger, and with the help of Lys, more durable as well." I said, and in the corner of my eye, I noticed Nel's forehead creased for a moment when I mentioned the lovable half-dwarf maid.
"You don't like Lys much do you?" I asked, switching tracks. "Don't think I haven't noticed that you are never around when she is."
Nel started, her eyes flickering to me momentarily before looking away.
"She doesn't like me." She countered.
"Lys is a grump," I retorted gently, feeling the need to defend my little grump. "She needs to unclench. I'm working on it."
"I don't think purposely antagonizing her will make her nicer," Nel responded in a carefully neutral tone of voice.
I sighed and leaned back in my chair before giving the taciturn girl a pointed look."If she wants to have any chance of reaching her goals, she will need to learn to deal with difficult people, who intentionally try to anger and make it difficult for her, without blowing her top. She will have to learn to manage that anger, direct it, channel it into something constructive, or it will destroy any chance she has of realizing her goals before she's even out of the gate." I sighed before smiling fondly to myself. "She is getting better, you know. She's talking back to me now, getting her own shots in. I've even caught her enjoying herself occasionally. She never did before. It was always business, always grim determination and sullen silence when I mocked her."
"So you are just helping her?" Nel asked dubiously.
"Well..." I coughed. "She is fun to tease," I admitted bashfully. "It's always good to have more than one reason to do something, it helps keep you on point." I was quick to defend.
"I'm sure," Nel drawled.
"Hey, I am helping. Nothing wrong with having some fun while doing it." I argued. "It enhances the effect, really. She will do far better if she thinks its fun to argue with the people that try to put her down." I told her, warming to the subject.
Nel looked at me. In my expert and highly informed opinion, she didn't look like she was buying it. Well, I couldn't blame her. I didn't normally project an image of being all subtle and shit. Which is almost entirely on purpose... half on purpose, at least 45% or so. I smiled at her.
"Does she know you are doing this?" She asked at length.
I snorted. "Of course not, that would defeat the whole purpose of what I'm trying to do."
Nel stared at me silently, and I was perfectly alright in letting her, being in no hurry to speak. Finally, though, she did break the silence.
"Are you doing something like that to me?" She asked me seriously.
"Do you feel like you need it?" I countered.
"That's not an answer." She accused reproachfully.
"How could I? I don't know what you want." I told her earnestly.
Nel didn't seem convinced, giving me another dubious look before sighing and turning away.
"If you need any help..." I started and waited for her to turn around to look at me again. I just looked back silently, letting the statement hang there. An offer to be accepted anytime she felt like it.
Nel looked back at me neutrally, her expression giving nothing away as to what might be going on under her carefully placid exterior. I admit, I was tempted to try to take a peek into her mind, I had so little understanding of what drove this young woman, what her goals and ambitions were. Hell, I'd settle for knowing what her favorite color was.
I knew Nel probably knew everything I'd been up to since I had gotten here, it was even possible that she could see beyond my arrival and into my home universe. She had never given me any clear indication that she could beyond the first cryptic comment when we bumped into each other during our first year. I wasn't entirely sure how if I wanted her to or not. Though, come to think of it, my reluctance to pursue her over the matter might be indicative.
I sighed and turned back to my little project as the door to my room closed behind Nels retreating form. I guess there was little use in thinking about it until I decided how I felt about it. Besides, I had a lot to do, and time was running out, in more than one way. My fifth year was nearing its end, spring was already encroaching on these northern lands, pushing away the chill of winter, summer would be here in a few short months.
But with the turning of the seasons also come unrest. There were rumors floating around about attacks in the muggle world, perpetrated by a mysterious group that left carnage in their wake. It was clear that Piddle was on the move, and he would likely be proclaiming himself a Dark Lord soon and start to act more openly.
Things were about to turn to shit.