The Hat was endeavouring to explain that the remains of the castle did not constitute a ruin, which Jez flatly disagreed with. The collapse had been pretty ruinous and the castle had been pretty ruined, leaving it in ruins; this was solid logic. But, her guilt added with unsolicited insight, it was not just any old ruin. The Hat seemed to be arriving at the same conclusion, talking about the castle as though it were sentient and actively... waking up? Looking for a kind of Healer? Well, maybe it was, but she doubted it was a role the Hat - or the castle ruins - expected her to fill. First aid on the battlefield was as close as she got to that particular skillset. Jezebel Bain did not heal people. She was the reason people needed healing, and she was not a bit abashed about it. Anyway, she hadn't the first idea how to go about fixing a magical building.

"You think I don't care - well, I'm a Hat, so my capacity is limited... it is a strange prospect for one who is not human, this business of caring. I support however that there is a resonance - it is not unnoticed, and I can see what it is to ask this of you. And yet, you may want to think about why I would ask at all, if there wasn't a real need to, or a real fighting chance."

At least he admitted that he didn't care. Being upfront like that sapped some of her anger. It only continued to wane as the Hat also admitted that it was asking something personally important, something that would cost her dearly, and... Oh, hell. It was being honest and acknowledging her stupid feelings and what was she supposed to do now? A silent sigh escaped her, glad to vacate the premises, and she folded her arms, and generally acted like a person who was about to do something they didn't want to do.

Her stupid feelings were unhappy, concocting a strange emotion that was a cross between panic and sorrow. Her mind told the unpleasant feeling to bugger right off while it probed at the Hat's proposal. Going back to Hogwarts... There were good memories there, many good memories, and in a way they were as upsetting as the bad ones. Oh, what fun this wouldn't be!

Because of course she was going to go. There were good reasons; letting a bunch of dark creatures breed on magical grounds en masse was unacceptable; the castle had supplies worth looting; she had no mission at the moment. As practical as these reasons were, her subconscious knew they were afterthoughts. Once the idea of going back had been suggested, her choice was inevitable. She had left a piece of herself there, and it was time to collect it.

Frowning, Jez rubbed at an old scorch on the jacket. She was gloomy, now - gloomier - and finally conceded to speaking to the Hat non-verbally as she had eighteen years ago before he sent her to Hufflepuff, a home that had never quite been replaced.

Who am I to turn down a Hat? she thought, loudly (for lack of a more suitable term). I mean, I have nothing better to do. I'll get my gear together; give me a day or two and I'll be in your castle, hunting your monsters.

At least the graphic violence would cheer her up.

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Last Edited By: shiny lady Aug 3 15 1:37 PM. Edited 1 times.