Some Days [Geethanjali]

[geethanjali amaryllis root]

June 2, 2026

Fae remarked that Professor Weasley must have been very informative, being a dragonologist, and Geethanjali knew that he was. He had been working as a dragonologist up until he had started teaching at Hogwarts, which hadn't even been that far in the past. Geethanjali was sure that anyone who could handle dragons could handle just about any other magical creature on the planet.

In fact, Fae was similarly complimentary of the teachers at Hogwarts whom she had met while taking her examinations there. Most of them were good; she was right about that. There were a few professors that Geethanjali wasn't really fond of, but she liked more of them than she disliked.

With Fae apparently deciding to purchase the book that Professor Weasley had written, she announced that it was time for books on stars. Geethanjali nodded her head intently. As Fae said herself, there were probably more books available about astronomy than dragons, since astronomy wasn't quite as niche.

"You know, I have asked plenty of employees at the Ministry about having a day where I could observe the classes at Hogwarts. If the school opens again, of course," Fae commented. Geethanjali didn't think that her Aunt Rowena would have a problem with that, but the previous Minister probably had. Then again, hopefully it wouldn't be as much of a security risk in the future. "Would there be anything of note I should look into? Something that would be beneficial to Hy-Brasil and druids? I think I will ask the Headmistress next time. Go above the heads of the Ministry."

Geethanjali thought about it seriously. "There's loads of Muggle technology now," she said. Not all of it was at Hogwarts, but it was becoming more and more common among the wizarding community there on the "mainland". Hy-Brasil was definitely behind on that because mobile phones and similar devices weren't allowed on the island. "Maybe Duelling, too. You could probably learn some new techniques," Geethanjali considered. Just in case someone like Elaine Dupree were to target Hy-Brasil, Geethanjali didn't want them to be left without any means of defending themselves.

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[fae iona cloudbreaker]

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Technology. Right. Fae was still mystified by the mobile telephones that many mainlanders seemed to have. She understood that they could be used to speak and send messages to and from (which was explained to her as if an impossibly fast and invisible owl delivered it), and that muggle information could be searched on them as well, like with books. And then there were bigger ones like it that people kept in their homes and could do basically all of the same things, but she didn't understand why you would ever need a giant telephone that never left your desk. Either way, the things were fascinating. She didn't necessarily care if someone gave her a crash course on them, as knowing the basic functions of the small phones satiated her just fine enough. Fae thought about the best way to turn down the idea on technology but opted to smile and nod her head instead. She'd have to learn about all of it at some point, in order to not be looked down upon by high-ranking Ministry officials again. From what she understood though, most of them either didn't care about the changes or outright refused to learn. At least she was ahead of them in that.

As for dueling, well that definitely brought up problems. She didn't consider herself a pacifist entirely, though doing everything she could to avoid a fight was the first thing she'd do over an outright duel. Too many spells that were utilized in dueling could get a druid expelled from the island. Being High Druid she couldn't very well do that. The fallout that would cause would be horrendous. At the same time, that was where the staff was handy. The extra power it provided made even her strongest of shield charms and other spells even more potent. She hadn't tried it yet in a duel and really hoped it would stay that way. "I hope that it never gets to the point that I would be required to duel. The guardians are far more qualified at it than I am fortunately." Now where was that astronomy section at?

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[geethanjali amaryllis root]

June 2, 2026

Despite her suggestion that it might not be bad to get some books on the subject, Fae stated that she hoped that she wouldn't have to duel anyone, and Geethanjali understood her point. While many of her peers at Hogwarts were itching to try out all sorts of defensive and offensive spells, the Druids viewed combat as a last resort. The Guardians on Hy-Brasil, Fae added, would be the ones to duel if it were necessary.

Geethanjali respected the High Druid's perspective and her desire not to get involved with dueling. That was probably because—although dueling wasn't inherently associated with the Dark Arts—attempting to duel without casting anything that might be viewed as such by most Druids was kind of difficult to manage. There were a lot of theoretical situations in there that even Geethanjali, having grown up around many Druids, wasn't sure she knew how to answer. For example, would a Tickling Charm be acceptable but not a Tickling Hex, simply because the latter was considered a hex? Or would neither one be allowed because they accomplished almost the same effect?

Realizing that she would need to save that question for another time because there probably wasn't a simple response to it, Geethanjali reminded herself that she was there to help Fae find the books that she wanted. "So, what else…?" She had lost her train of thought, but she didn't want to make that obvious to the High Druid. What was it Fae had been looking to get? Astrol— Wait, no. That wasn't it. "Astronomy?"

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[fae iona cloudbreaker]

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"Yes, Astronomy!" she answered with an excited whisper, not forgetting to that they were inside the store. That posed an excellent question: did book stores follow the same rules as libraries? Were they supposed to be quiet all of the time? Fae had only learned of that rule when she'd visited Hogwarts for the first time when she was fifteen, having taken interest in what the school had to offer. Finding out that she couldn't take the books with her had been surprising though, and the librarian had to explain that borrowing was fine, but only if she was a student and could return them. Since she had been neither, the only way she was allowed to read them was if they were kept inside and put back by the end of the day. Hy-Brasil had some books, but nothing compared to Hogwarts or this store. Fae was almost positive her own collection, which lined the walls of her tiny house, was larger than what the rest of the island had to offer. And now she was going to be adding two more to it.

"I know quite a bit already, from our own teachings and the book I have, but something that has more to it would be lovely," Fae added as she clutched the book on dragons close to her chest and left the aisle they had been in. Aimlessly wandering from row to row with her neck arched at a funny angle to read the signs above each, they passed 'Potions', 'More Potions', 'Even More Potions', 'Cooking', and then another section called 'Potions, etc.'. Why they didn't have all four potions sections together was curious, but this wasn't her store so maybe there was a system to it. "Strange, is it not?" she turned back to Geethanjali as they walked.

Eventually there was an aisle marked 'Astrology' and then 'astronomy' handwritten underneath it. This had to be it! "I would like anything that looks like it could take a while to read, but also has a lot of general information in it," Fae explained as she started to run her fingers along the spines of each book. She hoped to find what she wanted by title alone, which probably wasn't the best way to search. Regardless, it was fun.

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[geethanjali amaryllis root]

June 2, 2026

Going shopping with the High Druid was a unique experience for many reasons, but one was that she was so particular about what she wanted. Geethanjali had no doubt that, if she were Fae, she would have been distracted by the various sections of books on potions, multiple times over. Fae was set on her books on astronomy, though, and they soon made it to the right spot. "I would like anything that looks like it could take a while to read, but also has a lot of general information in it," Fae explained.

Off the top of her head, Geethanjali couldn't think of any particular titles that would match what Fae was looking for. Since Druids from Hy-Brasil took OWL and NEWT exams, there was a pretty good chance that she was already familiar with the Astronomy textbooks that were used by the upper-year students at Hogwarts, and she probably already had access to them if needed. At the same time, wanting something with more general information meant that Fae wasn't hoping to find the sort of reference book that would be used by a professional astronomer who had a lot of specialized knowledge. Something in between Hogwarts and a professional level sounded about right.

The thicker the spine of a book, the more pages it had. The more pages it had, the longer it would probably take to read. That seemed like a good rule of thumb to Geethanjali, who knew that she could avoid the really thin books in favor of some of the stockier-looking ones. She went down a bit farther than where the High Druid was running her finger along the selection of books, hoping that it might make the process easier.

"What about this one?" Geethanjali pulled a sizable book from the shelf and held it out to show Fae, holding it with both hands so that she wouldn't drop it. The book in question was titled Advanced Studies in Astronomy, and it appeared to match the criteria she had mentioned. That was judging a book by its cover, of course; Geethanjali hadn't cracked it open to check its contents, but it looked good.

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OOC: I'm having to BS a book title because there's a lack of Astronomy book content in canon.

[fae iona cloudbreaker]

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At first, her eyes sort of glazed over the book that Geethanjali ultimately plucked from the shelf. Advanced Studies in Astronomy almost sounded too complicated for what she was looking for. That wasn’t to say that she couldn’t learn, and that tended to be how things worked with the books she brought back to the island. Her hunger for knowledge was never satiated, and it had only been fueled by her frequent trips to the mainland as of late. Fae hoped it never ended, because that had helped her come to quite a few important conclusions on integrating Hy-Brasil more as of late. While she had moved further down the aisle, head crooked and turned so that she could read the titles off of the spines, Geethanjali asked about the book she had found. Fae quickly shuffled herself back over to the girl, and gently took it.

Flipping through the pages, it seemed somewhere in the middle of what she wanted, at least in terms of difficulty and subject matter. The table of contents was all easy-to-understand concepts, and there seemed to be an index in the back as well. That sort of thing didn’t pop up in the books she read normally, so it immediately hooked her interest. ”I think this would be good,” she muttered to her companion as she continued to flip through the pages. And if it didn’t, she was sure she could find an interested druid on the island that would happily take it off her hands. As it stood, she kind of acted as a pseudo-library to some of the children. A lot of her books were introductory topics that younger students at Hogwarts would be reading. At least that was what she had heard from those that knew more about the school.

”Thank you for taking time out of your day to help me, Geethanjali. I think the two of these will keep me busy for quite a while,” Fae said as she held tightly onto both books and started to head towards the front of the store to buy them. Now all she had to do was remember how the mainlander money worked. That was always an experience.

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[geethanjali amaryllis root]

June 2, 2026

After taking a closer look at the book that she had suggested to her, Fae said aloud that she thought it would be good. It was large enough to have plenty of information; that was obvious. It also wasn't so thin that Fae could just flip through it all and be done with it while they were there in the bookstore. Maybe that wasn't the best, since Fae would have to take it back to Hy-Brasil with her, but it was better than having to buy multiple books just to get the same sort of material.

"Thank you for taking time out of your day to help me, Geethanjali. I think the two of these will keep me busy for quite a while," Fae told her, clearly deciding to purchase the second book, too.

"You're welcome." Geethanjali smiled as she replied. "Do you need help at the till?" Shopping for books with Fae was a rare opportunity for her to interact with the High Druid at all, and having helped her wasn't just good for the sake of having done a good deed. Word might get back to Hy-Brasil, and she might be seen by some of the other Druids as less of a threat. Geethanjali wasn't hoping for a world entirely free of discrimination against werewolves just yet, but she could hope to have the Druid community treat her as one of their own again.

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[fae iona cloudbreaker]

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”I probably will,” Fae answered in turn. These things were always so tricky. She was used to simply trading items or crops that she happened to have. As High Druid almost everything was just given to her, no questions asked. It sort of defeated the whole purpose of the community if she was excluded from it. These were traditions passed down since the first High Druid was named though, so she was unfortunately forced to accept her people’s offerings. In exchange, she led them where they wanted and conducted the yearly rituals as needed. To suddenly have mainlander money thrust upon her whenever she traveled added to her difficulty too. Because here, they required it for everything. She couldn’t even get water most of the time without coins. And then it came in plastic bottles! What was wrong with these people? Too many of them needed a trip to the island to see how damaged their world was getting. Hy-Brasil was pristine and would remain that way as long as she was alive.

Arriving at the cash register, Fae set her books down on the counter. The young woman on the other side, who Fae sort of recognized as being there for previous purchases, looked eager to help. Which was funny because earlier, when she had been looking through the window display, it had seemed like the girl had practically been asleep. Pulling out the pouch Fae used to store her coins, she held it out in front of Geethanjali. ”Just tell me how much of each I need,” she asked, waiting to hear the total from the worker. Hopefully it wasn’t too much, because Fae wanted to have enough left over that when her next stipend came, she could buy more books on her next trip. That was sort of how she kept herself going in the interim period.

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[geethanjali amaryllis root]

June 2, 2026

Fae responded to her question by saying that she probably would need some help at the till. Since money wasn't exchanged on Hy-Brasil except with visitors to the island, Geethanjali knew that it would be more likely to trip Fae up. A non-Druid magical person wouldn't have had to think twice about using coins to pay, though the specific coins might have been confusing, depending on where they were from.

Fortunately, figuring out the Galleon, Sickle, and Knut didn't require a steep learning curve, as Geethanjali was ready to show the High Druid. Galleons were gold and were worth the most of the three coins. Sickles were silver and were worth less than Galleons but more than Knuts. Knuts were bronze and were worth the least. What made it even easier to remember was that "Galleon" and "gold" started with the same letter, as did "Sickle" and "silver".

Geethanjali joined Fae at the register, ready to check out. "Just tell me how much of each I need," the High Druid told her. Geethanjali nodded. After she heard the total from the employee across the counter from them, Geethanjali first organized the total into the necessary coins in front of Fae so that she could see them, and then she walked her through it verbally.

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[fae iona cloudbreaker]

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Slowly and surely, Fae felt like she was learning more about the mainland. She was starting to catch onto general day to day duties and happenings, though there were social intricacies that she still sometimes didn’t understand. Especially with some of the people she had met from across the ocean. The Americans, as some of the mainlanders called them, spoke fast, and didn’t always care to hear about how she was actually doing personally, when they asked in their greetings. That was confusing. There had been one, an Auror, who had been assigned for a singular day of guard duty for Fae, and she never stopped talking once! An endless train of thought that never ceased running. The only truly unique experience Fae felt she got out of that day was the thing they called ‘the slice of pizza’. The chatterbox Auror had recommended it herself, and Fae went along despite her personal guards trying to tell her that a trip to Hogsmeade wasn’t necessary and completely out of the way. She still went.

With all that said, having mainlanders assist when they could did mean a lot to her. Geethanjali had started to separate the money as the cashier said how much the books cost, and Fae watched closely. She knew what all of the coins were and their value, obviously, but her addition was not the best when it came to adding in the smaller two to the fray. If only everyone operated in Galleons! Then life would be easy. Even better would be bartering and trading, like they did on Hy-Brasil. She understood that wasn’t inherently possible around here anymore. It didn’t stop her from wishing it was.

Geethanjali finished counting everything out and placed it in front of Fae. She took a mental picture of how it all was in regard to the cost of the books, and then gleefully handed it over to the employee, who hadn’t taken her eyes off of Fae the entire time. Apparently, the girl was awestruck. Fae had witnessed that look quite a bit lately. ”Thank you. I will cherish these books for the rest of my life,” she thanked the worker, and bowed her head. Smiling at Geethanjali, Fae motioned for the two of them to leave, as she had learned previously that loitering around in a shop after making your purchase was sometimes seen as weird. She didn’t want to be weird.

”And thank you too, Geethanjali,” Fae said as they exited the bookstore. ”These shall keep me occupied for quite a while. Hopefully they are as intriguing as they look to be.” It really didn’t matter to her if they weren’t or not. Just having books was more than enough for her.

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[geethanjali amaryllis root]

June 2, 2026

Geethanjali knew that Fae was being polite when she told the employee working the till at Flourish and Blotts that she would cherish her purchases for the rest of her life, and she didn't have the heart to tell her that most people she knew on the mainland had more books than they would ever have an opportunity to read. She was guilty of it, too: Old textbooks from Hogwarts, various works of fiction, other non-fiction books that she'd acquired and never actually picked up… They were all collecting dust in her bedroom or lying around somewhere. Her parents had a tendency to get frustrated with her for leaving things cluttered, even when she tried to explain to them that she knew where everything was. She would get around to reading those other books. Eventually.

With Fae's purchase made, though, they didn't stick around inside the shop, and Geethanjali followed her out. "And thank you too, Geethanjali." Geethanjali smiled. Being suitably dressed up to meet with her aunt had probably helped in her interactions with the High Druid. It wasn't a bad touch for a werewolf like her. "These shall keep me occupied for quite a while. Hopefully they are as intriguing as they look to be."

Of course, Geethanjali hoped that Fae's books would be everything she anticipated, if not better. "You're welcome. You'll have to send me an owl with your reviews," she told her hopefully. She wasn't really counting on any correspondence because being High Druid was no easy job, but it would make being homeschooled for the year more enjoyable.

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[fae iona cloudbreaker]

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”I shall!” Fae said excitedly as she peered into the paper bag that held her new books. She was probably going to start reading one of them tonight if she had the time to. If not, she was guaranteed to jump in the second she got back to Hy-Brasil. Her hammock or bed of pillows were waiting for her, prepped for her to doze in and out of sleep as she read. Such a thing was easy on the island, where the weather was almost always perfect and inviting. Mid-afternoon snoozes were a thing of beauty in her opinion. ”You will probably have one within the week,” she added. Because that was honestly how fast Fae was going to cruise through both books. And then she’d read them each a second time, just to make sure their contents stuck. Fae had found that was the best way to retain information.

Bowing her head slightly to Geethanjali, Fae turned to head back towards the Leaky Cauldron, where she was supposed to meet one of her guards. She thought about stopping at the cute little bakery on the corner ahead, grabbing a pastry to go. The Guardians wouldn’t care if she was a couple more minutes late at this point. They had been the ones to allow her to roam on her own to begin with. Happily walking down the alleyway, she occasionally looked down at her new purchases, grinning to herself as she did so. What a great day today was!

[THE END]

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